Recreational Areas

Battle Rock Park and Port Orford Heads State Park. Stroll the mocha-color sand and admire pristine Battle Rock right in the heart of downtown Port Orford. Named for a battle between white settlers and the Dene Tsut Dah that took place here in 1850, this spot sits just below Port Orford Heads State Park. Atop the bluff that is Port Orford Heads, a trail loops the rocky outcropping between the Pacific and the Port Orford Lifeboat Station, taking in the hillside below, from which crews once mounted daring rescues on the fierce sea. The lifeboat station and adjoining museum is open for tours Wednesday–Monday, 10–3:30. Their motto? "You have to go out ... you don't have to come back." Port Orford Hwy., follow signs from U.S. 101, Port Orford, Oregon, 97465. 800/551–6949; 541/332–6774; www.oregonstateparks.org. Free.

Cape Blanco State Park. Said to be the westernmost point in Oregon and perhaps the windiest—gusts clocked at speeds as high as 184 mph have twisted and battered the Sitka spruces along the 6-mile road from U.S. 101 to the Cape Blanco Lighthouse. The lighthouse, atop a 245-foot headland, has been in continuous use since 1870, longer than any other in Oregon. Huges House is all that remains of the Irish settler Patrick Hughes's dairy farm complex built in 1860. No one knows why the Spaniards sailing past these reddish bluffs in 1603 called them blanco (white). One theory is that the name refers to the fossilized shells that glint in the cliff face. Campsites at the 1,880-acre park are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Four cabins are available for reservation. 91814 Cape Blanco Rd., off U.S. 101, 6 miles north of Port Orford, Sixes, Oregon, 97476. 541/332–2973; 800/551–6949; www.oregonstateparks.org. Day use and Hughes House tour free; lighthouse tour $2. Park daily; lighthouse and Hughes House Apr.–Oct., Wed.–Mon. 10–3:30.

Humbug Mountain State Park. This secluded, 1,850-acre park, especially popular with campers, usually has warm weather, thanks to the nearby mountains that shelter it from ocean breezes. A 6-mile loop leads to the top of 1,756-foot Humbug Mountain, one of the highest points along the state's coastline. It's a pretty, moderately challenging hike, but the summit is fairly overgrown and doesn't provide especially panoramic views. The campground has tent and RV sites. U.S. 101, 6 miles south of Port Orford, Port Orford, Oregon, 97465. 541/332–6774; 800/551–6949; www.oregonstateparks.org.