Between Gold Beach and Brookings, US-101’s windy, hilly roadbed is studded with the cliffside ocean vistas, giant conifers, and boomerang-shaped offshore rock formations of Samuel Boardman State Park. The park covers most of the “Fabulous 50” miles between the two towns, and all of the above-mentioned features come together at Natural Bridges Cove, just north of the Thomas Creek Bridge, the highest bridge on the coast north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate. Despite being signed, this turnout is easy to miss because, from the highway, it appears to be simply a parking lot fronting some trees; from the south end of the lot, however, a short trail through an old-growth forest leads to a viewpoint several hundred feet above three natural rock archways standing out from an azure cove.

  South of the bridge, just north of suburban Brookings, one final piece of nature has been preserved at Harris Beach State Park, across US-101 from the Oregon Welcome Center. Here you can walk down to a driftwood-laden beach and look out at numerous bird-infested islands.