Port Orford Heads State Park - Rugged Peninsula at Port Orford

Port Orford Heads State Park is a scenic location on a bluff towering over Port Orford. The views here are truly spectacular. You can see the rocky terrain, sea of greenery, endless ocean, offshore rocks, Port Orford, and beautiful wildflowers during the blooming season.

In addition to nature viewing and photography, avid adventurers got plenty of other things to do here. Hike one of the 3 trails, or all of them, visit the Coast Guard Lifeboat Station Museum, have a picnic, or just enjoy the refreshing ocean breeze.

Port Orford Heads State Park has 3 trails - 0.5-mile Headland Trail, 0.35-mile Cove Trail, and 0.25-mile Tower Trail. You can also hike the entire 1.2 miles loop. All trails will take you through the fantastic viewpoint and to historic locations like the remnants of the old boathouse. Despite running through the rough terrain, all trails are easy and well taken care of.

Nature and wildlife viewing at the park are one of the best in the Port Orford area. High areas let you see far and wide enjoying the Pacific Ocean views and a rugger rocky terrain surrounded by coastal greenery.

Fall whale watching is great here, especially from the Headland Trail, but you can see plenty of other wildlife year-round. You can see a plethora of sea creatures, and birds, and because of the surrounding greenery, a variety of land animals too, from squirrels to Black-tailed deer.

Coast Guard Lifeboat Station Museum is a historic location where you can learn about U.S. Coast Guard history in the area and even see the station's unsinkable 36-foot lifeboat. The station was built in 1934 because the rocky area was very dangerous to seafarers and already claimed numerous lives.

Guardsmen stayed at the station and if the lookout tower reported a ship in danger, they would run down from the quarters to the lifeboat at Nellies Cove to provide assistance. Station was closed in 1970 and in 2000 Point Orford Heritage Society reopened it again as a museum.