Head away from Highway 101 and
toward the small fishing community of Charleston, and you'll discover
the gateway to three of Oregon's most beautiful state parks and a
national estuarine reserve. Charleston is also home to the Oregon
Institute of Marine Biology and the site of the Audubon Society's
annual Shorebird
Festival in September.
Before exploring the parks and reserve, visit Charleston's docks.
Califronia sea lions and harbor seals frequently swim between fishing
boats, and you may also see Thayer's, Herring, Western and Glaucous
gulls,
ospreys, grebes and pelagic cormorants. In winter, common
loons are often present.
If you like seafood, stop at one of Charleston's local fish markets
before you depart. At Sea Hawk Seafoods you may find smoked
salmon, smoked tuna, freshly cooked Dungeness crabs and
cerviche.
After leaving Charleston, continue driving on Cape Arago highway until
you reach Sunset Bay State Park. If you have a wetsuit or are
willing to brave cold water, you can stop to swim or kayak in the bay's
relatively protected waters.
You can also hike the Oregon Coast Trail from Sunset Bay to the tip of
Cape Arago.
If you continue by car, be sure to stop at Shore
Acres State
Park. Once owned by a timber baron, this park has well-kept
gardens loved by hummingbirds and some of the most beautiful
coastline in the state. Keep an eye out for pelagics:
common murres, pigeon guillemots and endangered marbled murrelets may
be seen.
Black oystercatchers also frequent
the rocky cliffs
below the visitor's lookout, and ancient murrelets may be present
during the winter.
From Shore Acres, continue down
Cape Arago highway until you see a
lookout sporting a high-powered scope. Here you'll have the
opportunity to hear and watch seals and California and Stellar's
sea lions congregating on off-shore islands. Northern elephant
seals are now often present as well. Cape Arago State
Park
is at the end of the road - offering a spectacular view of the
Pacific. To see intertidal marine life, follow a trail to the
Cape's
beach (closed to protect marine mammals between March 1 and June
30).
The Cape is also an excellent location to watch for migrating gray
whales.
If you would like to vist the South Slough
National
Estuarine Reserve,
on your return trip turn left on Seven Devils Road shortly before the
town of
Charleston.
The reserve's visitor's center is approximately five miles from the
turnoff and offers visitors a choice of several hiking trails.
One of
the best ways to see birds and other wildlife is by kayak or canoe, but
be sure to check the tide tables before beginning your trip.
DIRECTIONS TO CHARLESTON
From Highway 101, follow the sign marked Charleston/ State Parks/Ocean
Beaches and turn west on Commercial Street. Commercial Street
will become Ocean Boulevard. Stay on Ocean Blvd. until you come
to a T intersection. At the T, turn left onto Newmark Avenue and
drive through a small business district known as Empire. When the
road turns 90 degrees to the left at a flashing traffic light, you will
finally be on Cape Arago Highway. Continue on Cape Arago until
you reach Charleston and the state parks.
WHERE TO STAY
The state and county offer camping in two parks close to Shore Acres
and Cape Arago::
