Arizona Beach at Arizona Beach State Recreation Site is an excellent destination, sitting between Port Orford and Gold Beach, right off Highway 101. The park and beach offer rockhounding, beachcombing, and beach strolling, as well as fishing, nature viewing, kite surfing, and tidepool exploration.

Picnic tables are scattered throughout the park, giving the whole family a place to relax and enjoy the area.

The beach is pretty sheltered from the wind, so on average, the temperatures here are much higher than in the surrounding area, hence the name. But if the wind happens, this place is a fantastic spot for kite flying.

Arizona Beach – Things to Do

Beachcombing and Rockhounding

Arizona Beach is a tremendous place to stroll on the shore or do some beachcombing or rockhounding to add gifts of the Pacific Ocean to your collection.

You can see a magnificent image of sea stars and other marine creatures at low tide. Red, purple, orange, and shades of green create a beautiful picture whenever the ocean briefly reveals its flora and fauna.

Fishing

The Arizona Pond stocks rainbow trout at the park. Fishing is open to youth only and requires a juvenile fishing license for children ages 14-17.

Wildlife and Oceanlife Viewing

The offshore rocks you can see from the beach are home to a lot of wildlife species and are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge.

A total of 13 species of sea birds nest here, including common murres, tufted puffins, brown pelicans, pigeon guillemots, and double-crested cormorants.

Seals and sea lions are also often seen on the rocks. For preservation purposes, public access to these areas is not allowed.

Myrtle and Mussel creeks run through the park and attract local wildlife, including elk and waterfowl.

So nature enthusiasts can see a wide variety of other creatures in addition to the regular seaside inhabitants.