Gearhart Beach

Long and sandy Gearhart Beach offers significant attractions while remaining consistently less crowded than the neighboring beach of Seaside to the south. If you access Gearhart Beach from Highlands Lane, you’ll be able to drive your vehicle out onto the beach, where you can travel as far North as Warrenton—about 8 miles of beach—or go a short distance to the south to the Pacific Way beach entrance. While entering the beach from Pacific Way will not allow you to drive your vehicle out onto the beach, you’ll have access to indoor restrooms, basketball and tennis courts, and picnic areas.

At the beachfront you can hunt for sand dollars at low tide or try clamming. You’re also allowed to build a fire on Gearhart Beach, but burning driftwood is prohibited. The long and relatively flat beach is also perfect for kite-flying, long jogs and sand volleyball (bring your own net). In addition, when the tide is out, you’ll be able to walk out onto large sandbars jutting into the ocean. Be sure to explore these “temporary peninsulas” for sand dollars, but keep an eye on the water level or else you’ll be wading back to dry land through a waste-deep current.