Crissey Field State Recreation Site is a 40-acre park right at the Oregon-California border near Brookings, and it can be either your first or last stop in Oregon while traveling on Highway 101. This is a fantastic place for beach life, including surfing, rockhounding, picnicking, and fishing.

What's cool is that the park was once an airfield, and the old runway is now a beach access path! How's that for repurposing?

The sandy beach is primarily clean sand, with coarse sand and gravel at the north end closer to the river. Meanwhile, the Winchuck River adds another dimension to your adventure.

The Welcome Center is a modern 4,500-square-foot building where helpful staff can answer all your questions about Oregon. Interestingly, the center's building has cool features like geothermal heating and solar panels.

Crissey Field State Recreation Site Rockhounding

Crissey Field offers excellent rockhounding opportunities year-round, with rocks available for collection both on the beach and along the riverbank.

Here, you can discover agates, red and green jasper, quartz, jade, and other beautiful pieces for your collection.

The beach is also full of driftwood of various shapes and sizes.

In my experience, early morning low tides are perfect for finding the best rocks. After a storm, it is even better since the waves churn up new treasures onto the shore.

Although you can rockhound year-round, winter storms bring in the best specimens. However, if you're visiting in summer, don't worry; you can still find plenty of cool rocks (and other materials) here.

In addition to rockhounding, Crissey Field is great for other adventures, including:

Hiking the three easy trails through wetlands and Sitka spruce trees
Watching wildlife, including birds, harbor seals, and California sea lions
Fishing for surfperch right off the beach
Picnicking in areas sheltered from ocean winds

During summer, when the river turns into a creek, you can ford (be careful!) the Winchuck River and explore both Crissey Field Beach and Winchuck Beach.

If you're feeling adventurous, you can even walk south and cross into California! After that, you can tell everyone you walked on your own 2 feet from Oregon to California and back!

If you want even more beach life (with rockhounding!), swing by nearby beaches worth checking out, including Pelican State Beach - the northernmost beach in California, McVay Beach, and the beautiful Chetco River area.

Cautions: Beware of changing tides, rip currents, driftwood, sneaker waves, and never turn your back to the ocean.