This state park includes both Ona Beach—one of the Coast’s best picnic areas—and 374 acres of forest and marshes along Beaver Creek.  The state bought the inland area with lottery funds in 2009 and has gradually been adding facilities.

To explore both parts of Brian Booth State Park, start with a hike along the sand from Ona Beach to Seal Rock, where seals really do lounge on lava islands.  Then drive inland to Beaver Creek and hike a loop around Snaggy Point, a forested hill.

To find Ona Beach, drive Highway 101 . . .

Strangely, the lava forming Seal Rock matches flows found near Idaho in Hells Canyon.  Seventeen million years ago, when the North American continent buckled as it rammed westward over the Pacific Ocean floor, immense flows of Columbia River basalt welled up through cracks near Hells Canyon.  The lava surged down the ancestral Columbia River, which then entered the ocean here.

When you reach Seal Rock, do not try to climb directly up the headland’s slippery face. Instead, . . .

For the hike at Beaver Creek, return to your car . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes : Oregon Coast