D River State Recreation Area

D River State Recreation Area — home to the «world’s shortest» D River. I think they put the «world’s shortest» in quotes because it hasn’t actually been verified and is reportedly in dispute, but whatever. The main attraction here is a parking lot and sand. It’s a solid beach access spot in Lincoln City and they even have bathrooms… which are a step above a porta-​potty.
Really the only reason to come here is for the beach access. The beach gets much better to the north and south. Go north about ¾mile to some awesome tidepools, or you can just literally drive on to the beach at said tidepools and save yourself a walk.
But hey, beach access is at a premium here in LC, so this gets an A-​OK from me.

One of the best places in Lincoln city to get beach access. Not much to say about it. Its a beach. Decent parking.

It’s a big parking lot — at sea level — on the edge of the continent facing west toward nothing but ocean, sunset, and Japan.
But from a distance — I can look down on this stretch of beach and see incredible waves. Layer on layer of white petticoat ruffles as the waves roll up to the Oregon coast. Sometimes — so loud it sounds like I’m standing near a runway at DFW International. Other times, it’s just a gently rolling froth with hardly any sound at all. Some days, the waves stack up 10 and 15 deep out to the west, taking their turn curling toward shore, while other days — the splash is low and effortless — barely a ripple.
During beach season and long weekends throughout the year, the beach here at D River Wayside is full of families and dogs and couples walking in the sand. It’s the site of various cook-​offs and contests and kite-​flying events as well. But its best moments are late in the evening as the sun disappears. You can sit in your car as though it were an old drive-​in picture show — with your burger and fries and the kids in your lap — listening to the radio, glad to be at the seashore for just a few minutes more.

Lincoln City pleasantly surprised me in many ways, but this stretch of beach isn’t very exciting. There is the novelty of visiting the world’s shortest river [1], but the beach itself is rather blah. The D River Wayside is located in the middle of Lincoln City and the pluses are free parking and a small public restroom. On reflection, I don’t think that the restroom can be considered a plus. It is one of those sad beach bathrooms with no mirrors (always wondered why) and not maintained terribly well during the day.
There are so many lovely spots to the north and south, that this is really only a good option if you want easy, immediate access to a flat, sandy beach.
[1] The claim is actually disputed by folks in the great state of Montana for the Roe River in Great Falls, but Lincoln City has refused to take down the signs.

The D River Wayside is Lincoln City’s big touristy beach. So if you’re visiting Lincoln City for the first time and don’t really ever plan to return, I suppose you ought to visit. It has some novelty.
The D River is (arguably) the shortest river in the world. It runs from Devil’s lake, under highway 101, and out to the ocean. At high tide, the river is only 120 feet long. A friend and I walked the length of the river one day, in an hilarious imitation of 1950’s movie style jungle explorers. Ah, good times.
Unfortunately, that’s the jewel in the D River Wayside cap. It’s a flat, flat beach. No pretty rocks. No tidepools. No crashing waves. Just flat sand, and tons of people, and tons of seagulls.
So once you’ve seen this place, you’ve seen it all. There are plenty of better beaches along the coast, even in Lincoln City.
Of course, if you’re at the beach to be among a lot of people, and watch tons of kids playing with their kites and dealing with all the garbage and noise that goes along with the crowds… by all means. Check out Seaside while you’re at it.