Even after living and visiting Brookings for many years, we had somehow never actually seen Rainbow Rock up close.
That changed recently.
We’ve now made the walk from Harris Beach State Park to Rainbow Rock twice, both times taking advantage of low tide. And each visit has been different—a perfect example of how much the Oregon Coast can change.
The amount of sand along this stretch of beach makes a big difference. When more sand is present, it can actually make the walk easier by covering some of the rocky shoreline and creating a smoother path along the beach.
On our most recent visit, there was less sand than during our first visit, which gave us access to something we hadn’t been able to experience before: we could walk through the cave in Rainbow Rock.
That was the highlight of the trip.
Getting to Rainbow Rock
The easiest way to experience Rainbow Rock is to start at Harris Beach State Park and walk north along the beach during a suitable low tide.
Rainbow Rock is approximately 1.8 to 2 miles from the Harris Beach area, making the round trip roughly 3.5 to 4 miles, depending on where you start and how much exploring you do.
This isn’t a maintained hiking trail. You’ll be walking on sand, rocks and uneven shoreline, and conditions can change significantly depending on the tide and the amount of sand on the beach.
Check the tide tables before you go and make sure you have plenty of time to get back before the tide comes in.
How Rainbow Rock Got Its Colors
Rainbow Rock gets its name from the beautiful layers of red, brown, gray and other colors running through the formation.
The rock is made primarily of chert, part of the Dothan Formation. Some of that chert began as the remains of microscopic marine organisms called radiolarians that lived in an ancient ocean hundreds of millions of years ago.
Over immense periods of time, those deposits became rock. Later, tremendous tectonic forces folded and fractured the layers, creating the dramatic patterns we see today.
In other words, Rainbow Rock isn’t just a pretty sea stack.
It’s a piece of an ancient ocean and a record of the powerful geological forces that helped create the Oregon Coast.
Don’t Overlook Snail Rock
Right next to Rainbow Rock is another large, distinctive formation we’ve nicknamed “Snail Rock” because of its shape.
Snail Rock is made from the same type of rock as Rainbow Rock, with the same colorful, layered appearance. On our most recent visit, we also noticed birds nesting on Snail Rock.
It was a great reminder that these dramatic formations aren’t simply scenery—they provide habitat for coastal wildlife. If you see nesting birds, give them plenty of space and enjoy watching them from a distance.
What Happened to the Highway 101 Access?
The old pullout above Rainbow Rock on Highway 101 has been blocked and closed for several years. There are local stories about why it was closed, including claims that RVs were being left there for extended periods and that dumping was occurring below the highway.
We haven’t found an official source confirming that explanation, so we’ll leave that as local lore.
There is also an overgrown trail near the “Welcome to Brookings” sign that appears to lead toward the coast, but when we stopped to investigate, we couldn’t find an obvious maintained trail and decided not to attempt it.
For us, the beach walk from Harris Beach is the much better way to experience Rainbow Rock.
A Different Rainbow Rock Every Time
One of the best things about Rainbow Rock is that you never quite know what you’ll find.
The sand moves. The tide changes the shoreline. Passages open and close.
On our second visit, the lower sand level allowed us to walk through the cave. We saw nesting birds on Snail Rock and discovered details in the rock formations that we hadn’t noticed before.
After years of living around Brookings, we’re glad we finally made the trip.
Rainbow Rock is one of those places that reminds us why we love the Brookings coast: sometimes you don’t have to go somewhere new. You just have to come back when the ocean has changed the landscape.
And if you’ve lived here for years and still haven’t visited Rainbow Rock, check the tides and go explore.
Just remember—the ocean gets the final say.