Throwback Thursday – Cascade Head

This Throwback Thursday hike was the first of what has become a tradition of hiking at the coast on the morning of family reunion in August. The festivities typically begin somewhere between noon and 1pm which give us plenty of time to get a short hike in beforehand.

In 2010 the hike we chose was at Cascade Head just north of Lincoln City. We started our hike at the lower trailhead at Knights Park.

The Nature Conservancy manages the Cascade Head Preserve and does not permit dogs, horses, bicycles, hunting or camping at the preserve.

The trail sets off from Knights Park through a typical coastal forest crossing Three Rocks Road after .4 miles then climbing through more forest for 1.1 miles (and crossing the road two more times) to an open meadow.

It was a cloudy day so the views were a bit limited but we could see Gods Thumb to the south of the mouth of the Salmon River.

The trail then traversed the meadow steepening to an upper viewpoint in another .6 miles.

We followed the Nature Conservancy Trail another mile through a damp mossy forest to the upper trailhead.

After reaching the upper trailhead we returned the way we’d come. We had hoped to see some of the elk that frequent the area but that didn’t happen. We did however see a decent variety of insects along the way.

The hike was approximately 6.5 miles with 1300′ of elevation gain. We hope to get back someday when the skies are clearer and the elk are present. We will likely try earlier in the year too when the meadow hasn’t been subjected to the summer heat yet. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Cascade Head