Natural Bridges Cove is an ancient punchbowl, or littoral sinkhole, along the Oregon Coast Trail in Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor, about 10.5 miles (17 km) northwest of Brookings and 6.5 miles (10.5 km) south-southeast of Pistol River, Oregon. The punchbowl is roughly 250 feet (76 m) in diameter and contains seven arches, once part of a single long sea cave before its roof collapsed to form the sinkhole.

Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor is a linear state park stretching 12 miles (19 km) along thickly forested, rugged coastline dotted with a few small sandy beaches. It is named for Samuel H. Boardman, Oregon’s first state parks superintendent. The Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and Oregon Islands Wilderness protect wildlife and habitat on all of the roughly 130 rocks and islands along the corridor’s shore.

The Oregon Coast Trail, a long-distance hiking route running from the mouth of the Columbia River to the California border, winds for about 27 miles (43 km) through the park past 300-year-old Sitka spruce trees and several natural arches and bridges. Samuel N. Dicken, a University of Oregon geography professor, first envisioned the trail in 1959; it was approved in 1971 by the Oregon Recreation Trails Advisory Council and is now developed and managed by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department as part of the state park system. The trail’s total length varies by route but runs about 425 miles (684 km) if no ferries are used.  Read more here and here. Explore more of Natural Bridges Cove and the Oregon Coast Trail here: