Arizona Beach State Recreation Site is a 68 acres (27.5 ha) Oregon state park in Curry County

Curry County, Oregon

Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2010, its population was 22,364. The county is named for George Law Curry, a governor of the Oregon Territory. The seat of the county is Gold Beach.-Economy:...

, Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 in the United States. The beach is at an average elevation of 7 feet (2 m). Public recreational facilities at Arizona Beach State Recreation Site include a parking lot for beach access, observation areas for viewing marine mammal

Marine mammal

Marine mammals, which include seals, whales, dolphins, and walruses, form a diverse group of 128 species that rely on the ocean for their existence. They do not represent a distinct biological grouping, but rather are unified by their reliance on the marine environment for feeding. The level of...

s and birds and tables for picnic

Picnic

In contemporary usage, a picnic can be defined simply as a pleasure excursion at which a meal is eaten outdoors , ideally taking place in a beautiful landscape such as a park, beside a lake or with an interesting view and possibly at a public event such as before an open air theatre performance,...

king. The park is open year-round.

Arizona Beach was in private hands until 2008 and was the site of a campground. Since it was acquired by the state at a cost of $3 million in 2008 the campground was torn down as it did not meet state requirements. The beach is on the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

 and gets its name from the warm temperatures that are unusual for the Oregon coast. The area surrounding Arizona Beach is rugged in nature. There are few places along the coast where the Pacific can be accessed from a sandy beach. Headland

Headland

A headland is a point of land, usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends out into a body of water.Headland can also refer to:*Headlands and bays*headLand, an Australian television series...

s shelter the park and keep the cool Northwest Pacific winds away and creating temperatures that are higher than what is normal in the rest of the area. Two creek

Stream

A stream is a body of water with a current, confined within a bed and stream banks. Depending on its locale or certain characteristics, a stream may be referred to as a branch, brook, beck, burn, creek, "crick", gill , kill, lick, rill, river, syke, bayou, rivulet, streamage, wash, run or...

s, Mussel

Mussel Creek (Curry County, Oregon)

Mussel Creek is a small stream, about long, in Curry County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It arises in the Siskiyou Mountains and flows generally west to its confluence with Myrtle Creek in the Arizona Beach State Recreation Site. The creeks flow under U.S. Highway 101 and through the park, where...

 and Myrtle

Myrtle Creek (Curry County, Oregon)

Myrtle Creek is a small stream, about long, in Curry County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It arises in the Siskiyou Mountains and flows generally southwest to its confluence with Mussel Creek in the Arizona Beach State Recreation Site. The two creeks flow under U.S. Highway 101 and through the...

, flow through the park and into the ocean.

Arizona Beach State Recreation Site is home to a variety of wildlife including Elk

Elk

The Elk is the large deer, also called Cervus canadensis or wapiti, of North America and eastern Asia.Elk may also refer to:Other antlered mammals:...

, Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon , also known as the Peregrine, and historically as the Duck Hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...

s, Brown Pelican

Brown Pelican

The Brown Pelican is the smallest of the eight species of pelican, although it is a large bird in nearly every other regard. It is in length, weighs from and has a wingspan from .-Range and habits:...

s, Pigeon Guillemot

Pigeon Guillemot

The Pigeon Guillemot is a medium-sized alcid endemic to the Pacific. They closely resemble the other members of the genus Cepphus, particularly the Black Guillemot, which is slightly smaller....

s and Pelagic Cormorant

Pelagic Cormorant

The Pelagic Cormorant , also known as Baird's Cormorant, is a small member of the cormorant family Phalacrocoracidae. Analogous to other smallish cormorants, it is also called Pelagic Shag occasionally...

s. The offshore rocks at the park are part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge

Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge is a U.S. National Wildlife Refuge off the southwestern Oregon Coast. It is one of six National Wildlife Refuges comprising the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge Complex...

. Thirteen species of seabirds are make their nests on the rocks of the refuge. The birds found on the rocks are Pigeon Guillemots, Tufted Puffin

Tufted Puffin

The Tufted Puffin also known as Crested Puffin, is a relatively abundant medium-sized pelagic seabird in the auk family found throughout the North Pacific Ocean....

s, Common Murres, Rhinoceros Auklet

Rhinoceros Auklet

The Rhinoceros Auklet is a seabird and a close relative of the puffins. It is the only living species of the genus Cerorhinca. Given its close relationship with the puffins, the common name Rhinoceros Puffin has been proposed for the species.It ranges widely across the North Pacific, feeding on...

s, Brandt's

Brandt's Cormorant

The Brandt's Cormorant is a strictly marine bird of the cormorant family of seabirds that inhabits the Pacific coast of North America. It ranges, in the summer, from Alaska to the Gulf of California, but the population north of Vancouver Island migrates south during the winter...

, Pelagic, and Double-crested Cormorant

Double-crested Cormorant

The Double-crested Cormorant is a member of the cormorant family of seabirds. It occurs along inland waterways as well as in coastal areas, and is widely distributed across North America, from the Aleutian Islands in Alaska down to Florida and Mexico...

s, Leach's and Fork-tailed Storm Petrels. The rocks also provide a habitat for Harbor

Harbor Seal

The harbor seal , also known as the common seal, is a true seal found along temperate and Arctic marine coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere...

 and Northern Elephant Seal

Northern Elephant Seal

The northern elephant seal is one of two species of elephant seal . It is a member of the family Phocidae . Elephant seals derive their name from their great size and from the male's large proboscis, which is used in making extraordinarily loud roaring noises, especially during the mating...

s and California

California Sea Lion

The California sea lion is a coastal sea lion of western North America. Their numbers are abundant , and the population continues to expand about 5% annually. They are quite intelligent and can adapt to man-made environments...

 and Stellar Sea Lions. Public access to the rocks is not permitted.