“Ahhh, the coast: that single word encompasses…craggy headlands, crashing waves, sandy beaches and rocky tide pools …” So says Travel Oregon about the Pacific Coast Scenic Byway. To this list I would add temperate old growth forests, marine mammals, and seabirds.
What makes it even better is that so much of it has been protected and is publicly accessible. Exceptional leaders made this happen: Oswald West, Sam Boardman, Matt Kramer and Tom McCall among them.
The Oregon coast extends 363 miles between Washington to the north and California to the south. A gorgeous network of 28 state parks lies along this stretch. Arguably the crown jewel is Oswald West State Park on the northern Oregon coast, just south of the popular tourist town of Cannon Beach. This wild and rugged park features acres of temperate old-growth forest, a picturesque walk-in beach favored by surfers, and a stunning view of the coasline to the south from Neahkahnie Mountain. Appropriately, this spectacular park was named after Oswald West, Oregon’s governor in the early 1900’s. According to an interpretive sign in his namesake park, West is “best remembered for a powerful act of conservation and preservation of Oregon’s tidelands.”
West also had an open mind, a good sense of humor, and supported women’s suffrage. He made his gubernatorial rounds on horseback, which given Oregon’s terrain, deep forests, deserts, mountains, and often inhospitable weather, was remarkable.
In 1913, West sponsored a bill that declared Oregon’s seashore a public highway. Taken literally, this sounds like a disaster, but the intent and effect of his legislation was that no land between the high and the low tides of the Oregon Coast could be privately owned or developed. Due to this clever legislation, combined with a later bill, Oregon’s beaches, bluffs and headlands were protected.
Another major player in Oregon’s coastal conservation efforts was Sam Boardman, state parks superintendent from 1929 to 1950. Boardman has been referred to as “the father of the Oregon State Park system.”
During his tenure, Oregon State Parks grew from 4,000 to 60,000 acres. He
referred to the wild and rugged coast as “the creator’s handiwork.” Among his many accomplishments, Boardman successfully negotiated land acquisitions for parks, including historic lighthouses which have become icons of the Oregon coast experience.
To bolster these major conservation victories, Governor Tom McCall signed the Oregon Beach Bill in 1967 which permitted free beach access to everyone. Journalist Matt Kramer was instrumental to the passage of this landmark bill. His frequent, persuasive newspaper articles effectively built support for free and uninterrupted use of the Oregon Coast.
My first visit to the Oregon Coast took place on a wet, cold spring in 1972. 
Camped between beached logs at Agate Beach State Park, I listened nervously all night to the roar of the surf, hoping the tide would not reach my campsite (it did not). In the morning, drizzle fell steadily, making the forest glisten.
Decades later, we keep coming back to this coastline. This summer, we returned for a delightful week of hiking, bicycling, beach walks, birding and wildlife-watching. We are eternally grateful to the visionaries who safeguarded it for all to enjoy.
