Stay Eat Events Weather Beaches

Land of Giants, Wild Sands at Ariya's Beach, South Oregon Coast

Published 08/15/21 at 6:29 PM PDT
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

Land of Giants, Wild Sands at Ariya's Beach, South Oregon Coast

Latest Coastal Lodging News Alerts
In Seaside:
Includes exclusive listings; some specials in winter
In Cannon Beach:
Includes rentals not listed anywhere else
In Manzanita, Wheeler, Rockaway Beach:
Some specials for winter
In Pacific City, Oceanside:
Some specials for winter
In Lincoln City:
Some specials for winter
In Depoe Bay, Gleneden Beach:
Some specials for winter
In Newport:
Look for some specials
In Waldport
Some specials for winter
In Yachats, Florence
Some specials for winter
Southern Oregon Coast Hotels / Lodgings
Reedsport to Brookings, places to stay; winter deals

(Gold Beach, Oregon) – A land of arches, holes, crusty caves, gobs of tidepools, intriguingly shifting sands, and of course a land of towering giants: that is the place called Ariya's Beach on the southern Oregon coast, part of Meyers Creek Beach and in turn part of the state park's Pistol River park. (Photo courtesy David Prasad / Flickr, cropped from the original below).

Who Ariya was and how a beach was named after her isn't known, but she must've been drop-dead gorgeous, like this singular, distinctive southern Oregon coast semi-hotspot. Ariya's Beach is sandwiched between the two parts of Meyers Creek Beach: Meyers Creek Beach Viewpoint and the Meyers Creek Pullout south. It's a bit less than a half mile between them.

A caveat: look out for alternating spellings of Meyers Creek as it sometimes shows up as “Myers,” even on Google Maps.

Either way, you're at Ariya's Beach when you're approaching that huddled mass of sea stacks and blobs, with the southern border approximately where the “kissing rock” is. It's not actually THE Kissing Rock that's north of Cape Sebastian. Although this spire does have a look of a face puckering up.

It's easy – and just fine – to get Meyers Creek, Pistol River Middle and Ariya's all mixed up. They're really one big long stretch that starts from that dip down Cape Sebastian and that inimitable bend where so many photographs are taken. There, you're moving past Hunters Cove and its dark, probably gold-laden sands; then Hunters Island and that eye-catching eastward-leaning blob – a sea stack that looks like it was frozen in time after getting drunk.

This whole few miles from here to the Pistol River and Crook Point get some amazing dune action. Dunes here build high in the summer and spring, often with massive dips between them, creating mesmerizing, even eccentric shapes. Gigantic holes seem to appear in the spaces between them, at least when you're looking down from above. Other times, they get gracefully sculpted into unique latticework-like shapes, or maybe grooves. Even wilder still: periodically the mix of moisture and fast winds create hundreds of mushroom-like shapes and forms all over. They're so intricate that newbies to the Oregon coast cry foul on social media, claiming the pics aren't real. They are (see examples here, though not taken from Ariya's)

As you roll past the Meyers Creek Beach Viewpoint, you'll see a couple of large, flat slabs out at sea. The southernmost is Cave Rock where there actually is a giant opening through to the other side.

At the cluster of rocky giants at Ariya's Beach, yet another arch pops into existence, cloistered between the colossal formations. Sometimes ocean mists create wild, imaginative effects here. Other times photographers catch sunlight streaming through like some magical portal.

There are rare, extreme low tide moments you can walk out there. If you're lucky you'll see the hole in its ceiling.

Periodically, the seas are calm enough for wading here, and you may encounter a small sea cave during real low tide events. Bundles of tidepools are scattered about Ariya's Beach and its towering residents. Sometimes they cover huge sections of the bottoms of these rocks, meaning these parts are usually underwater. That's a bit humbling to look at these chunks and know where you're standing is normally Sponge Bob territory.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Malaika Santa Cruz (@malaikasantacruz)

Those rocky plops are usually part of the Otter Point Formation, a strange geologic tale that goes back well over 140 million years. Rocks of the Otter Point Formation – like many sea stacks on the southern Oregon coast – are a melange of ages. They started forming way back and kept being added onto, so the rocks themselves actually contain parts from all over time. It's about as Dr. Who as you can get without having a TARDIS.

From the main viewpoint of Ariya's Beach, a gentle slope lets you descend to this land of gargantuans and wacky sands. Craggy objects abound, sometimes with diagonal lines showing one kind of geologic uplift or another. One feature almost looks like a soaring dinosaur tail.

At some points in winter, the foliage on the hillsides can turn bright oranges or yellows – truly remarkable colors. In summer, glorious flowers bloom with intense shades of pinks or purple.

It's all a short drive from Gold Beach. 541-469-0224. MORE PHOTOS BELOW

South Coast Hotels - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours


MORE PHOTOS BELOW






Courtesy David Prasad / Flickr

Courtesy Flickr/Matt Kieffer

The area in the 70s: courtesy Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries

More About Oregon Coast hotels, lodging.....

More About Oregon Coast Restaurants, Dining.....


Coastal Spotlight


Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees nearly 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

LATEST Related Oregon Coast Articles

New Parking at N. Oregon Coast's Cape Kiwanda Opens After Main Lot Shut Down
86 new spots opened across the street and more nearby
Swarm of Ten Quakes Off S. Oregon Coast, 7 Within Minutes - UPDATE
It started Monday and lasted through Wed morning near Bandon, Port Orford. Marine sciences, geology
Hatfield Marine Science Center's Marine Science Day Returns to Newport, Orego...
Science fair and open house on Saturday, April 13
Astoria, Oregon's Wine Competition Wraps Up, Announces Winners
Nearly 100 wines submitted by 24 wineries
Velella Like a Thick Carpet at Some Oregon Coast Spots
At least one spot near Newport is report large masses. Marine sciences
Oregon History Made as Coastal Lighthouse Near Florence Celebrates 130 Years
Saturday means tours of the BnB, raffles, live music. Florence events, Newport events
Cuteness on Parade: Gleneden Beach Pet Parade March 30 Benefits Oregon Coast ...
Gleneden Beach Pet Party and Parade near Lincoln City. Lincoln City events
South Oregon Coast Spring Break: from Whales to Deserted Beaches
Maybe a new spring break tradition could be in order? Check out these beach vibes. South coast events

Back to Oregon Coast

Contact Advertise on BeachConnection.net
All Content, unless otherwise attributed, copyright BeachConnection.net Unauthorized use or publication is not permitted