Lone Ranch Beach

Lone Ranch Beach sits inside the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, at the milepost 352.5 turnoff on US Highway 101 north of Brookings in Curry County. The beach is a half-mile crescent of sand bordered by rocky headlands at both ends: Cape Ferrelo to the north and a minor headland to the south. Offshore sea stacks and washrocks scatter along the bay, with a cluster of tidepool rocks off the north end. A short paved trail drops from the trailhead lot to the sand.

The site is named for the ranch that once occupied the ground before it was folded into the Samuel H. Boardman corridor. Named viewpoints along the same stretch include Cape Ferrelo immediately north and House Rock further along the coast. Windsurfing and kitesurfing are documented uses because of the reliable wind here, and shore snorkeling and scuba are calm-day operations.

A rocky reef biome runs along both headlands and out to the offshore washrocks, and snorkelers can reach the near sections on quiet water from either end of the beach. The open sand and the north-swell shorebreak build a surf zone biome across the middle of the cove. Snorkeling and shore scuba are the reported water uses at the site. Brown pelicans and black oystercatchers are documented in summer, and sea lions, harbor seals, and migrating gray whales are documented year-round along the corridor.

Parking is a large paved lot at the trailhead, with restrooms on site and picnic tables at the south end; no day-use fee is charged. Landing on the offshore sea stacks along the corridor is prohibited year-round under Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge rules, and a 500-foot vessel standoff is enforced from May 1 through September 15. Intertidal collection follows Oregon Parks and Recreation Department rules, and standard Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife marine fish limits are enforced subtidal. Sneaker waves are a coast-wide hazard along the Boardman corridor.