The wavecut platform here is highly eroded sandstone of the Yaquina Formation, laid down during the Oligocene epoch, about 30 million years ago. Walk left under sandstone bluffs capped by tortured spruces and clifftop homes. To the right, a small spit reaches to the mouth of Beaver Creek. A sturdy wooden bridge arches over Beaver Creek, and the path soon emerges onto Ona Beach. Some of this route maybe be flooded in winter/spring, in which case you can detour around the south side of the restrooms. Take the paved trail that leads out towards the beach. Ona Beach is part of the recently retitled (2013) Brian Booth State Park, named after the first Chair of the Oregon State Parks and Recreation Commission. This last section of the hike, which begins at the Seal Rock Trailhead and ends at Smith Point is a very worthy short excursion in and of itself. At low tide, a marvelous contorted sandstone platform, where Hill Creek cascades through tide pools and mussel beds to the sea, becomes exposed. Down on the beaches, you can scan the rocks for harbor seals and sea lions. Two miles of sandy beach from the trailhead, cut up to Highway 101 to take in the views of the spectacular basalt formations at the Seal Rock State Recreation Site. From the mouth of Beaver Creek, walk south to inspect fossil-rich wavecut platforms composed of Yaquina formation sandstone. This interesting beach walk takes in some of the most scenic marvels of the central Oregon coast.
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