Sea stacks of Bandon Beach in Bandon, Oregon

Rock stars of Bandon. Bandon Beach in Bandon, Oregon

Pull off of Highway 101, and Bandon, Oregon, greets you with salty air and the clang of harbor bells. The town began as a small settlement in the 1850s and grew into a center for timber and salmon fishing. Cranberries became a key crop and are still celebrated each September during the Cranberry Festival. Old Town reflects that past with boardwalk cafés and galleries, while the Coquille River Lighthouse stands restored at Bullards Beach as a reminder of the days when its beacon guided ships.

A short walk from the lighthouse leads to the beach where an evocative coastal landscape unfolds: Bandon's sea stacks, featured in today's image. Sculpted over millennia by waves, wind, and the slow collapse of arches, these formations tell a geologic story. Face Rock resembles the tilted chin of a maiden from local legend. Nearby, Wizard's Hat rises like a pointed cap against the sky, and Elephant Rock arches like a trunk reaching for the tide. Other notable shapes include Coquille Point, Table Rock, and the Cat and Kittens stacks. Protected as part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, these stones shelter seabirds and reveal the patient force of ocean and time.