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Sisters Rocks State Park - Frankport
For the more adventurous, looking for views, a sea cave and remote beaches, don't miss the Sisters Rocks. Sisters Rocks is a Oregon State Park but without any improvements.
Sisters Rocks are three outcroppings, two of which are connected to land. Middle Sister is a short distance off shore.
The parking lot is gravel with potholes. There is a gate that could be marked "No Trespassing". Ignore the rusty sign, and continue on a short hike downhill to a modest beach. Mt. Humbug should be clearly visible to the north. Continue up towards to North Sister rock and a natural cave where the ocean roars in with the waves creating a visual and sonic treat. At extreme low tides, it may be possible to hike into the ocean cave, but be very careful to not get caught by the incoming tide.
There are several other short hikes. On South Sister, there is a trail on the north side that may provide a view of the ocean side of the cave in North Sister. There is another trail on the southern side of South Sister that leads out to a viewpoint.
Sisters Rocks is also known as the Devil's Backbone Rocky Shore Area and consists of 2.7 miles of offshore rocks and sandy beaches. The offshore rocks and islands are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and contain colonies of seabirds. Sea lions are common in the area. Activities include tidepooling, beachcombing, bird watching,
Sisters Rocks is the location of the abandoned harbor of Frankport. S. H. Frank founded the port in the 1850's to export tan oak bark to California. The south beach area makes a natural harbor that is protected from the north winds and sea. Remnants of the small gauge railroad can still been seen as rusted metal protruding from portions of the south beach. The area was also a quarry in the 1950's and 60's for jetty rock. It was abandoned because of the poor quality stone. During the 1980's, the abandoned harbor was used for smuggling marijuana. In 1986, the California Sun wrecked in the harbor while attempting to flee the Coast Guard, spilling its cargo into the ocean. Locals recall that 'seaweed' floated south washing up on area beaches, causing havoc for law enforcement.
Sisters Rocks is located north of Gold Beach and south of Port Orford, between mile markers 314 and 315 on US Route 101.
Download a GPX file for a hiking map from the parking lot to Sisters Rocks and the beach area. Download a kml file for use in Google Earth to see the hiking area.
