Seal Rock State Wayside

Fabulous little beach with great tide pools! The parking lot is pretty small, so you have to time it just right, but it is worth the effort. The beach is accessible via a beautiful wooded trail that leads to the rocky cliff pathway. (It might be a bit steep for some.) Once on the beach there are many things to see! We were here in late June, and the seals had left the area, but this beach offers up many great tide pools… especially the south end of the beach near Little Creek. It is easy to get caught up in climbing and exploring the rocks and tide pools on the south end, so be very cautions with the tides if they are headed in.
The park at the top has great day-​use picnic area and bathroom facilities. The State of Oregon does a wonderful job of keeping their parks clean and up to date!

You want gorgeous rocks and geological bursts through the seafoam? — this is the place.
You want sandy beach for those much talked about romantic seashore strolls? — this is the place.
You want the potential for admiring the flora and fauna of sea-​life? — yep. this is the place.
I didn’t see seals today, but I’ve seen pictures of them here, sunning on the rocks and playing in the water — so I assume they were just on coffee break or something. What I did see was a gigantic rock — maybe 3 stories high — full to the brim with sea birds. I mean — not dozens — but more like hundreds of them. Huge white and gray birds with their little snippy beeks (bills?) — making enough noise to be heard hundreds of yards away! The grey rock looked like it was covered in snow!
As I am not much of a sea-​plant person yet (have to see if there’s a field guide or something) — I have no idea what kinds of plants are here — but it’s all green getting there, and then — beautiful, colorful, and interesting takes over. This really is one of the most diverse spots I’ve stopped. It’s peaceful and uncrowded — at least on a weekday afternoon in the off season, so there’s time to discover. And an amazingly beautiful view.
Spring break in this part of the world begins next week, so I know I won’t be doing much park-​hopping then (I can only assume crowded beaches are not my kind of place — I won’t be testing that theory) so I spent a lot of today looking out at the waves and beyond — trying to catch a glimpse of some of the 18,000 California gray whales they say are on their way from Mexico to Canada for the summer. I saw one splash and bit of tale I think might have maybe could have been possibly a whale fluke — maybe.
I’ll go back after spring break. Evidently those grays love the tiny bay shrimp that dwell in these sheltered areas of the mid coast… so much that a few thousand of them hang around all year long rather than joining their kin’s migration — which is why there are so many whale researchers living here year-​round, and so many charter services that specialize in showing the big grays off to visitors.
Not a bad life for these Oragonian whales — adoring fans AND shrimp…
This state wayside park is certainly worth the stop. –Very awe-​worthy bit of US coastline.

A lot of the stops and waysides along the coast don’t actually have a beach to walk on. This one has a good stretch of beach to walk along, there are tide pools at low tide and interesting rocks to climb on, and a chain of rocks further out that feature dramatic spray and tiny waterfalls. There are some pretty unique plants as well. The one that looks like a small palm tree that is so stuck to the rocks that it gets absolutely pummeled by surf and comes out looking as perky as ever.
This is also one of the few places to see actual sea grass growing. It’s long and green and flows and swirls with the waves in these big pools. It’s mesmerizing! It looks like mermaid hair and if you don’t watch it, you might just find yourself jumping in after one. Also, look out for the iridescent seaweed. I couldn’t believe it when I saw it shimmering under the water. I took a video but it just isn’t the same as seeing it in real life. The giant rock itself attracts a lot of shore birds that are fun to watch. This is a happening beach in the summertime and it provides a lot of drama in the winter.
There are public restrooms in the parking lot here (further north than the first little turnout). There are also picnic areas but they’re up top, not on the beach.

After stopping at every other rock or turn out point along the oregon coast this place is no different than the other stops. I initially thought seal rock would be some huge rock in the ocean that has a bunch of seals bathing in the sun like a bunch of fatties. The rock, however, is shaped like a seal! Pretty awesome. You can climb between the rocks at your own risk. I was competing with some douche bag as to who would go out the furthest. He won. I am a fatty newb. pwned.

A beautiful park with easy access to the beach. There are very easy trails to the cliffs for excellent photo opportunities of the beautiful shoreline. The highlight of this park is the massive rock called the Seal Rock. This park is completely free for everyone.