Smelt Sands State Recreation Site
Yachats, OR
Smelt Sands sits a mile north of downtown Yachats, a rocky shoreline once used by locals netting smelt as they spawned on the beach, a practice the site's name still references. The 804 Trail, a paved oceanfront path, runs along the site's edge, making it one of the more walkable rocky stretches on this part of the coast.
The paved trail makes this a genuinely easy, scenic walk for any ability level, though it's a rock and tide pool spot rather than a place to swim.
How we score beachesWalk the 804 Trail at sunset. It's paved, flat, and gives a clean, uncrowded view of the rocky coastline without needing to scramble over anything.
Free lot at the north end of the 804 Trail.
The 804 Trail itself is paved and flat; reaching the tide pools and rocky shoreline below involves uneven rock.
Leashed dogs are allowed on the trail.
Winter storm season, November through February, brings dramatic wave action along the rocks; summer is calmer for tide pooling.
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