Cape Kiwanda State Park is a state park located on the Northern Oregon Coast, near to the small town of Pacific City. While Oregon has hundreds of miles of beaches (and all beaches are public in Oregon by law), and scores of state parks, Cape Kiwanda is one that stands out due to several reasons.
First off is the fact that there is a small fleet of fishing boats in the area. However, since there is no natural bay or harbor, the boats launch from trucks into the surf and land by grounding themselves on the smooth beach at high speeds, an entertaining site.
The main attraction for people who don't have a fetish for possible boat crashes is the Cape itself, and the dune that forms part of it. The dune is a 5 or 6 story tall hill that is covered at least 10 feet deep in sand at most points, which means that climbing up it is only equalled in hardship by the thrill of running down it. The dune has a rather sharp slope, which means that running down it can be done at rather high speeds. And since it is made of soft, pleasent sand, the chances of getting hurt are much reduced. In some places, the dune has eroded slightly, leaving shelves that can be jumped off of, giving a dozen feet or more of air time.
The dune also allows hang gliders and paragliders to take off, and on many clear days, they can be seen trudging to the top with some 50 kilos of equipment, and then taking off to sail on the beach winds.
For those less inclinded to such physical exertion, the park also does provide beautiful scenery and nature, for those more meditativly minded.