Step out of your vehicle and into a place with natural beauty that truly inspires. Just a quarter mile from any of the parking areas to the beach, yet the rigors of everyday life are stripped away by the time your feet hit the sand.

Although the walk is short, there are several different trails to the beach and lead you to the Cape Falcon overlook or to the Pacific Coast Trail. The park includes a 13-mile stretch of the Oregon Coast Trail. Be sure to pick up a map on the way into the park. All of the trails to the beach are through a mature forest; one trail follows the winding path of the Short Sands creek. This trail gives way to the spectacular view of the ocean and the creek meeting. This is your first glimpse of the ocean and Short Sands beach.

The beach is nestled in a cove that provides you with a feeling of total privacy. Popular with windsurfers and boogie boarders, the beach is always alive with activity. Surrounded by the mountains, the beach at Oswald West gives you a sense of being transported away from the trials of everyday life. Lose yourself; find Oswald West State Park.

Vital stats: Open March - November. The walk-in campground offers 29 walk-in tent sites (wheelbarrows provided). The campsites are first-come, first-served. This beautiful park offers beach access and opportunities for tent camping, hiking, picnicking, fishing, swimming, surfing and viewing scenery.

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