Things to keep in mind: most of the state parks require day use parking fees. We typically buy the yearly pass that allows us to park at all of the state parks. The pull-outs do not require parking passes.
One of our favorite places to photograph is the Southern Oregon coastline. Just west of Coos Bay there is a little fishing town called Charleston. There are three state parks located outside of Charleston. The first one is Sunset Bay State Park.
Sunset Bay State Park has a really nice sandy beach, picnic tables, rest rooms, and a nice shallow area for young children to play in the ocean. There is also a camp ground here.
Shore Acres State Park is our favorite park. When there are high surf advisories, huge waves crash in against the rocky shore line sending spray over 200 feet into the air. It's really something that has to be seen. Definitely one of the highlights of my life. This park features an observatory building (nice place to see refuge during the storms), restrooms, picnic areas, a gift shop, and a large formal garden complete with Koi pond. At Christmas time it is decorated with thousands of Christmas lights. I have yet to enjoy seeing it at Christmas time, but I hear it's really beautiful. (photos at the bottom of this page)
iF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE PEOPLE UNDER THE TREES.
Cape Arago State Park is the park that has the tide pools, seals, sea lions, and elephant seals at certain times of the year. This park offers picnic areas, restrooms, and a camp ground.
These three parks offer amazing places to photograph. We highly recommend visiting them. You can follow our photography friend, https://www.facebook.com/StevenMichaelPhotographyOregon/ , to be alerted to high surf advisories. That is when the big waves come to Shore Acres State Park.
Coos Bay is a nice town. We haven’t spent a lot of time here, but there is a nice park on the waterfront that is pretty to photograph. We also love the Farmer’s Market when it’s open.
Bandon is a fun beach town. We highly recommend going to Old Town Bandon at the harbor area (turn westerly off of Hwy 101 onto Fillmore Avenue then southerly onto 1st Street). It is very pretty and has a high density of shops and eateries. In our opinion, Bandon Fish Market, https://www.bandonfishmarket.com/, has the best fish and chips. I've been told by many that Tony's Crab Shack, https://www.tonyscrabshack.com/, is a great place to eat too. There are plenty of other restaurant choices if fish isn't your thing.
After you've had your fish, stroll over to Cranberry Sweets, http://cranberrysweets.com/, for a treat. They have more samples than you will be able to eat. The candy there is delicious. They also have a beautiful gift shop. I could spend a fortune in this store. Save some room for sweets though. Bandon is home to a famous chocolatier. Coastal Mist, http://coastalmist.com/, offers the most beautiful candy you will ever see. They are really works of art. They also have beautiful European style pastries.
There are plenty of art galleries, book stores, candy stores, souvenir shops, bars, and coffee shops to keep you busy all day. It really is an area of the coast that shouldn't be missed.
Other places in Bandon that are well worth the time to explore and experience are the beaches and the Face Rock Creamery, which offers amazing macaroni and cheese and ice cream. https://facerockcreamery.com/. Face Rock Creamery is located on Hwy 101 north of Old Town Bandon.
The Bandon shoreline is littered with beautiful sea stacks. It really puts Hay Stack Rock to shame just because there are so many of them. The beaches there are so interesting and beautiful. Bandon doesn't get as much rain as the northern Oregon coast either so you are more likely to get that perfect sunset picture as well. You have to get off of Hwy 101 and on to Beach Loop Drive to see these great beaches. The easiest way to access Beach Loop Drive is from Old Town. From Hwy 101, turn northerly (although it will probably feel westerly because it heads toward the water) onto Fillmore Avenue then westerly (left) onto 1st Street. Follow 1st street through town. It will take a 90 degree turn just after the Port of Bandon (BTW if the farmer's market is going on, it's a pretty fun one) the road changes to Edison Avenue SW. For a great view of the Coquille River Lighthouse, the Coquille River, and a 180 degree plus ocean river view, turn right onto Jetty Rd. SW. To continue your journey along the beach line, back track back to Edison Avenue SW and turn right, then turn right onto 4th Street SW which turns into Ocean Drive SW and then turns into 7th Street SW and finally turns into Beach Loop Drive. From there, you're home free. There are many marked pull outs that show views from the top of the rocky cliffs. Some of the pull-outs have stairs leading to the beach, parking, and restrooms. Beach Loop Drive will eventually connect to Hwy 101.
Port Orford is home of the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. It’s the western most point of the United States. It can experience extremely high winds. The day we were there we could barely get our car door open. I’ve only been there the one time and the winds were too high to get any decent photographs, but my friends have taken some insanely amazing photographs there.
Gold Beach is where you catch the Jet Boats. The jet boats go way up the Rogue River into the wilderness area. Take the long trip if you decide to ride the boats. We saw bears, river otters, blue herons, eagles, turtles and several other animals too. It was such a fun trip.
Elk Herds - we have seen large Elk herds between Gold Beach and Brookings.
Brookings - we stopped at Harris Beach State Park and Lone Ranch Beach to take photos. We spent very little time in the town of Brookings.