Brews to Beaches- Oregon

Heading west we stopped in Bend, Oregon to explore another town we had briefly visited a few years ago and where we wanted to take a longer look around. Bend boarders the Deschutes National Forest which turns out had some free dispersed camping only 10 minutes outside of town. Given the close proximity to town it gave us the opportunity to do some exploring and check out some of the local breweries. There is no shortage of breweries in Bend, so we did a little research before heading out. For our first stop we opted for the 10 Barrel Brewing Company; their wide selection of IPAs and even a cucumber sour did not disappoint, and they are dog friendly in the patio area. The next day Crux Fermentation Project was on deck for what turned out to be a spectacular summer afternoon. What we found at Crux was not only an excellent selection of beer but huge dog friendly lawn complete with games and food trucks. One could spend weeks visiting all the breweries and cider houses in Bend, unfortunately we did not have the funds for such and extravagant layover, so we headed to the coast. 

Starting at Florence, OR we worked our way up the rugged coastline. The coast here is extremely varied and can go from dunes to lush forests to dramatic cliffs all in a matter of a few miles. Our first stop for a few days was the Carl Washburne State Park. The campground is set back in the forest with the beach just a short walk away. The stretch of coastline this park occupies is nothing short of spectacular; from the park you can walk the uncrowded beach for what seemed like miles in either direction. Having lived near some of the more popular beaches on both sides of the country it is refreshing to find something so undeveloped and uncrowded. We also did some trail running in the lush coastal forests along the coast in the Siuslaw National Forest. 

Empty beach at Carl G Washburne State Park

Koda in his lookout station

After several distractions along the way that included buying fresh black cod right from the boat and a beach side brewery we got to our next destination, Cape Lookout State Park. The setting for Cape Lookout is more of a dunes beach than Carl Washburne and much more popular. By pure luck we managed to reserve one of the nicest sites in the whole campground and only a hundred feet from the beach. I would be remiss if I did not share an important lesson learned upon leaving Cape Lookout for Washington. Not more than five minutes from the park gate we passed Nevor Oysters purveying fresh local oysters; they even had ones especially well suited for oyster roasting over an open fire. So lesson learned is know your surroundings; having missed the opportunity for a beach side oyster roast, I picked up some just out of the water Neharts and headed north. That night we enjoyed some of the freshest oysters we’ve ever had, just not on the beach.

Koda tries out the Pacific Ocean for the first time...

with a friend

Relaxing at the beach at Cape Lookout State Park. We lucked out with some beautiful sunny weather!

Info: 

Entrance Fees: Day use parking permit (daily or annual), Oregon Coast Passport, OR state park camping receipt needed for parking in the day use areas at State Parks; beaches were all within walkable distance from camping areas.  Parking permit ($5) or NPS America the Beautiful Pass ($80 for a pass good at all national parks, forests and monuments for one year (a great deal!) required at Cape Perpetua in Siuslaw National Forest

Camping:  Carl G. Washburne State Park; Cape Lookout State Park( $21-$28). Many other state parks and National Forest Campgrounds in vicinity

Pets: Yes. Dogs can run leashless at beach by Carl G. Washburne and in designated beach area at Cape Lookout. 

Tips:  Cape Lookout Campground is very popular- book ahead if you can.  Newport is good stop to buy fresh seafood at the docks.