The primary public access point is via Smelt Sands State Recreation Site, which is located in Yachats (turn west on Lemwick from US 101 in Yachats). From Smelt Sands it is possible to access the historic 804 Trail (which used to be the only way to get from Alsea Bay to Yachats before Hwy 101 was built). The foot trail now extends all the way to the Yachats River as it used to back in the early 1900’s.

Public Access Option 1 for Smelt Sands Rocky Shore

Public Access Option 2 for Smelt Sands Rocky Shore

Who Owns this Site? Submerged and submersible (intertidal) lands: Division of State Lands; offshore rocks above Mean High Water: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; beach and upland wayside: Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, other uplands are in private ownership.

Who Manages this Site? The site is managed by Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) as Smelt Sands State Recreation Site, which is part of OPRD Area 3 and the Beachside Management Unit. The beaches and rocky shores of Oregon are part of Oregon’s Ocean Shore Recreation Area, which is managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.