Smelt Sands is a small park, but is hugely impressive — particularly during high tide and winter storms with the waves that crash in on the rocky shoreline.  The name is a bit of a misnomer as there’s very little sand at Smelt Sands.   This park is great for whale watching, exploring tide pools, photography, and the annual smelt run (small silver relatives of salmon).  Smelt Sands is also a wonderful backdrop for stunning sunsets.

 

The large rocky  boulders of the park are mainly made up of basalt, siltstone and sandstone, and were formed some 25 million  years ago. Native Americans walked across this beach and along what is now the Yachats 804 Trail. Later on, settlers used it as part of a long road which allowed them to move back and forth between various farm settlements.  In the 1990s the 804 Trail South was constructed, branching off from the southern end of the park.

 

The 804 Trail is paved and winds for about a mile and a half along the rocky shore.  Get an unique look at the rock formations, and tidepools unique to Yachats, and the path  The 804 Trail takes advantage of some easements on the rocky shoreline at the northern end of Yachats. In the 1970s, local landowner had laid claim to this rocky shoreline (It didn't fit the description of a public 'beach'), preventing fishing access, but activists dug up the plans for a 19th century public road that was never built. The battle in the state courts took ten years, but the rocks ended up as part of a state park and now offer a picturesque promenade. The path is part of the Oregon Coast Trail and you can connect from here with  many other trails.  The tread is an ancient roadway, established by Native Americans and then used by horse and buggy traffic until the construction of Highway 101.

 

For more information on the 804 Trail:  https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Yachats_804_Trail_Hike/

 

Day Use Amenities:

Bathrooms

Dog friendly;

Extensive Hiking trails, rocky shores;

Fishing allowed from shore (with license)

Small parking lot, but no overnight camping allowed without reservation.

Directions by Car:  Go south on Hwy 101 8 miles to Yachats, Right onto Sunset Road to State Park, Right onto Lemwick Lane. 

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