Arch Among the Seastacks

An early fall visit in 2025 by us to the southern Oregon coast included some specific photographic goals, one of which is the scene shown here.

Tim had seen some photos of this place on the internet and it nicely fell into our agenda to obtain print-worthy photos of this area. From Brookings north to Pistol River, Highway 101 follows the magnificent Pacific coast with numerous viewpoints along the way. A 17-mile stretch of the highway is referred to as the Samuel H. Boarman State Scenic Corridor, perhaps the most spectacular section of coastal drive in Oregon. This specific location is at the “Natural Bridges Viewpoint,” also known by some as “Five Arches” or “Arches Territory.” There is a safe, viewing platform a very short walk from the small parking lot. From that platform, only one of the arches and a cave can be seen. Getting to viewpoints of the other arches is strongly discouraged because the steep terrain, when slickened by morning fog or rain, can send one plummeting over cliffs to the pools far below and certain injury.

Fortunately, the paths down on our visit were dry, but no less steep so we gingerly made our way down from two different directions to photograph the arches from various perspectives. This shot became our favorite. Although it only shows one arch, it also magnifies the size of the seas stacks and shows how dramatic the coast is along here with the aqua-colored waters of the Pacific Ocean and spruce forests covering the landscape. In fact, to take this photo, we were standing atop one of the arches, which involved some risky clambering around while waves crashed below us.    

Photo by Tim Cooney   09/2025