Access: 

From  US 101 in Coos Bay or North Bend , follow signs to Charleston and Ocean  Beaches.  Roads merge at a “Y”  intersection in Coos Bay’s Empire district, heading west on Newmark  Avenue.  Newmark Avenue  reaches the bay and turns left (south).  The road- now Cape Arago Highway-  continues four miles to Charleston.  Continue on Cape Arago Highway heading west past Bastendorff County  and Sunset Bay State Parks.  A  quarter mile south of Shore Acres, around a few turns, is the north end of  trailhead on the left (east) side of the road.  The south end of the trailhead is  located near the group camp at Cape Arago State Park.

Setting  and Attractions: 

A side trip to Shore  Acres botanical gardens and scenic lookout is recommended.  Shore Acres was once the home of  Louis Simpson, a timber magnate who built a lavish estate on the sandstone  bluffs of the Oregon coast.  Once on the trail, you’ll discover World War II bunkers hidden on  the mountainside a third of a mile south of the trailhead.  The old cement structure formed a  link in a chain of lookout posts built to guard the coast against enemy  invasion.

Trail  Description: 

It’s  recommended to start the trail from the south end at the group camp in  Cape Arago State Park.  At the  north end of the trail you can make a loop by crossing the street and  connecting to the Oregon Coast trail and continuing south back to Cape  Arago State Park (see Oregon Coast Trail).  The trail follows a steep route  through the forest along a portion of an old wagon road that led from  Shore Acres south to Seven Devils, Whiskey Run Beach and Bandon.  Before reaching the World War II  bunker is a former lookout with a picnic table and a beautiful overview of  coastal forest and the rugged coast complete with sea stacks.

For more  information, trail conditions and maps contact:  Oregon Department of Parks & Recreation at (541)888-8867 ext.26 or  visit the Oregon State Park web site at http://www.prd.state.or.us/