Gold Beach Weekend Escape
Gold Beach, Oregon
View from Jot’s Resort. A simple resort on the Rogue River.
July 2025:
A Romantic Escape:
We all need a break from our lives at some point, and this blog is about creating a life that we don't want to escape from… Until we’ve succeeded we will be doing everything we can to appreciate life and to learn and live as authentically as we can. This was our romantic weekend escape to Gold Beach on the Oregon coast.
Starting the day from Mt.Shasta we headed northbound on the I5 and made our first pit stop for coffee at Case Coffee Roasters in Ashland Oregon. This is my favorite coffee shop to stop at during roadtrips, (they also have gluten free pastries that are pretty dang good.) Got back on the i5 and took exit 55 for Highway 199/Crescent City . We stopped for lunch in Cave Junction at Wild River Brewery, and while they kind of had an ‘Elks Lodge’ vibe to the place the burgers were thick and the beers were cold! To my surprise they actually had a non-alcoholic beer by Athletic, Lemon Radler which I had yet to see anywhere else and very different and delicious for a NA beer.
After lunch we drove to the Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor and did the Cape Ferrelo Loop. A 1 mile scenic wildflower trail, just long enough to get the blood flowing back into our legs.
Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor
Gold Beach:
The weather was perfect and the photos came out stunning. We could have stayed longer but the excitement to get where we were going pulled us further up the coast to the quaint town of Wedderburn (commonly referred to as Gold Beach). We checked into Jot's Resort which is on the bay of the Rogue River, and has gorgeous views of the historic Issac Lee Patterson bridge. (It was built in 1931, completed in January of 1932 and spans 1,939 ft across the river).
Tired from the day's drive, we decided to take a walk to get dinner at The Porthole Cafe which was across the river at the Gold Beach Port. The restaurant was less than a mile away from us, and the walk there takes you over the bridge for some amazing views of the river, the sea, and all the pelicans! Typically not a very beautiful bird- watching them soar above you over the bridge then swoop down riding the wind was a spectacle. After crossing the bridge we took the Riverside trail that looped under the bridge and followed the river the rest of the way to the Port of Gold Beach. I feel like the photos do more justice than my words. We enjoyed the walk so much we did it everyday instead of driving to the port.
Fresh Local Seafood at Porthole Cafe does not disappoint.
Dinner at The Porthole Cafe family style restaurant did not disappoint. Not only were they located 0.8 miles away from the resort, they sat us immediately and the service was fast and the quality of food was high. You expect fresh delicious fish on the coast and Port Hole Cafe delivers.
We shared the Rockfish fish n Chips and Coconut Shrimp, each served with fries and were everything we could have wanted. The rockfish was fresh and battered and fried perfectly- the sweet chili sauce made for the coconut shrimp was insanely good, 10 outa 10. After eating all the fried food we could handle we walked on over to Club Sockeye for some.. We’ll call it dessert.
Loaded with dessert we strolled slowly back to the resort along the riverside walk. We sat on our little patio, watched the boats come in, the people get off, and the fog rolled in.
Sweet treats from the heavens! Crave and some coffee, sitting on the Rogue River is a winning morning.
Day 2:
The next morning was a day of celebration for it was Some Guy's birthday! We started his birthday by walking (his favorite activity) to go do my favorite activity- get coffee. Much to my surprise the best coffee shop happened to be in the Gold Beach port. Less than a mile away! (same plaza as the restaurant, club
sockeye, Jet Boat Tours, Donuts!). After getting 2 vanilla lattes with almond milk we meandered over to Crave Mini Donuts food truck for some AMAZING mini donuts!
We got 6 total, 3 maple bacon and 3 chocolate. Not generally ones to start the day off with a sugar high- we were celebrating! Coffees in hand, donuts devoured, we strolled back along the river to our weekend room.
Once we got back it was time for Someguy to open his present and finally play the vinyl records he got from his dad…. The new record player freshly unwrapped and plugged into the extra speaker we brought, Someguy shuffled through a handful of potential vinyls to serenade me with.
Music from the 70’s started blasting and we watched the boats on the river, the people socializing on the lawn, and the early afternoon sun rising to her spot in the sky- I was struck with the realization how special and rare every moment is, we will never be here in this moment again, savor it like it might the last time you'll ever have this experience.
Otter Point State Recreation Site:
Not dying on my birthday, thank you. Maintain the bubble!
Our next spot was Otter Point State Recreation Site for a half mile walk. This spot is not well known much to our delight because the parking area is small. The trail is easy but narrow and leads to huge sandy cliffs with amazing panoramic ocean views overlooking beaches. When we got here the wind was strong and the breeze was cold, even in July! The area was covered with blooming daises and tall long grasses.
Cape Sebastian:
We explored this area for an hour, took nearly 400 photos then headed further south for Cape Sebastian Scenic Corridor. Here we stopped and did the Cape Sebastian Trail which starts at the top of the mountain and leads you to a beach.
Spooky trails and beautiful views all around at Cape Sebastian
Switchbacks take you down through spooky old woods with gorgeous viewpoints of the rugged coast and vast ocean. The trail is 1.9 miles to a smaller steeper trail taking you down to the beach. We didn't go all the way to the beach this time due to time constraints but the views along the trail are worth the trek! It is considered a 'moderately" challenging route but that's because the rope you use to assist you in getting to the beach at the end. It's fairly mild, all downhill on the way there, all slightly uphill the entire way back- I’m saying you'll sweat on the way back but it's a beautiful hike.
Gold Beach BBQ:
After hiking around both Recreation areas all morning we needed some filling food and Gold Beach BBQ was next stop on the list. We are so happy we stopped here at this gem of a bbq place on the coast of Oregon of all places.
The steak fries were thick and seasoned generously, and all the meats were cooked to perfection. We shared a 3 meat plate (smoked brisket, pork ribs, pulled pork), with steak fries, cornbread biscuits, and mac and cheese. The mac and cheese gotta be honest was not the best, like 4 outa 10, but, the bbq sauce on the side for the smoked meats made up for it because it was the perfect bbq sauce, 10/10. We devoured our food; Highly recommended stopping here for excellent small town friendly service, and damn good bbq.
Meat shouldn’t taste so good!
After all day outside we were ready to relax indoors, or at least splash around in the indoor pool the resort had. The poolhouse itself was large and had a sauna, a large hottub, pool, and men and womens bathrooms with showers. We lucked out and there was only 1 other couple there enjoying the space so it felt quite luxurious. We attempted the sauna together, but Someguy lasted about 5 minutes before he had to jump in the pool to cool down. I was barely able to last 15 minutes but I felt like I cleansed years of toxins out of my skin the way the sweat was pouring off my body. I know it's not pleasant to think about but you have to sweat, it’s how your body naturally cleanses toxins and removes waste keeping you healthy! Saunas are also really helpful if you are detoxing or trying to quit smoking tobacco or marijuana- sweat it out for a few days and see how much easier the habits fade
Birthday Dinner:
For Someguys birthday dinner we asked the locals and they recommended Spinners for a nice dinner. The wait was long, the menu was small, and the wallet didn’t want to take a big hit over what was actually on the menu. We waited and talked with several other couples. Eventually each couple had bailed until we were all that remained. We fled. We’d later see every single one of those couples at the next spot.
Manager literally went into his own stash to give this to Some Gal. Awesome staff!
We found ourselves at The Landing North restaurant right across the road from the resort! No more driving required. They were packed and food was an hour wait minimum- the birthday date night wasn't going so well. We found 2 seats at the bar and were ignored for 10 minutes because they were so busy. Now we’ve both worked in food service for a long time and decided to wait it out and give them a chance to catch their breath before we rushed to judgement, sure glad we did!
All Weekends End Too Early:
When we got back to the resort the sun had set but the sky was filled with color, the lawn was busy with people, and the seals and sea birds were still noisy in the water. The world seemed to have forgotten it was supposed to be getting ready for bed; That night was coming and the day was coming to an end- (if we pretend the darkness isn't creeping in will it keep the sun from going to sleep?) We sat on our patio and listened to those old records, we ate our desserts, and we watched as the beautiful day slowly came to an end.
The night sets in on the Rogue River
The next day we walked to Kissing Rock Coffee for the last morning of vacation. The morning was beautiful like every day there had been. We checked out around 9am and got on the road for a 5 hour drive back to our homebase. The resort was clean and had all the amenities we wanted, the views from our patio were amazing, and coffee and restaurants within walking distance made this vacation amazing. Try for yourself and stay a night at Jots Resort if you’re in Gold Beach, and check out coffee, donuts, and the Riverside Trail; I don't think you'll be disappointed.
