Free and Open Beaches on the Oregon Coast

Every mile, and there are some 350 of them, of the Oregon Coast is open to the public. In contrast, California has only about 90 miles out of more than a thousand miles of coastline owned by the public. Governor Oswald West convinced the Oregon Legislature in 1913 to make the beaches public property. A later governor, Tom McCall, brought about legislation in 1967 that guaranteed that the beaches would remain forever accessible to anyone. Oregon State Parks is generally responsible for keeping the faith on this issue.

You can't climb across private property to get there if the owner doesn't want to let you, but once you're on the beach, you can wander anywhere you like. It's something that Oregonians have ensured will be there permanently for current residents and generations to come.