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Growing up in Southern Oregon, we both made many trips over to Brookings, Oregon, more specifically to Harris Beach. As we’ve gotten older, we’ve realized there are more things to do in Brookings Oregon than just visiting Harris Beach.
Brookings is actually a really nice coastal town with so many great beaches and viewpoints to explore! There’s even a river running into the ocean in Brookings, offering great freshwater activities too!
Please remember, when visiting the places in this list of things to do in Brookings, Oregon, we ask that you practice leave no trace policies, packing out garbage with you wherever you go, and leaving places better than you found them!
11 Things To Do In Brookings Oregon
Camp at Harris Beach State Park
Harris Beach State Park is well known for its camping and great beach access. The campground itself is a lovely place to stay, and has RV spots with ocean views. The tent sites are mainly in the wooded areas, surrounding tents with ferns, moss-covered logs, and large trees! It really is a great campground!
The sites are within walking distance to the beach, however, it’s all uphill walking on your return. Alternatively, leave the campground and park in the large parking area at the bottom of the hill, where you’ll have a shorter walk to the beaches of Brookings!
Reserve your stay at Harris Beach Campground here.
Explore the Tide Pools at Harris Beach
Visiting the tide pools at Harris Beach is a classic 5th-grade field trip for students in Southern Oregon. That’s not to say it’s not fun for other ages too! At the Harris Beach tide pools, you’ll find sea anemones, starfish, and even an arch rock! The views at the tide pools are gorgeous too!
Accessing the tide pools from the main Harris Beach car park is doable. You have to walk south on the beach down around the rocks when the tide is out. Just watch for the tide coming back in to be able to head back this way. Alternatively, you can park at the top car park at the Harris Beach turnout, and walk down toward the “Marine Gardens” on a trail to the beach. This way you will not get stuck when the tide comes back in!
Chetco Point (mentioned below) also has tide pools to explore!
Check out the tide timetables here to plan your visit while the tide is out.
Grab Food at the Port of Brookings Harbor
Umpqua ice cream and seafood at the Brookings Harbor are musts when in Brookings. Slugs ’N Stones ’N Ice Cream Cones is the ice cream shop we recommend, selling Umpqua Ice Cream, an ice cream made locally in Oregon!
For seafood, head to the Hungry Clam. They’re always busy and always good! We used to be able to recommend their fish and chips, but Scotland ruined us with fish and chips, and now we’ve yet to eat them outside of Scotland! Eat some and truly enjoy them for us at the Hungry Clam! They also have a great clam chowder that’s perfect on a cold coastal day!
Both Slugs ’N Stones & the Hungry Clam are off of Lower Harbor Road, directly on the south side of the Chetco River.
Spend a Day on the Chetco River at Alfred A. Loeb State Park
Full disclosure here, we’ve never actually been to this state park, though it’s been recommended to us a number of times, and the reviews online are great! We’ve heard the paddleboarding here is great, and the river access is perfect for a swim on a warm day, and the Chetco River camping is good too! If nothing else, I’m sure driving up the North Bank Chetco River Road to this state park is a lovely drive, as it follows the river all the way out of Brookings!
There’s a Chetco River campground here, again, have never been — but may be a nice alternative to camping at other state parks in the area.
Drive the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor
Whenever we hear of state scenic corridors, we always try our best to make the drive and see it. Samuel H. Boardman is one that we’d drive for hours to see. The views of the Oregon Coast here are absolutely stunning, with rock formations not found anywhere else.
We suggest driving all the way up to Thomas Creek Bridge (recommended below), and then turning around and driving through the scenic corridor from north to south. This way, you won’t have to cross over traffic at every pullout you want to see!
Don’t miss the natural bridges — catching them at sunset is the best way to see them!
Let Your Dogs Run Free at McVay Rock State Recreation Site
McVay Rock is a park in Brookings that dogs are allowed to run off-leash. It’s one of the only parks in Brookings allowing dogs to be off-leash, meaning it’s a great place to let your pup run free! There’s a disc golf area and beach access that’s much less popular than the neighboring Harris Beach.
Enjoy the Seclusion at Lone Ranch Picnic Area
We kind of just stumbled upon this beach when we were visiting the Oregon Coast earlier last year. We didn’t want to go to Harris Beach, as we had been there many times and we’re interested in the crowds of people, so we decided to travel north and find a beach more secluded. And Lone Ranch Picnic Area provided just that!
There are a number of picnic tables, pit toilets, and even a grassy area to hang out in as you listen to the waves crashing in. The beach itself is much less populated than neighboring beaches, making it the perfect getaway for a quiet day with your family!
Walk the Trail at Chetco Point Park
Chetco Point Park is a park with a short trail overlooking the ocean in nearly all directions. It really does come to a point and is in fact a small peninsula off the Oregon Coast. The trails here are great for walking and taking in the beauty of the west coast! There is also beach access here to a secluded sand area and tide pools!
Drive over the Tallest Bridge in Oregon – Thomas Creek Bridge
Thomas Creek Bridge stands 345 feet high and is a part of the Pacific Coast Highway just above Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. There isn’t much to see, and the bridge itself isn’t jaw-dropping, but it is kind of eerie knowing you’re driving over the tallest bridge in Oregon!
This is a great place to drive across and turn around to head south on highway 101 starting your journey explore the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor.
Splurge on a Stay at Whaleshead
Jay’s mom used to own a cabin at Whaleshead Resort at we loved our time spent there. The cabins are built for tiny living, and most of them have their own private hot tubs. With the forested area around the cabins, it’s such a romantic and peaceful feel staying at Whaleshead.
There is beach access from Whaleshead by climbing through a tunnel meant for water below highway 101. Otherwise, you must drive across the highway and down to a parking area only accessible by 4×4 high clearance vehicles.
Check current pricing at Whaleshead Resort here.
Play at Azalea Park
When we visit Brookings, we’re always going to spend time on the beach. However, with a park like this, we may just have to spend all our time at Azalea Park next time we go to Brookings. They have a disc golf course, walking trails, and a traditional old wooden play structure — the kind that makes the kid in me go wild!
AND… in the summer, they have free concerts too! While Thanksgiving through Christmas, they host a holiday light show!
Places to Stay in Brookings, Oregon
AirBnB Brookings | AirBnB is a great option for finding a place to stay in and around Brookings, however, prices are pretty high. With many people offering entire homes for rent on AirBnB, you could have a whole home to yourself. This is a great option for saving money on food and being able to spend more on adventures!
If you’re hoping to stay with a local, don’t worry, AirBnB offers local stays too! What a great way to find out even more about the local area and even other places you may be traveling to!
Hotel Stays | If staying in someone else’s home doesn’t tickle your fancy, search for hotels in Brookings here. You’ll find a number of hotels in Brookings, as well as just south of Brookings in Crescent City.
Camping | Camping is a great money saver and memory maker! Many of the state parks listed above have camping, with Harris Beach State Park being the most popular in the area.
Learn more about free camping in the United States here. And join the ArboursAbroad family to receive an email when we publish our complete list of Oregon Coast campgrounds!
Getting To And Around Brookings, Oregon
Flying | Portland brings in one of the biggest airports on the west coast of the United States. Look for flights from your location to PDX (or Portland, Oregon). This is the search engine we use when booking flights. Fly into Portland then, head west to Astoria, where you can have an awesome drive down the Oregon Coast. And yes, you guessed it, we have a guide to the Oregon Coast here.
READ MORE | Things to do on the Oregon Coast | Beaches + Hikes + Cute Coastal Towns + Attractions
Alternatively, you can fly into the Medford Airport, MFR, and then drive the 2 hours from there to Brookings. This route takes you right through the Redwoods, a stunning place to see!
Learn how to get the best prices on flights to Oregon here.
Rental Cars | If you’re not from the area or don’t have your own car, you’ll want to rent a car to get you up and down the Oregon Coast, maybe even plan a proper Oregon road trip! There’s not much public transportation in Oregon, and it’s always nicer to have your own car when visiting a place of such spectacular scenery.
Training | Amtrak trains offer trains into Klamath Falls, Oregon. This would be the closest train station in Oregon for the area, though it’s still nearly 4 hours away from Brookings. We definitely do not recommend this way of travel to get to Brookings, Oregon.
More Posts On Things To Do in Oregon
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The best is yet to come… the national park and national monuments in Oregon are rich in beauty. With hot springs, more awesome hikes, painted hills, and even caves, Oregon’s national monuments, and parks have a little something for everyone!
Our Oregon page is full of unique things to do in Oregon. Find river access points, hikes, waterfalls, hot springs, and even information on cycling the Oregon Coast here!
Planning a trip to Bend? Wanting to visit Smith Rock State Park? Central Oregon is home to some of Oregon’s finest.. even outside of the winter months when you’ll find snow-covered peaks and snow-filled roads!
Things to do in Northern Oregon | Exploring Outside of Portland
Our Northern Oregon post is just like this one. You get to read and see all the things we recommend in Northern Oregon. Hiking, waterfalls, scenic viewpoints, you name it, it’s there!
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