Best Things to Do in Gearhart, Oregon 2026

The Short Version

• Eight miles of drivable beach starting at the 10th Street access (4WD strongly recommended), sand-dollar hunting at the south-end estuary, and bonfires with a city burn permit.
• Roosevelt elk graze the golf course and dunes year-round — best at dawn and dusk, 75 feet of distance minimum.
• Gearhart Golf Links opened its front nine in 1892 and bills itself as the oldest course west of the Mississippi — walkable from most condos.
• Current dining: McMenamins Sand Trap, Prep Kitchen (opened 2025, weekdays only), Fultano's Pizza at Gearhart Bowl — Pacific Way Bakery is permanently closed.
• Rainy-day fallbacks: resort pools, McMenamins pub, Seaside's aquarium and arcade strip (five minutes south).

What Can You Actually Do on Gearhart Beach?

Gearhart Beach gives you eight miles of open sand — you can drive on it (4WD, north of the 10th Street access), hunt for sand dollars at the south-end estuary, or build a bonfire with a city burn permit.

The beach runs roughly eight miles from Gearhart north through Del Rey Beach and Sunset Beach to Fort Stevens State Park, and it's wide enough at low tide that you'll have room to yourself even in July.

Beach Driving

You can drive on the beach north of the 10th Street access in Gearhart — that boundary is set by Oregon State Parks, and the drivable stretch runs all the way to the South Jetty near Astoria. Four-wheel drive is strongly recommended by the state, and in our experience that recommendation is earned. We've watched front-wheel-drive cars get stuck north of the access point — not occasionally, predictably. The soft sand above the tide line catches two-wheel-drive vehicles every summer weekend.

Tide timing matters: drive during outgoing or low tide when the sand is firm and the beach is widest. Check the NOAA tide chart for Seaside before you head out.

Beachcombing

The estuary at the south end of Gearhart Beach — where Neacoxie Creek meets the ocean — is the best spot for sand dollars. Low tide is the window. You'll also find agates, intact crab shells, and occasionally Japanese glass floats washed over from the Pacific. For a deeper dive into coastal foraging, see our clam digging guide.



Beach Fires

Inside Gearhart city limits, you need a burn permit from the Gearhart Volunteer Fire Department. The rules: fires stay under 3 feet by 3 feet, natural untreated wood only (no driftwood), at least 25 feet from dune grass (50 feet during fire season), and extinguish with water — not sand. Buried embers stay hot for hours and have burned other beachgoers. Fire season on the north Oregon coast typically starts in mid-June and runs into September, and beach fires can be shut down entirely during dry stretches.

Where Do You See the Elk in Gearhart?

Roosevelt elk roam the Gearhart Golf Links and coastal dunes year-round. You'll see them most reliably at dawn and dusk, especially during June calving season — keep 75 feet of distance.

The City of Gearhart's elk page posts current safety guidance, and the rule that matters is simple: stay at least 75 feet away. Elk are not pets and not tame — they're 600-to-1,000-pound animals that charge when they feel cornered, especially cows with calves in June and July.

You'll spot them on the golf course fairways, in the dunes between the course and the beach, and occasionally wandering through resort parking lots at dawn. Guests we talk to are often surprised how close the elk get to the buildings, especially at first light. Bring a long lens, not a phone, and resist the urge to move closer for a better shot. If you want to combine wildlife watching with other outdoor activities, birding on the Oregon Coast is another strong option here.

If you're visiting with dogs, keep them leashed around elk — an unleashed dog is the fastest way to trigger a charge.

What's Open for Food in Gearhart Right Now?

McMenamins Sand Trap is the go-to sit-down spot, Prep Kitchen (opened 2025) handles grab-and-go PNW fare on weekdays, and Fultano's Pizza at Gearhart Bowl covers late-night cravings — Pacific Way Bakery closed in early 2026.

Three things to know about eating in Gearhart. First, the town is small and the dining options reflect that — you're not choosing between fifteen restaurants. Second, Pacific Way Bakery & Cafe, which most older guides still recommend, is permanently closed as of early 2026. Third, the dining scene actually got better recently.

McMenamins Sand Trap is the anchor — a full pub menu with local beers on tap, inside the McMenamins Gearhart Hotel on the golf course. Open seven days a week, and it doubles as your default rainy-afternoon plan.

Prep Kitchen opened in 2025 at 3601 Highway 101 and handles the gap Pacific Way left. Grab-and-go PNW fare — salads, sandwiches, prepared meals. One important detail: they're open Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. only. Closed weekends. Plan accordingly.

Fultano's Pizza at Gearhart Bowl (3518 Highway 101 N) pairs pizza with a 12-lane bowling alley and a full bar. It's the late-night option and the rainy-day family default.

For a wider selection, Seaside is five minutes south with a dozen-plus restaurants, and Cannon Beach — ten miles south — has higher-end dining.

Is the Golf Course Worth Playing if You're Not Serious About Golf?

Gearhart Golf Links is a public, walkable links course whose front nine opened in 1892. The course bills itself as the oldest west of the Mississippi River, and the layout reflects that era — flat, treeless, and exposed to the coast wind. It's a links course in the original Scottish sense: dune grass, ocean views, elk as occasional spectators. You can walk the full 18 in under four hours.

You don't need a handicap to enjoy it, but you do need to book summer tee times about a week ahead. Check out our golf guide for booking tips, seasonal rates, and hole-by-hole notes.

If you're staying at Gearhart by the Sea, the course is walkable from most units — no car needed. And if golf isn't your thing, surfing near Gearhart is another way to spend a morning on this stretch of coast.

What Do You Do in Gearhart When It Rains?

The resort pools stay warm year-round, McMenamins Sand Trap works as a rainy afternoon, and Seaside's aquarium and arcade strip is a five-minute drive south.

It will rain. The Oregon Coast gets roughly 80 inches a year, and most of it falls between November and March. A few indoor options worth knowing:

Gearhart by the Sea has two pool systems — the Gearhart House pool (with jacuzzi and exercise room) and the Pacific View pool — both heated and usable year-round. Details on the pools and other resort amenities are on the facilities page.

McMenamins Sand Trap is five minutes away and has the right rainy-day atmosphere — pub food, craft beer, and no pressure to leave.

Fultano's at Gearhart Bowl gives you bowling and pizza, which solves the kids-on-a-rainy-day problem reliably.

Seaside — five minutes south — has the Seaside Aquarium (one of the oldest on the West Coast, open since 1937), a boardwalk, and an arcade strip. It's the closest thing to a full indoor activity lineup on the north Oregon coast.

What's Within Easy Reach of Gearhart?

Gearhart sits between Seaside (2 miles south, dining and boardwalk), Cannon Beach (10 miles south, Haystack Rock), and Astoria (14 miles north, Maritime Museum and Sunday Market).

In our experience, the sweet spot for a Gearhart trip is building two beach days around one Cannon Beach day and one rainy-day pool day — the coast delivers all four.



Seaside (2 Miles South)

The boardwalk, the Seaside Aquarium, and a dozen restaurants you won't find in Gearhart. Five-minute drive, or bike the Necanicum Estuary path. It's where most Gearhart guests go for dinner variety.

Cannon Beach (10 Miles South)

Haystack Rock, higher-end galleries, and better dining. Del Rey Beach State Recreation Site sits between Gearhart and Cannon Beach — a quieter beach stop if the main stretch is busy.

Fort Stevens and Astoria (14 Miles North)

Fort Stevens State Park is 4,300 acres with Civil War-to-WWII military history, the Peter Iredale shipwreck on the beach, and year-round camping. Astoria has the Columbia River Maritime Museum, the Sunday Market (May through October), and the Astoria Column. Budget a full day for the Astoria side trip.

Guests we talk to who base in Gearhart for a week typically day-trip to Cannon Beach once and Astoria once, then spend the rest of the time on the beach and golf course. Browse our vacation rentals to find a unit that fits your group, or check current deals and specials for shoulder-season pricing. For a full list of what's here, see our Gearhart activities page.

Planning your Gearhart trip? Browse our vacation rentals or check current deals and specials.

About This Guide

This guide draws on the Gearhart by the Sea team's local knowledge managing 75-plus vacation rental condos in town, verified against the City of Gearhart's official elk and wildlife page, Oregon State Parks beach-driving rules for Del Rey Beach and Fort Stevens, the Gearhart Volunteer Fire Department's burn-permit regulations, and current operating information from Prep Kitchen and Gearhart Golf Links. Dining status verified June 2026.

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