Short Sands Beach

Safe cove and some of the best waves for learning to surf, boogie board, and SUP on the Northern Oregon Coast. Wear a thick wet suit to keep the chill off.

This is my favorite beach on the Oregon coast so far. I’m a native Oregonian and I am saddened by how crowded this beach has become, but I suppose that happens to all good things. I think that few people know the hidden gem that is the trail above the beach! Go right past the official «viewpoint» with bench and railing, and keep heading up the trail. On the left not long before before the trail ends, there’s a little trail going off the main trail, that leads to a sweet overlook of the whole beach. You can clone down that way if you dare, or go back the way you came. A short hike with an awesome pay off!

I went with a Meetup group to hike the Neahkahnie Mountain trail, and finished with a trek to the beach. There was a lot of drama unfortunately with the group, and so by the time that we got to the beach the «Shit hit the fan» as they say. so I didn’t get to enjoy the beach as much as I would have liked. So, I will be going again and doing the exact same hike… it was really a beautiful hike and day… although I wish it would have been sunnier. The beach here is intimate and really pretty… I wish I could have walked around a little bit more.

Cool Hip Trendy beach, if it had more bikinis I would give it 5 stars. Good waves for surfing. About as good as it gets on the Oregon coast.

I love you short sands! Great for mid week jaunts with the kids while on vacation. Bring firewood, smores and accoutrement to make your visit comfortable and fun. Pack in your needs and don’t tell anyone where you’re going. This is the perfect place for R&R and to ponder why it is that you live in the NW. You’ll need a baby Bjorn or Ergo to pack in your kidlets as it can be a bit tricky to hike over the logs and such to access the beach. Enjoy!

I love this little beach. It’s quiet, breathtaking, and less windier than other surrounding beaches. It’s an enclosed cove and blocked off from the harsh wind typically common on The Oregon coast. Also it makes a great location for dogs n kids to play without the worries of venturing out too far out.

One of my favorite beaches in Oregon! The parking lots to this place get packed because it’s also one of the ways to start hiking several trails through Oswald West State Park. We visit while staying in Manzanita, so we can avoid Highway 101 North traffic back towards Portland. Even if you can only manage a day trip, pack the cooler, a wet suit and surfboard if you’re brave enough (I’m not), maybe a light sweatshirt so you can stay until the sun sets, and make the trek down the ½ mile trail.
You’ll want to yell out some sort of swear word the moment you look up and realize you have arrived at probably the most beautiful spot on the Oregon coast (oooh that’s a tough call right?). Trees are permanently swayed from the wind and there are sandbars to walk across. With your back against the ocean, take a moment to witness the dramatic cliffs and think about your former life as a pirate.
On a more useful note, there are recycling and garbage cans near the picnic area so you will probably end up hauling less weight back to your car. There’s also a restroom in between the beach and the parking lot (no light though), so there’s no need to drop trou please!

Short Sands is a lovely little beach. One of the best parts is the little hike down to the water. There are several routes but my favorite is the one that leads to the swinging bridge. To find it, follow the signs to the Neahkahanie Mtn. hike route (this a great hike by the way!).
There are lots of surfers at this beach, great picnic spots and because of the cliffs on either side, it feels private and a little remote.
My one complaint — and it’s small — is the dogs. I love dogs and I think it’s great that folks can bring their dogs along to the beach, but please, keep an eye on them and be respectful of the people around you who don’t have dogs. We saw a dog pee in someone’s picnic bag and the owner of the dog didn’t say a word or check in when the owner of the bag returned. Really? Other than that, an ideal spot!

Secluded and beautiful!!!
Coming here was such a pleasure. Off HWY 101 the beach is located at the end of a very tranquil and cooling short ½mile trail. Its not strenuous at all. Very easy to get to.
You come out to a nice size cove with mountains hugging both sides of the beach. At low time you have a large sandy area. There are plenty of surfers, and boarders out looking to catch a good wave. Dogs are welcome and they were all enjoying swimming and playing.
There are some benches and grills to BBQ before heading down to the beach.
Locale ~ Off of Oswald West State Park
Offerings ~ Lovely short hike through the woods and out to a beautiful cove.
Extras ~ Dog friendly! Not very crowded.

GORGEOUS beach. Lots of logs to play on and do photo shoots. Pretty little babbling brook that comes from the peaks above. We did the hike from Oswald State Park, it was lovely, not too difficult with very nice fauna and greenery along the path. The path goes higher and veers off from beach.

Short Sands beach is in Oswald West State Park is one of the most amazing places and I always have to stop here when on the coast.
It’s about 10 miles South of Cannon Beach and the parking lot for the trail to get down is right off of Hwy 101.
The short hike (about a half mile) on a paved trail down to Short Sands doesn’t take long and is not strenuous.
It’s a smaller beach that is in a cove and has an amazing waterfall at one end of the beach.
The beach isn’t crowded during the off months and can get crowded during the summer time, but not as much as some other beaches on the Oregon coast.
If you surf, this is known as one of the North Oregon Coast places to surf.
I don’t care what time of year you go, there is always someone surfing there and there are all experience levels that do so.

We all know the weather here in PDX has been sweltering this past week. There’s only one sensible thing to do: blow off all responsibilities, rent some surf gear, and head out to the coast. That’s what we did on Monday and it was exactly the right thing to do in exactly the right place!
Short Sands Beach is my favorite beach in OR — beautiful, not too remote, forest on one side, glorious beach on the other. The sand is clean, the hike down to the beach is easy, the water is clean & cold! While I wouldn’t normally think ‘surfing’ when I think ‘Oregon’, this beach just may change my mind… it IS true, a full wet suit is needed due to the chill of the temperature of the water, but the waves are good, the scenery is lush, and I didn’t notice a single incident of dog aggression — people had their dogs on leashes or they were really well behaved. We will make a point of returning here whenever possible.

Like Jason, this is my favorite not-​so-​secret spot along the Oregon Coast.
At the tip of Oswald West State Park — a place with more personal stories involving late night wheelbarrow trips, oysters, honeymoons, and tent pitching than I care to share over the internet, sits Short Sands Beach, a jump off point for surfers, hikers, and lovers.
Something about the prepositions of anticipation… walking for a mile through the forest, alongside a river, across wooden bridges, over piles of driftwood, before setting foot on the 500 yards of beautiful rocky beach makes the experience absolutely breathtaking.
Catch a sunset, roast some marshmallows, explore the caves, or in my case, just drool over the surfers in their tight little wetsuits. This beach is definitely worth the walk!

my favorite place on the entire north coast. located midway between manzanita & cannon beach in oswald west state park. park in one of the lots along hwy 101, then follow the trail through the forest. it comes out in a beautiful hidden cove. not too many people come here, but it can get busy when the surf is good.