Your Guide to Hug Point State Recreation Site
Incredible sea caves carved into the sandstone, a waterfall along the stunning rugged coastline, and even a dash of history —Hug Point State Recreation Site shouldn’t be missed!
While this is a small section of the Oregon Coast, it packs in a lot of beauty and even some adventure. Here’s how to explore Hug Point, Oregon, and what’s nearby.
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Hug Point State Recreation Site
Between Manzanita and Cannon Beach sits a gorgeous slice of Oregon Coast called Hug Point. This appropriately named state recreation site used to be a stagecoach road that ran along the beach before the coast highway was put in.
As the name suggests, the stagecoaches had to “hug” the rocky coastline to avoid the incoming tide.
You can spend a day enjoying the area or make a quick pitstop along Highway 101. Either way, it’s worth a visit.
RELATED: 19 Must-Visit Oregon Coast State Parks
Hug Point Beach Walk
The main thing to do at Hug Point State Recreation Site is to play on the beach and admire the sandy and burnt colored cliffs.
Balancing on the edges of the cliffs are stunning spruce trees overlooking the coast. The huge beach stretches down to Arch Cape, and around the point, up to Arcadia Beach.
The main walk along the beach heads north towards Hug Point. Here, you’ll stumble upon interesting sea caves to explore and rocky ridges sticking out and strewn along the beach. After walking closer and beyond the point, you can see the famous Haystack Rock in the distance at Cannon Beach.
Along the way, you’ll be able to check out the small but pretty, seasonal waterfall that spills on to the beach and even tide pools teeming with marine life, like starfish and anemones.
The walk is only about half a mile one way, depending on how far you choose to go.
The most important thing you must keep in mind before doing a walk along Hug Point’s beach is the tide.
RELATED: 17 Breathtaking Oregon Coast Hikes
Hug Point Beach Tide Warnings
When walking out on Hug Point’s Beach, please check the tide schedule. Anyone can visit the beach, but the walk to the point can get a bit dangerous if you aren’t sure about the area’s tides.
You can check the tide schedule in the area here.
The thing to note is that access to the point and beyond is only safely available at low tide. If you were to head out too close to high tide, you could potentially get stuck on the other side of the point and have the tide close in on you, which can be quite dangerous.
Make sure to check, have an exit plan, and HUG those beautiful rocks!
Hug Point State Recreation Site Amenities
There’s actually not a lot here, yet it does have the basics.
There are restrooms located here as well as picnic tables available. There is a decent-sized parking lot; however, it can fill up later in the day. The beach is only a short walk away from here.
RELATED: 11 Stunning Things To Do on the North Oregon Coast
What’s Near Hug Point?
There’s actually PLENTY to do just nearby; in fact, some of the nearby destinations often steal the show and cause Hug Point to get skipped! Hopefully, you’ll get to fit everything in during your visit! Here are the best nearby adventures.
Cannon Beach – This is probably the most famous beach in Oregon, and it features the most famous rock, Haystack Rock. It’s just a few minutes north of Hug Point.
Ecola State Park – And just a bit more north from Cannon Beach is the stunning Ecola State Park with tons of hikes, thick emerald forest, and surf!
Cape Falcon – Heading a bit south from Hug Point, the Cape Falcon hike is a gorgeous and rewarding hike to take on. Short Sands Beach is at the base of the trail and is perfect for surfing.
READ MORE: Hiking the Cape Falcon Trail on the Oregon Coast
Oswald West State Park – Striking capes and coves and over 13 miles of hiking trails to explore await you here.
We hope this post helped you better explore Hug Point State Recreation Site! Check out more posts on the Oregon Coast and even more adventures around the state.
