Page 75 - SOM Summer 2017

Harlequin Duck
Black Oystercatcher

MCVAY ROCK BEACH
With no highway signage to announce its location, incredibly scenic
McVay Rock Beach, just south of Brookings, attracts little attention,
even on busy summer days. Go first thing in the morning and you’re
likely to have this gorgeous, narrow, gravel beach all to yourself—or
wait until evening for mesmerizing sunsets.

The beach is composed entirely of gravel and course sand, making for
fun rock collecting, including the occasional agates. Because of myriad
large rocks embedded in the surf zone, McVay Rock Beach is great for
exploring tide pools on minus tides, and birdwatchers can find many
species here between late summer and late spring. You can hike either
direction, but high tides block any progress beyond about a half mile
south and just a few hundred yards north.

To find McVay State Recreation Area, follow Highway 101 south
through Brookings-Harbor and turn right (west) on Benham Lane;
go about 0.5 miles and turn left (south) on Wenbourne, and after 0.2
miles stay left (southbound) on Oceanview Drive and continue 2 miles
to the state park on the right.

ALL THAT AND MORE
These five secret beaches represent the best in all of Oregon, offer-
ing endearing solitude amid the tumultuous natural wonders of the
Emma Gasman at
South Coast. Curry County’s secret beaches—and there are others,
Mt. Ashland, with
of course—are stark and addicting reminders that the Oregon coast
Mt. Shasta in the
offers many majestic landscapes that remain unaltered by mankind.
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