5 Days Of Fun

A Day In Gold Beach

Head for the Port. In addition to lots of great boats, you can count on barking sea lions or seals lazing in the sun, the 1881 steamer vessel ‘Mary D Hume’ sunken in the harbor, and even a small museum. There’s a fish market for picking up tonight’s dinner, like fresh cod or rock fish, or delicious tuna, shrimp and crab cocktail for right now; shops offering unique ice cream flavors and foaming cappuccino, a year-around Christmas Shoppe, an art wall featuring the work of local artists, and more gift options as well. Of course, you have to rent a crab ring and go crabbing off the docks, make sure you get yourself a day permit!

A Day & A Night – 2 days

Any local will tell you to plan in advance for a half-day jet boat trip! Jerry’s Jet Boats is probably Gold Beach’s most unique and famous attraction.

Then you could spend the rest of the day tooling around the Port (above), or visit Gold Beach’s Visitor Center on the beach to get directions for more activities like hunting for agates, borrow a free sandcastle kit or get a map of the local hike trails, gift shops or restaurants if you are looking for ideas. Finish the day with a dinner with a view while the sun sets… Sneaking in a game of golf is well worth it; the nearby golf course is close to town and a world away, so quiet and beautiful.

A Four-Day Stay

Even if you’re not an angler, you might become a lifelong fan of fishing if you try it in Gold Beach. Consider booking a Rogue River fishing guide (you can find a complete list available at the Gold Beach Visitor Center) from June to October that offers all-in-one tackle, bait, nets, and knowledge for salmon fishing; they even filet it for you to take it home. Just buy yourself a daily permit either online or from the Rogue Outdoor store. Once you get the permit, opportunities are endless. You could charter a boat that goes out in the ocean for a guaranteed fun day of catching rock fish, ling cod, canari or cabezon for your freezer.

In the winter months, you can cast from the shore or from the riverbank for steelhead or surf perch. Or splash around in some tidepools at low tide. Nearby beaches offer access to some of the most incredible shore habitats filled with so much colorful life, it is so captivating that you will not want to leave. (By the way, while you’re out on the sand, you could dig for butter or razor clams if in season.)

After your jet boat trip — you did go on a jet boat trip, didn’t you? – You might be ready for a water adventure of a different kind. Look into a guided rafting trip or inner tube fun for the family on the upper Rogue River (check ODWF website for newest regulations, you’ll need a waterway access permit as of Jan 2026), or consider playing in the ocean! You could wakeboard, rent a paddleboard, kayak, surfboard, or just watch others embrace the waves… plenty to see at Meyer’s beach,  where the kite surfers launch from.

For the whole family, you can add more fun activities at Buffington Park, like Disc Golf or pickleball/tennis court, or basketball court. There is a place in town that the entire family can rent fat tire bikes, too.

Driving trips are as scenic as they get. Especially recommended is the Samuel Boardman Corridor if you head south towards Crescent City; you’ll see some of the finest coastlines in the country (yes, country). Might as well keep going a bit further south and visit the magnificent redwoods. While you’re here, a popular place is ‘The Trees of Mystery’. From Gold Beach, you can also go east up Jerry’s Flat Road on up to Agness, a nice little community to visit, with its one-room schoolhouse and hiking trails. There is dry camping available at Oak Flats and swimming in the Illinois River; the water is just fantastic. Cougar Lane is a hip place locals like to go to. It is well developed with hotel-style lodging, RV sites, cabins for rent, a restaurant/bar with a deck looking over the beautiful Rogue River, and there’s even a convenience store and a gas pump.

A Whole Week To Play

Go through all of the adventures we’ve outlined above, then add a few of the following to really make your getaway different…

Play in the sand. Oregon coastal sand dunes are very popular for seeing, rolling down, and driving around on in a rented dune buggy. Closest dunes are in the Charleston/Coos Bay area, followed by the ones in Winchester Bay, and there are several buggy rental outfits that will take care of you. Sleep where no cars dare to go.

Several upriver lodges are accessible only by jet boat, foot, or air, so leave your wheels in Gold Beach and spend a night or two up in the wilderness.

Pan for gold? Well, yeah – lots of people do. Gold made this town in the mid-1800s, or at least got it started, and it’s still a fun pastime. Pick up equipment and advice, then go out and strike it rich.

Fly a kite? Everyone enjoys it, build a beach fort or just walk around the beach looking for ocean keepsakes, seashells, or driftwood, it’s so relaxing.

Whale watching is intriguing for some folks in the coastal areas. Maybe pack binoculars and look for a water spout; you never know what you’re going to see.

If it’s late summer, local riches include blackberries or huckleberries. Wild berries are a free-for-all snack that grows alongside most roads or up into the hills. For sweeter berries, we suggest taking a back road away from polluted main roads and picking them. If you decide to drive deeper into the forest, you might encounter a deer or two or search for wildflowers, fungi, or lichen. They are fun to photograph, but keep an eye out for poison oak!

Gold Beach also has a wonderful local theater, as the ‘Ellensburg Theater Company’, operated by local volunteers, thrives in this community, and it’s pretty entertaining year-round, whether it’s a comedy play, drama, concert, movie, or comedy stand-up night. Locals have all the fun, and you can join in the small-town charm too.

Weather kicking up? Storm watching is a bona fide activity in Gold Beach, so settle into your ocean view hotel room or take a drive to some of the popular places like the viewpoint on top of Cape Sebastian, Meyer’s beach, Otter Point, or any of the jetties by the mouth of the Rogue River and watch the show; it will be worth it.

If you get some winter snow in the local hills (yes, that happens around here but rarely), you might want to take a quick drive and throw a snowball or two, but make sure you are prepared for unconditioned roads.

Indian Creek Hatchery gives tours if you arrange for one in advance from May until September. Originally opened in 1877, this operation is always fascinating for fishermen to see, and sometimes the family likes it, too.

Some people create an entire vacation around visiting the lighthouses up and down the Oregon coast. One of the best is close to Gold Beach: Cape Blanco Lighthouse, known as the furthest west point on the Oregon Coast (and the windiest), and the historic Hughes House are the state’s oldest, and guided tours are available. For information on others, ask for the “Oregon Coast Lighthouses” brochure at the Gold Beach Visitor Information Center.

If you decided to go north, on your way back, you may consider checking the impressive Port Orford dolly docks, walking through the ‘Prehistoric Gardens’, or visiting the Elk River fish hatchery. There’s so much to see!

A fairly ambitious but doable (and very worthwhile) day trip is to the Oregon Caves National Monument at Cave Junction. Above ground is a remnant old-growth forest with a fantastic array of plants, plus a Douglas fir with the widest known girth in Oregon. Three hiking trails access this forest. Below ground, you can travel along a half-mile trail into an active marble cave created by natural forces over hundreds of thousands of years in one of the world’s most diverse geologic realms. Is hiking your thing? You could spend your entire week on foot and never see the same trail twice. Stop by the Forest Service office in downtown Gold Beach for maps, passes, and information. The most exciting hiking might arguably be found in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, a designated wilderness area that’s legendary for its plant life. A good number of websites and guidebooks offer information on the Kalmiopsis; we suggest lots of homework before heading out.

If you are an avid bicyclist, Gold Beach offers lots of trails, or you could challenge yourself at the Banana Belt Trail ride or take the road up to Agness and back, as scenic as it gets. There are some organized bike events you could plan ahead of time. Call or check with the Gold Beach Visitor Center.

Still looking for things to do? Have a conversation with any local and ask where they take their guests; it might include directions to a swimming hole, a well- known secretive spot, or a fun destination! Either way, come visit us!