Crissey Field State Recreation Site

Perched between the California border and the Winchuck River, this 40-acre park features a sandy beach, wetlands, and a small stand of mature trees.

Solar panels send power--as much as 20,000 kilowatt hours per year--to Coos-Curry Electric Co-op, as well as heating water in the center.

The earth itself warms the building in the winter and cools it in the summer. Water and lights are precisely timed to provide for needed services with minimal waste.

Opened December 2008, the land was acquired through an exchange with a private timber firm in 1993, but was undeveloped until Lottery-based funds for a new welcome center were allocated. The site is the first southern beach access site in Oregon, less than a mile from the Oregon-California border. The site is named for W.L. (Bill) Crissey, who grew lily bulbs on the land before World War II. In 1950, the State-Line Airstrip was constructed, only to be abandoned in the 1960s due to disuse.