NATURAL BRIDGES ADVENTURE

This is where the adventure happens.

A view from the landing. There is a small trail along the ridge.  

    The Oregon coast is a wonder of nature. All along hwy 101 beautiful and captivating locations beckon to the adventuresome.When we considered these places the Oregon Natural Bridges Cove was the place for us to discover. After loading up our gear into Michaels car we headed from Cave Junction to the coast. The natural bridges is located about 15 min North from Brookings and is a part of the Samuel Boardman scenic corridor. This scenic area contains several unique locations including, Harris Beach State park, Thomas Creek bridge (the highest bridge in Oregon at 345') as well as Indian Sands beach and Lone Ranch beach. It took us around an hour and a half to arrive at the parking area for the natural bridges cove. The weather was perfect and with the sun shining Michael and I grabbed our packs and headed for the trail. Just a bit down the trail there is a landing area where people can get their first view of the natural bridges. Seeing the natural beauty in this location took my breath away. Michael snapped a few photos and then we were on our way again. The trail along the ridge of the natural bridge can just be seen from the viewing platform. I shouldered my pack to a more comfortable location and kept a close eye on the trail. As we worked our way down to a lower vantage point I could see why this area is so beautiful and so dangerous. The trail drops off on each side and there is nothing to stop you from plummeting hundreds of feet into the ocean.

View from the resting place

Corley hiking the shore at natural bridges.

Fifteen minutes later a clearing opened up along a steep bluff. This place is breathtaking Michael and I took this opportunity to take a few photos and then moved along the clearing to meet up

Michael set to film the free climb.

Michael taking in the sights.

with the trail again. Back on the trail it was a slow scary decent to the top of the natural bridge that can be seen from the landing up above. When we got to the top of the monumental bridge my heart was pounding in my chest. The ocean is hundreds of feet below and we were standing on a tiny path covered with sand, rocks and pebbles. Michael went first and I let him get up and around the hardest part before I followed suit. If you are lucky enough to keep your footing about halfway up to the center of this set of bridges is a small outcropping that provided us a resting place. All around us the ocean surf was crashing into the rocks slowly turning the bedrock into sand. 

The "trail" leading to the resting place

Some strange flowers growing on the cliffs.

The Secret beach.

A heavy mist was in the air smelling of salt and sea water. I was thankful for the great weather as we sat at our resting spot eating a snack. Michael set up the camera and It seemed like a good idea to free climb down the rocks to the ocean. Wile Michael filmed I slowly made my way down the rocks. The whole time thinking that it may have not been the best decision. In any event I was already climbing so it didn't matter any way. Trusting in my abilities it took a few minutes to make my way down to the target area i had in mind. It would have been nice to make it all the way down to the water but when i got to the high tide line the rocks were as slippery as glass. I got as far as I was willing to go and the only thing to do was get the heck out of there before I got swept away with a big wave. I'll tell you, getting down was a lot easier than getting out would be. Looking up at those rocks made me think "what did I get my self into". Gritting my teeth and grabbing the rock, I started to climb. Each handhold was hard to find and would only hold a finger or two keeping the hair standing up on my

Michael following the creek up to the falls.

neck. Looking back over my shoulder to the ocean far below did nothing to ease my tension. At this point a bit of muscle fatigue was setting in. Breathing heavy the last leg of my climb was just in front of me. With my heart pounding in my ears I dug my hand into a good hold and hoisted my weak body up onto the small resting area. Dropping down on my back with my face to the sun I just stayed there catching my breath. A cool breeze blowing on my face and the sound of the ocean breaking stone in my ears.
    At another location Michael set up the camera to show our "path" and how the cliff drops off on each side seemingly to oblivion. When looking over the cliffs it made my stomach turn and a slight dizziness filled my head. On the other side of this group of natural bridges, Michael led the way up the hint of a path in the direction of the parking area. Along the way a large Artist conch was dislodged from the rotting tree it was growing on. The old fungus was large and very cool looking. It was sad to see it laying there on the ground instead of growing on it's rotten log. This is the way of nature things grow and things die. We decided to take it along and make something cool out of it. Michael made his way farther up the steep path and I was following along. Then off the side of the path we saw a hoodie sweatshirt. It was in good shape so it went on my pack and we brought it with us. Within another ten minutes the parking area and our car was visible again. After a quick break we jumped in the car and headed for the "secret beach" parking area.

Chilling in front of the falls.

    This spot is not marked on the highway but is just up the road a mile or less in the direction of Gold Beach. When we arrived at the parking spot we knew the tide was staring to come in for the night. Michael and I also knew this was a location that we were not going to miss. It takes around 15 minutes to hike the steep trail down to the Secret Beach and all along the way loud rushing water could be heard. At the beach area the trail splits and one goes to the beach and the other went in the direction of the loud water. It was to intriguing to pass up so we took the trail that led away from the beach. A bit up the trail there is a bridge over a stream. Following the noise Michael and I

Corley enjoying the falls.

dropped down below a foot bridge and headed upstream. The walls on either side were very tall and sheer. It seemed unlikely that someone would be able to climb out of here once they were in this runoff canyon. Still further up the stream the cause of the water noises became obvious. A large waterfall cascaded down some 25' into a pool that was about 12' across. The noise of the falls was amazing when we got close. A fine mist filled the air and covered

The cove with the natural bridges we found.

our camera gear with a heavy dew. Standing below the falls gave me a real feeling for the wonder and the power of water. I felt like the falls could crush me at any moment. While we were taking the photos I somehow felt afraid to turn my back on the power of  the falls. Like it was waiting for someone to get close enough to swallow up. Of course the waterfall didn't get us and after a few more minutes to enjoy the site we moved down to the beach.

Michael at the secret beach falls.

Michael braving the surf on our way to the cove.

This is a picture taken from just above the high surf line.

Amazing sea life on the rocks at Secret beach

  This beach also features a waterfall that is fed from the same stream that feeds the upper falls.
This place was unique and we spent several minutes taking in the location. The tide was rising 
fast so if we wanted to get down to some of the caves along the shore we would have to hurry. Spend too much time on the far shore or in the caves and you risk the chance of being trapped by the high tide. At one location the rocks along the shore are completely covered with sea life. This gave me the realization that these rocks are also covered with water at high tide and they are over my head while standing on the beach. A bit

 high tide covers this rock

of fear crept in as the ocean continued to rise around us. Around a half mile from the waterfall on the beach there is a giant natural bridge. This rock outcropping rises hundreds of feet above the beach. Along the shore under this massive rock formation is a giant opening carved out by the crushing surf. This opening creates a picture frame for the caves and beach beyond. Michael climbed up the rocks through the opening just above the rising waves. As he worked his way along the slippery rocks the ocean crashed up all around him. With some care we both made our way through the opening and onto the rocks on the other side. This is an isolated beach that few get to visit. Even fewer people would be willing to make the climb just to get back here. This gave us a real feeling of adventure and we took advantage of the opportunity with countless photos. This part of the natural bridges area is known as Thunder Bay and it's well worth the hike but beware it is dangerous. The rising tide was cutting off our escape route back to the other beach. We had to make our way back through the opening and on to the other side, now. A half hour later our feet hit the sand and I was glad to be on the relative safety of the beach again. It was time for us to head back to the parking area as the sun was going down. Michael and I did some beach combing as we walked back along the shore. The waterfall was there to greet us as we hiked up to the trail. Fifteen minutes later the car was in our sights and the sun was dropping fast. This area with all the beach caves and natural bridges was beyond my expectations. It felt like anywhere you looked would make great picture and each trail makes you want to see what is at the end. In this case it's an amazing story and

map showing natural bridges cove

some priceless memories. Until next time the adventure is yours.

this map show's secret beach