Rocky Creek (Oregon)

For other places with the same name, see Rocky Creek.
Rocky Creek
Rocky Creek Bridge carries Otter Crest Loop Road.
Rocky Creek (Oregon) is located in Oregon
Rocky Creek (Oregon)
Location of the mouth of Rocky Creek in Oregon
Location
CountryUnited States
StateOregon
CountyLincoln
Physical characteristics
Sourcenear the Pacific Ocean
 • locationCentral Oregon Coast Range
 • coordinates44°46′46″N 123°59′59″W / 44.77944°N 123.99972°W / 44.77944; -123.99972[1]
 • elevation459 ft (140 m)[2]
MouthPacific Ocean
 • location
near Depot Bay
 • coordinates
44°46′42″N 124°04′18″W / 44.77833°N 124.07167°W / 44.77833; -124.07167[1]
 • elevation
3 ft (0.91 m)[1]

Rocky Creek is a short coastal stream in Lincoln County in the U.S. state of Oregon. It begins near the western extremities of the Central Oregon Coast Range and flows generally west to the ocean south of Depot Bay and north of Otter Rock. It has no named tributaries.[3]

The creek passes under U.S. Route 101 and then Otter Crest Loop Road shortly before entering the ocean. Rocky Creek Bridge No. 01089, also known as the Ben Jones Bridge, carries the loop road over the creek immediately upstream of the creek mouth.[4] The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.[5]

Rocky Creek State Scenic Viewpoint, a 58-acre (23 ha) state park, lies along a bluff between Whale Cove and Rocky Creek. The park extends south along the Otter Crest Loop Road to the Rocky Creek Bridge. The park, which is open year-round for day use, has picnic tables, parking spaces, and restrooms. Attractions include watching for whales, waves, and ocean birds along a rocky coast, and hiking through a forest of shore pines.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "Rocky Creek". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. November 28, 1980. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  2. ^ Source elevation derived from Google Earth search using GNIS source coordinates.
  3. ^ "United States Topographic Map". United States Geological Survey. Retrieved March 15, 2016 – via Acme Mapper.
  4. ^ Smith, Dwight A.; Norman, James B.; Dykman, Pieter T. (1989) [1986]. Historic Highway Bridges of Oregon (2nd ed.). Portland: Oregon Historical Society Press. p. 102. ISBN 0-87595-205-4.
  5. ^ "Rocky Creek Bridge". Oregon Historic Sites Database. State of Oregon. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
  6. ^ Bannan, Jan (2001). Oregon State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide (2nd ed.). Seattle, Washington: The Mountaineers Books. pp. 84–85. ISBN 0-89886-794-0.