Category: Oregon Coast

Cape Lookout State Park – 01/24/2026

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date January 29, 2026
1 Comment on Cape Lookout State Park – 01/24/2026

While a winter storm was impacting much of the country the Oregon Coast was experiencing clear skies and high in the low 50’s, which was too good to pass up so I headed out for another solo hike. I decided to head out to Cape Lookout State Park to check out the recently reopened North Trail along with the Cape and South Trails. Heather and I had visited the park way back in November 2011 but had not hiked the North Trail that day (post).

A section of the North Trail was closed in December 2024 after a tree fell and damaged the suspension bridge over Cape Creek and as of this post both the Oregon Hikers Field Guide and AllTrails still show the trail as closed, but when I checked the park’s website there was no longer a closure notice for the trail. (There is a notice that the park will be closed starting April 1st for improvements which will likely last into the Summer.) With no closure notice listed on the website I was pretty confident that the trail had been reopened. Worst case scenario would be that there would be notices posted at the trailhead in which case I would still be able to hike the Cape and South Trails allowing me to still get plenty of hiking in.

I made the hour and a half drive from Salem to the Cape Lookout Trailhead which is open from either 7am to 9pm or Dawn to Dusk depending on who you ask. Regardless with first light not being until 7:12am and sunrise at 7:44am I had timed my departure to arrive in between and was ready to set off just before 7:30am.

The trailhead signboard says Dawn to Dusk.

Unsurprisingly I was the first car in the lot and after double checking for any closure notices for the North Trail I started off on the Cape Trail.

My plan was to hike the Cape Trail out to the end of Cape Lookout first to avoid the crowds that would surely be arriving later. After hiking the Cape Trail I would take the North Trail to the Cape Lookout Day Use Area where Heather and I had parked for our Netarts Spit hike in 2020 (post). Assuming I had anything left in the tank after returning from the North Trail I planned on hiking the South Trail down to the beach for the up-close view of the basalt cliffs of Cape Lookout’s southern side. It’s 2.4 up and down miles to the end of Cape Lookout with occasional views to both the north and south.

In between views the trail passes through a coastal forest.

Looking SE toward Sand Lake.

Looking south to Haystack Rock and Cape Kiwanda (post) with Cascade Head further south (post).

Haystack Rock with the tip of Cape Kiwanda to its left. Cascade Head is next and the headland furthest south is Cape Foulweather.

A little over a mile and half in the trail passes a memorial plaque for an Army Air Force plane that crashed nearby claiming the lives of the crew.

The trail is almost always muddy in spots and downed trees sometimes require less than ideal reroutes of the trail.

Coming up to the first view to the north.

View north along the coast.

Three Arch Rock across from Oceanside (post) followed by Cape Meares (post), and then Cape Falcon (post). The inland peaks starting with the rounded one of the left are Neahkahnie Mountain (post), Angora Peak, Rock Mountain, West Onion Peak and Onion Peak.

Wells Cove

It was close to freezing so the trails weren’t as muddy as they can be on warmer days. The good news was there was no ice to deal with.

Here comes the sun.

Along this section I heard a blowing sound in the ocean below.

At 400′ above the water I could see something swimming around but couldn’t make out what it was. I had the larger camera that I like to use at the wildlife refuges in my pack, so I pulled it out and started taking pictures. The way it was coming up out of the water and making a blowing sound I mistook it for a small whale, but it turned out to be a sea lion.

The sea lion was attracting seagulls which began arriving en masse.

The sea lion eventually moved on and so did I.

Seagulls and cormorants.

Barrier at the end of Cape Lookout.

There is a small bench and viewpoint at the end of the trail where I paused briefly to appreciate the views.

View south.

View north.

I headed back toward the trailhead stopping to get a few pictures with the bigger camera now that it was unpacked.

American kestral

I’m fairly certain this is a ruby crowned kinglet in the salal.

Hermit thrush

Three Arch Rocks

Varied thrush

Back at the trailhead I turned left and headed down the North Trail.

It was clear from the trail tread that this trail hadn’t been used much recently however there were signs of recent trail maintenance. Aside from a few trees that I needed to watch my head going under the trail was clear as it dropped down to the suspension bridge over Cape Creek.

There was a lot of blowdown, mostly older, along this section.

Reenforced trail along this switchback.

It was 0.8-miles to the bridge with an elevation loss of 550′, but the bridge is worth seeing and would be a worthy turnaround point for a shorter hike.

Camp Creek

The trail made a quarter mile climb on the north side of Camp Creek to a signed junction at an old roadbed.

Sea stack out on the ocean.

This junction is where the trail had been closed coming from the day use area.

I double checked to make sure it wasn’t still signed closed at this end.

Most of the next 1.2-miles to the day use area followed the old roadbed as it descended to the beach. This section was in good shape except for a short section along a slide approximately a half mile from the day use area.

Netarts Spit and Bay.

A rerouted section of trail near the slide area.

This small stream appears to be the reason for the slide which is now being funneled over the hillside. On the far side the trail drops steeply down wet rocks next to wire covered rocks.

Looking down at the continuation of the trail on the far side of the stream.

Looking back up from the bottom. Coming down this was a lot harder than going back up due to how slick the damp rocks were.

After getting past the slide it was an easy half mile down to the day use area.

The sign of a good coastal trail is it going through a tree.

Bridge over Jackson Creek.

Jackson Creek

The parking lot at the day use area.

I took some time to read some of the interpretive signs/plaques and take a short break at one of the picnic tables before starting back.

Cape Lookout from the day use area.

I made the 2.2-mile, 800′ plus elevation gain return trip to the Cape Lookout Trailhead and decided that I would go ahead and hike down the South Trail as well. That trail started a little under 100 yards from trailhead where it split off from the Cape Trail.

Turning onto the South Trail.

Like the North Trail the South Trail loses over 800′ to reach the ocean which it does in 1.8-miles.

Spotted towhee

Good use of switchbacks keeps the trail from ever being too steep.

Halfway down the trail passes a bench with a nice view of Cape Lookout through the trees.

Camp Clark (Scouting America) below the trail to the south.

‘
Getting closer to the beach.

Self-heal

Columnar basalt on Cape Lookout.

The view south towards the sun.

When Heather and I visited in 2011 we continued a little to the south so this time I headed north toward Cape Lookout and then found a nice rock to take a seat on.

My view.

One of three bald eagles that flew over.

After resting and psyching myself up for the climb I headed back.

The trail is marked by a colorful buoys and ropes.

Today’s hike came in at 13.2-miles with approximately 2000′ of cumulative elevation gain.

Of course, there are plenty of shorter options available, but you could also go further by heading north along Netarts Spit or south along the beach to Sand Lake. If you do visit be prepared for muddy conditions and crowds on the Cape Trail. Having been the first car at the trailhead I didn’t see anyone until I was headed back from the end of the cape. I passed just eight people on the way back, but it wasn’t yet 9:30am when I turned onto the North Trail. I only saw three people on the that trail and then another eight on the South Trail, plus a few more on the beach itself. By the time I was ready to leave at 1:15pm the trailhead was overflowing and cars were parked along the shoulder out to Cape Lookout Road. Score another one for early starts. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Cape Lookout State Park

Tags Cape Creek, cape lookout, Cape Lookout Day Use Area, Cape Lookout State park, Cape Lookout Trailhead, Cape Trail, hiking, North Trail, Oregon, South Trail, Suspension Bridge

Hiking Northern Coast Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Elk Run Trail and Manhattan Beach – 10/11/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 13, 2025
No Comments on Elk Run Trail and Manhattan Beach – 10/11/2025

A wet system moved in toward the end of the week and prompted us to look for a good rainy-day hike. After coming up with a few possibilities along the Pacific coastline I checked several local forecasts and landed on Manhattan Beach. With that hike being roughly 7.5-miles, I looked for another nearby trail on the Oregon Hikers Field Guide which led me to the Elk Run Trail near Nehalem, OR.

We started the morning with the Elk Run hike since it was the shorter of the two at 3.6ish miles, and it was just a few miles further away than Manhattan Beach. We parked at the Alder Creek Trailhead per the entry in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide.

We parked along the shoulder across from the gate which is not to be blocked at any time.

Beyond the gate the Alder Creek Trail follows an old roadbed on a levee 0.4-miles to a footbridge over Alder Creek.

Neahkahnie Mountain (post) to the left and Rock Mountain to the right.

Looking back along the footbridge.

On the far side of the footbridge was a junction with the Elk Run Trail.

We stayed straight at the junction continuing along the old roadbed.

There was a meadow to the right of the trail where we spotted a small herd of elk.

A third of a mile from the footbridge the trail arrived at a gravel road which it followed for about 50 yards before continuing on a grassy track to the right.

The small building at the end of the gravel road was some sort of wastewater

The continuation of the trail was unsigned but obvious as it cut through a wall of blackberry bushes.

A tenth of a mile from the gravel road the trail split at another unsigned junction. This was the other end of the trail that had split off after crossing Alder Creek.

The tenth of a mile stretch passed behind some new construction.

We would be using that trail for our return but for now we stayed straight crossing the end of a paved road after another 0.3-miles and arriving at yet another junction a tenth of a mile later.

Looking up the paved road.

There was actually a pickup parked at this junction when we first passed, but it was gone by the time we came back by. The righthand fork makes a second loop possible, but this one can be submerged during higher tides.

We again stayed straight and in another three tenths of a mile we came to the other end of the loop at a “T” junction near the bank of the Nehalem River.

The other end of the second loop.

Nehalem River

Hooded merganser

We turned left and continued another two tenths of a mile around Dean Point to the trails end at a rocky river beach.

Highway 101 across the Nehalem River.

Cormorant

Nehalem River

After taking in the view from the end of the trail we returned to the “T”-junction. We hadn’t originally planned on doing the second loop because we hadn’t checked the tide tables and with the recent rain we weren’t sure how muddy/wet it might be. After seeing that it clearly wasn’t high tide I decided to give it a try. Heather decided to take the conservative approach and return the way we’d come so we split up here and planned to meet back up at the other end of the little loop.

This section of the loop was 0.4-miles long and was quite a bit rougher than the main trail, but it wasn’t too wet and there were only a couple of small muddy sections where the trail briefly dropped off the narrow dike it was following.

The trail briefly followed the river before making a right turn away from it.

Rainbow to the north.

Planks were placed at various points along the trail. They helped avoid muddy spots, but I had to be careful because some of them were really slick.

Looking toward Nehalem Bay (post).

Heading north after turning away from the river.

Sparrow

Yarrow

When the trail turned again to complete the loop it crossed a relatively deep (3-4 feet) channel on a narrow plank.

Not long after reentering the trees seen ahead I ran into Heather who had come down from the junction which was just a short distance away.

We continued on our way back and when we arrived at the unsigned junction for the first loop we turned left. This was another 0.4-mile section which passed the same meadow we’d seen the elk in earlier from the Alder Creek Trail. They hadn’t moved on so we got to see them for a second time.

On the first loop.

Salal lining the trail.

We snacked on a few evergreen huckleberries while we watched the elk.

Bench overlooking the meadow. There were two similar benches along the other loop.

Alder Creek heading out to Nehalem Bay.

Arriving back at the footbridge.

We recrossed Alder Creek and returned to our car. Both our GPS Units showed 3.5-miles for our hikes so doing or not doing the loops didn’t make a difference distance wise. Elevation change was easily under 50′.

It was about a 15-minute drive to the Manhattan Beach Wayside where we parked near the restrooms which is also where an Oregon Coast Trail pointer was located.

Oregon Coast Trail pointer.

A short trail led through a strip of trees and over the foredune to Manhattan Beach.

We had a choice of going north or south and planned on doing both before returning to the car. To the north was the mouth of the Nehalem River at Nehalem Bay and to the south was Rockaway Beach where we had started our Twin Rocks hike just five weeks before (post).

To the north we could see Cape Falcon (post) beyond the south river jetty.

To the south Twin Rocks was visible off the coastline.

We decided to head south first with our plan being to turn around at the creek just north of the Rockaway Beach Park where we had parked in September. While we had avoided rain during our first hike the rain arrived shortly after we set off along the beach. In typical fashion the wind was blowing south to north, so we were heading into it which prompted us to throw on our rain gear. It also kept me from trying to take too many photos during the nearly 2-mile hike to the creek.

Gulls

Brown pelicans

Rockaway Beach

Rain incoming.

Twin Rocks

Our turnaround point through the water on the camera lens.

After turning around and putting the wind at our backs it didn’t feel like it was raining as hard and I tried a few more photos as we headed for the jetty which was just under 3-miles from the creek.

Mine! (If you know you know.)

Some heavy rain off the coast heading north.

Homes along Manhattan Beach.

The south jetty.

We climbed onto the jetty to get a look at the Nehalem River.

Looking toward Nehalem Bay.

The Oregon Hiker Field Guide entry for Manhattan Beach mentioned hiking inland along the jetty to McMillan Creek. Despite the rainy conditions I decided to go ahead and do that while Heather opted to skip this portion of the quest. Instead of trying to walk directly along the jetty I headed back north to a path near beach mile marker 24 and followed it inland.

The neon sign marking mile 24.

I then picked up one of a number of use paths leading through the grassy spit and veered back toward the jetty.

I was able to find one that led back up to the top of the jetty and then followed the jetty to McMillan Creek.

The jetty was rough with a few sinkholes.

My turn around point, where McMillan Creek passes under the remains of the jetty.

McMillan Creek from my turnaround point.

The rain had let up during my hike down the jetty to the creek, but as I started back the rain picked up noticeably. I cut back across the grassy spit area to mile marker 24 and then hopped back onto the beach. From there it was a mile back to the trail up to the Manhattan Beach Wayside.

I got another brief respite from the rain once I was back on the beach.

Those dark clouds were angry and wet.

Mile marker 25 is up on the foredune to the right which is also where the trail was back to the wayside.

Heather was sitting on a bench on the foredune when I got back and we finished the hike together.

Our car in the wayside parking lot from the trees.

The GPS put my hike at 7.5-miles with minimal elevation gain.

As we were trying to change out of our wet clothes the sky really opened up and it poured. These wound up being great choices for a rainy day. We were especially pleased with the Elk Run hike. It was a relatively quiet hike given how close we were to homes and the highway and it had some really nice views. Seeing the elk also gave it a boost. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Elk Run Trail and Manhattan Beach

Tags Alder Creek Trailhead, Dean Point, elk, Elk Run Trail. Alder Creek Trail, hiking, Manhattan Beach, McMillan Creek, Nehalem Bay, Nehalem River, Oregon, Rockaway Beach, Twin Rocks

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Twin Rocks & Hoquarton Slough – 09/06/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 8, 2025
1 Comment on Twin Rocks & Hoquarton Slough – 09/06/2025

The arrival of a weather system bringing showers along with the chance of thunderstorms in many areas led us to choose a beach hike for our second outing of September. We headed to the city of Rockaway Beach and parked at the Rockaway Beach Trailhead.

This was our second visit to the city of Rockaway Beach but the first to the actual beach having visited the Old Growth Cedar Preserve on the previous visit (post). It was overcast but no showers and more importantly no lightening. (Which we’d seen on our drive through the coast range.) We headed down to the beach and faced a choice, we could head north to the Nehalem River or south to Tillamook Bay where the Tillamook River empties into the Pacific Ocean. The distance to the two rivers is roughly the same from the trailhead so we made our choice based on the presence of Twin Rocks along the way to Tillamook Bay.

Twin Rocks in the distance.

We followed the beach south just over three miles to the north jetty of the bay. The tide was just starting to come back in, so we were able to head out a bit on the beach.

There were two small creeks to cross on the way past Twin Rocks. The first was Saltair Creek which was easily crossed dry footed.

Semipalmated plover

Heitmiller Creek was a bit wider but not particularly deep. Even my trail runners were able to keep the water from seeping in the mesh of the toe boxes.

Lions mane jellyfish

Brown pelicans

Just a bit of blue sky.

Looking back toward Twin Rocks.

Whimbrel

Coast Guard tower on the north jetty.

North Jetty

Bayocean Spit (post) across the Tillamook River.

The Barview Jetty Trailhead is located next to the Coast Guard tower and we stopped there to use the facilities. It’s possible to hike inland between the jetty and some wetlands to the Barview County Park Trailhead. We opted not to hike the half mile to that trailhead (parking is $10 at both of these trailheads) and instead turned around and headed back to the Rockaway Beach Trailhead.

Sentry making sure people stay out of the wetlands near the Barview Jetty Trailhead.

Oregon Coast Trail pointer near the Barview Jetty Trailhead.

Yarrow

Dry stream bed.

This raven was staring intently at our car.

Our hike ended up being 6.4-miles with minimal elevation gain. This is a popular beach on sunny weekends so this was a perfect day for a less crowded visit.

It was a fairly quick hike for us given the level walking was primarily on compact sand, and because of that we were in danger of violating our self-imposed rule of not spending more time driving than hiking. Since it was still before 9:30am we decided to add a second stop for the day at the Hoquarton Slough Trail. It was about a 20-minute drive to Hoquarton Park in Tillamook.

Here the Hoquaton Interpretive Trail starts at some signboards and passes several observation decks of Hoquaton Slough.

Rose

Bindweed

After 0.2-miles this path reaches the end of the park and curves up to meet a former railroad that is now a paved path.

After approximately a third of a mile the old railroad grade trail passes the Misty Meadow Dairy on a gravel road. There were a lot of cute barn cats in this area, but there was also the distinctive smell of a working dairy. I grew up around dairies in Central Oregon and although I wouldn’t call it pleasant there is something nostalgic about the smell. Heather on the other hand was not a fan.

We were being watched.

The paved path resumed on the far side of the dairy entrance.

A tenth of a mile beyond the dairy the trail crosses over Highway 6 and then turns right into Goodspeed Park.

Goodspeed/Tillamook Skate Park

Redwood in Goodspeed Park.

We turned around at Goodspeed Park and made our way back to our car.

Great blue heron in Hoquarton Slough.

Back at Hoquarton Park.

This was an odd little trail coming in at 1.3-miles roundtrip.

We saw one other walker and what we’re pretty sure was a drug deal. As with pretty much every other trail in a town these days there were some homeless camps back in the vegetation near Hoquarton Park as well. It probably isn’t one we’d revisit but it was an interesting experience. We will be heading back to Rockaway Beach at some point to make the hike north to the Nehalem River though. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Twin Rocks and Hoquarton Slough

Tags Barview Jetty Trailhead, Goodspeed Park, hiking, Hoquarton Slough, Hoquarton Slough Interpretive Trail, Lions mane jellyfish, Oregon, Rockaway Beach, Rockaway Beach Trailhead, Tillamook, Tillamook Bay, Twin Rocks

Hiking Northern Coast Oregon Oregon Coast

Up and Over Neahkahnie Mountain – 04/05/2025

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date April 7, 2025
3 Comments on Up and Over Neahkahnie Mountain – 04/05/2025

We had visited Neahkahnie Mountain in January 2014 (post) and had wanted to come back in Spring to hopefully see some wildflowers. The Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) crosses over Neahkahnie Mountain passing below a rocky viewpoint. In 2014 we had come from the north so this time the plan was to start from the south using a newer section of the OCT beginning in Manzanita, OR. Heather had other plans, so I was on my own for this outing, and decided that I would go up and over Neahkahnie Mountain and visit the Devil’s Cauldron before climbing back over to Manzanita.

The trailhead for the OCT is just a pullout on the shoulder of Neahlem Road.
I had arrived just after 6:30am so it was still a little dark as I set off.

It was early enough that I didn’t have to worry much about traffic when I crossed Highway 101 from Nehalem Road to the signed Oregon Coast Trail.

This 2.1-mile section of the OCT was constructed in 2020 and passes through the Neahkahnie Headwaters Preserve managed by the Lower Nehalem Community Trust.
Please respect private landowners wishes when recreating to ensure that public access continues to be allowed.

The trail began with a couple of ups and downs as it followed a powerline corridor.
Looking back at the sunrise.

The trial eventually left the powerlines and passed through a few stands of trees before arriving at a clearcut. The trail continued climbing through the clearcut and then reentered the forest. Approximately two miles from the trailhead I arrived at a signboard along Road 38555 where I turned left, hiking downhill past a gate to the South Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead.

Entering the clearcut.

Bleeding heart

The OCT is well marked.

Woodpecker

Back in the forest.

Interpretive signs in the preserve.

Bench at a viewpoint.

Nehalem Bay (post) from the bench.

Salmonberry blossom

Leaving the preserve.

Violets and pink fawn lilies. These were the first pink fawn lilies I had seen, it seems that we hadn’t timed our coastal hikes right to catch their bloom in the past.

The trailhead was empty at 7:20am.

Trail signs identified the continuation of the OCT which began a series of approximately a dozen switchbacks through the forest.

Trillium

Fringecup

Toothwort

The switchbacks led to a 4-way junction with an old roadbed where the OCT continued on the opposite side.

For the next half mile the trail traversed along the hillside below the summit ridge of Neahkahnie Mountain.

I made use of this bench on the way back to take a break and do some stretching.

View to the north.

Tillamook Head (post) and Haystack Rock (post)

After the half mile the trail made a switchback. The trail here was a little sketchy.

It was obvious that there had been some work done to try and shore up this section of trail.

The trail continued to a saddle where a spur to the right led up a rocky spine to the viewpoint summit.

The view south from the viewpoint.

Cape Meares (post), Three Arch Rocks, and Cape Lookout (post).

Cascade desert parsley near the summit.

After taking in the view I returned to the OCT and continued north.

Looking up at the viewpoint from the OCT.

It was a little over 2-miles down to the North Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead. A September 2020 windstorm had resulted in heavy blowdown to sections of this trail. The trail was closed until 2022 when crews were able to clear it.
Trillium

This was the only obstacle that required any sort of maneuvering.

There are some great trees along the upper section of the trail.

Violets

Recent trail work.

Anemones and violets.

Entering the storm damaged area.

Angora Peak (post) through the trees.

Getting creative with the trail route.

Out of the storm damage.

Skunk cabbage

Cape Falcon from the trail.

Pink fawn lilies

Arriving at Highway 101 near the North Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead.

I dashed across the highway to the trailhead and immediately spotted a few elk in the meadow below the highway.

From the trailhead I picked up the Elk Flats Trail and followed it a tenth of a mile to the Devil’s Cauldron Overlook Trail.

Another tenth of a mile brought me to the overlook.

After admiring Devil’s Cauldron I headed back. The climb back up to the saddle below the viewpoint was approximately 1400′, and after having climbed over 1600′ from Manzanita, and I felt the burn.

Snow queen

He may have been moving faster than I was.

There is nothing better than hearing wrens sing in the forest.

More creative trail in the storm damaged area.

Wood sorrel

The view if you don’t scramble up the spine.

Up to the point that I started back down from the saddle I’d passed 11 people on the trail, all of which were after having spent time at the viewpoint. On the way down I passed at least 30 people between the saddle and the South Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead which was now packed with cars.

Trillium with a touch of pink.

Arriving at the packed trailhead.

Continuing on from the busy trailhead I only passed two more people before arriving back Nehalem Road and my lonely car.
Leaving the crowds behind.

Big patch of pink fawn lilies.

Highway 101 from the powerline corridor.

Margined white

One of the more impressive trees in the preserve.

Nearing the Highway 101 crossing. I arrived just as a long line of traffic was passing by but was able to safely cross shortly afterward.

This hike came in at 11.6 miles and roughly 3000′ of elevation gain.

This was a good hike with quite a few wildflowers, some wildlife, and some nice views. It was also a good training hike for some of the alpine hikes with significant elevation gain later in the season. The various trailheads offer plenty of options for those who might not want to hike as far or climb so much, but even the shortest route (South Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead) gains 840′ in 1.5-miles to the viewpoint. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Neahkahnie Mountain from Manzanita

Tags devils cauldron, elk, Elk Flats Trail, hiking, Lower Nehalem Community Trust, Manzanita, Neahkahnie Headwaters Preserve, Neahkahnie mountain, Neahkahnie Mountain Trail, Nehalem Bay, Nehalem Road Trailhead, North Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead, Oregon, oregon coast trail, Oswald West State Park, South Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Yachats and Waldport Area Trails

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date January 13, 2025
No Comments on Yachats and Waldport Area Trails

We kicked off our 2025 hikes with a multi stop day on the Oregon Coast. During our offseason, Nov-Apr, I spend a fair amount of time looking for hikes to add to our list of to-do hikes. The Oregon Hikers Field Guide provided me with three short hikes in and around Waldport Oregon that we had yet to check out.

We started our morning in Yachats at the Smelt Sands State Recreation Site.

We’d used this trailhead in 2020 for a hike on the 804 Trail. We set off on the 804 Trail again this time but after two tenths of a mile we turned right off the 804 Trail.
We started with this hike in part due to it being the first day of the final king tides, abnormally high tides, for the season. High tide for Smelt Sands was going to be 9:45am so we were hoping to see some of the wave action.

It was just before 8am as we hiked the 804 Trail.

We made a mistake and turned right on the paved path here, but we should have continued beyond the large signboard to a second path marked by a wooden post. You can see the small white and black to the left of the green signboard. We may have been distracted by “Free Coffee” being printed on the bottom of the green sign.

We wound up walking through the Fireside Motel’s parking lot and out to Highway 101 via its driveway instead of the Overleaf Lodge & Spa. Either way we faced a choice at the highway. We could go directly across to Diversity Drive and walk up it 125 yards to the start of the Ya’Xaik Trail. (There are a small number of parking spots available at the end of Diversity Drive but be careful not to take any of the spots reserved for the townhomes here.) Our other option was to turn north (left) along the highway for a tenth of a mile and then cross (at the Earthworks Art Gallery) where we could pick up the public footpath at the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve. Please note that dogs are not allowed on the paths at the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve. Dog owners who would like to do a loop can find a dog friendly trail to the north of the fire station between the art gallery and Diversity Drive.

We chose to walk the highway shoulder to try and minimize the amount of traffic that would be passing by.

This post is similar to the one along the 804 Trail where we should have turned right.

Information about the preserve.

The public entrance.

The path through the preserve is only about a quarter mile. The trail climbs gradually along Mitchell Creek with numerous interpretive signs. It also passes “Grandmother Spruce” a 300+ year old Sitka spruce that spans the small creek.

One of the interpretive signs on the left.

Boardwalk over Mitchell Creek.

The plaque at the base of Grandmother Spruce.

Grandmother Spruce

The upper end of the preserve trail.

Pointer for the Ya’Xiak Trail on the far side of the upper gate.

Going right on the Ya’Xiak Trail would complete the loop to Diversity Drive, but before we did that we turned left on the unmarked Starr Creek Trail. This well maintained trail led a third of a mile to Starr Creek and Starr Creek Road. (Note there is no parking available at Starr Creek Road.)

The Starr Creek Trail.

Mushrooms

Approaching Starr Creek.

Starr Creek

Starr Creek Road

After tagging the road we headed back to the Ya’Xaik Trail junction and followed it south for a third of a mile before it turned west and headed downhill to Diversity Drive.
The upper gate at the junction.

Ya’Xaik Trail

The right hand fork here is the trail leading down to the fire station that dog owners can use to make a loop. A local had warned us that this trail can be pretty slick. We went left to remain on the Ya’Xaik Trail.

There was a little climbing involved before the trail headed down to Diversity Drive.

The Ya’Xaik Trail at Diversity Drive.

We walked down Diversity Drive, recrossed Highway 101, and returned to the 804 Trail which we followed back to our car. It was a little after 9am so it was still about 45 minutes from high tide, but there were already a lot of people watching the waves come crashing in.

Our hike here clocked in just under two and a quarter mile with a little over 225′ of elevation gain.

We could have extended this hike up to 14 miles by continuing north on the 804 Trail and then walking the beach to the Alsea River as we’d done in 2020, but since we’d already hiked that section of the Oregon Coast, we opted not to extend this hike but instead check out a different section of beach later in morning. From Smelt Sands we drove north on Highway 101 to Waldport and the John Maré Woodland Trailhead.

Simply put the three-quarter mile Woodland Trail runs between this lower trailhead and the Red River Disc Golf Course at Woodland Park off South Crestline Drive. The hike however is not simple, even with the fairly detailed descriptions in the OregonHikers Field Guide and a input from a local who provided some useful information. Abandoned roadbeds, trails connecting to neighborhoods, and paths used by the disc golf course create a web of interconnected trails/paths with the only signage being for the disc golf holes. With many pauses to check our map and the descriptions I believe we only took one wrong turn which resulted in us doing a figure eight near Woodland Park instead of a loop as we’d intended.

The trail set off from the interpretive signs at the trailhead and quickly crossed the Red River (actually just a creek).

The Woodland Trail continues to the left while the right connects up to a road.

At the quarter-mile mark the trail crosses an abandoned roadbed.

It was at the end of this stretch where we ran into a local who gave us some tips on our route.

The trail climbed fairly steeply via switchbacks to another roadbed and after passing a cement barricade we veered left onto an unmarked path.

Just up this path we encountered the first signs of the disc golf course.

A footbridge over the Red River below with a disc golf hole on the opposite ridge. We were able to use the OregonHikers Field Guide map to identify this connector trail as one we did not want to take. That map had many of the connector trails identified in red which helped keep our position located as well as keep us on the correct route.

We managed to arrive at the skate park having stayed on course.

The Woodland Trail between the skate park and playground.

Our (my) mistake came at a junction near the playground. I misinterpreted the map and had us turn right on a wide path at a junction then take a quick left when we should have stayed more of less straight.

I had taken one of the red trails then regained the OregonHikers route when we turned left only we were now hiking in the opposite direction of their route.

Heather was able to get me to understand my error and we simply looped back around to the playground then once again took the connector trail to where we’d turned left and this time turned right.

The right hand fork led us to a large opening which the local we’d spoken with earlier aptly described as a landing strip.

At the northern end of the opening the trail reentered the forest.

We continued to refer to the OregonHikers track to stay on the correct path which followed a ridge to its end above the Red River.

We dropped down to the footbridge over the creek and then continued straight on an abandoned roadbed.

The gentleman we’d spoken to earlier had mentioned these three sets of stairs.

We followed this roadbed back to the switchbacks where we’d encountered the local and at the bottom of the switchbacks turned right on another roadbed that led us back to the trailhead.

The old roadbed at the bottom of the switchbacks.

Rainbow over the baseball fields at the trailhead.

This hike was just 1.6-miles with approximately 175′ of elevation gain.
Woodland Trail on the left and our next stop, the Lint Slough Trail, on the right.

Our next trailhead was just under a mile drive away (0.4 as the crow flies) at the Lint Slough Trail.

This short out-and-back begins on a wide grassy track along the Lint Slough before becoming single track. There are several benches along the trail which according to the city is approximately 0.8-miles long, but we only managed to get half a mile out before we lost the tread in the vegetation.

Memorial plaque

There was a bypass uphill for this short flooded section.

There were a number of bufflehead ducks, a pair of geese, and one noisy great blue heron at the slough. All of the wildlife seemed to be positioned as far away from the trail as possible.

The great blue heron in a tree across the slough.

This little group of buffleheads was the exception.

I turned around at this bench due to not seeing an obvious continuation of the trail here. I had also lost Heather who had stayed up to avoid the flooded section and instead of returning to the trail I was on, on the other side of the flooded bench, stayed up on the higher path. That path began leading up uphill away from the actual trail without another way to get back to the correct path. She wound up backtracking and we met shortly after I had started back.

The slough from my turn around point.

A little blue sky reflecting in the water on our hike back.

Yarrow

Bull thistle (non-native)

Rose (probably non-native)

From Lint Slough we drove back to Highway 101 and headed north toward Newport and stopped at the Driftwood Beach State Recreation Site.

The king tide was now heading out which provided us with the ability to walk the beach and enjoy the breaks in the clouds giving us some much-needed glimpses of blue sky.

Looking north along the beach.

The view south.

We headed north first in the direction of Seal Rock (post). We turned back after 0.4-miles at a creek on Holly Beach.
The wet sand and debris from the high tide was up to the vegetation along much of the beach.

We decided to turn back at the creek partly to avoid crossing it, but also because we had been walking into the wind. It wasn’t a particularly cold day, but the wind chill was almost making it uncomfortable.

Seagull with a crab.

We decided to continue south past the recreation site though to add a little time and distance to our day. (Our rule of spending as much time hiking as driving was in jeopardy of being broken.) We hiked 0.6-miles to the south turning around once we were confident our self-imposed rule wouldn’t be broken.
Cape Perpetua (post) to the south.

Buckley Creek

We had to ford Buckley Creek which was only a couple of inches deep at most.

Semipalmated plovers

Western gull

Heading back north.

The path back up to the parking area at Driftwood Beach.

This was a quiet 2.1-mile walk on the beach. We only saw a couple other people and at Noon the parking lot was nearly empty.

The weather held up great for us. I think we drove through at least one rain shower every time we were in the car except between the Woodland and Lint trails, but we never got rained on. The four hikes came to just 6.9-miles with 425′ of cumulative elevation gain making it a good early season outing. With the exception of the 804 and Ya’Xaik trails these probably aren’t destination hikes, but they were enjoyable hikes and would be worth a visit if you were staying nearby or in the area and looking for a quick outing. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Waldport Area Trails

Tags 804 Trail, Crestline Park, Driftwood Beach State Recreation Area, Gerdemann Botanic Preserve, hiking, John Maré Woodland Trailhead, Lint Slough Trail, Lint Slough Trailhead, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Smelt Sands, Waldport, Woodland Trail, Ya'Xaik Trail, Yachats

Coastal Range Hiking Northern Coast Oregon Coast Trip report

Cathedral Tree, Young’s River Falls, and Fishhawk Falls – 05/12/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 15, 2024
No Comments on Cathedral Tree, Young’s River Falls, and Fishhawk Falls – 05/12/2024

After spending the night in Astoria following a full day of hiking (post) we woke up on Mother’s Day ready to head home. We couldn’t resist the opportunity to get a little more hiking in on the way there though.

Our plan for the day was visit the Astoria Column by way of the Cathedral Tree, then take an alternate route from Astoria to visit a pair of waterfalls. We made the short drive from our motel to the Richard Fenscak Cathedral Tree Trailhead on Irving Street and set off past a gate.

A map at the trailhead provides a high-level overview of the mile long route to the Astoria Column. The AllTrails map was particularly helpful as it showed most if not all of the spur trails. The trail begins as a wide gravel path that climbs, briskly at times, approximately 250′ in a third of a mile to a junction on a boardwalk.

Thimbleberry

Coming up on the start of the boardwalk.

Scouler’s corydalis at the base of the boardwalk.

The boardwalk junction.

We turned left at the junction and arrived at Cathedral Tree in just 150′.

The base of Cathedral Tree.

One of two benches near the 300+ year old stika spruce.

Cathedral Tree

After visiting the tree, we returned to the junction and continued uphill towards the column.

Beyond the boardwalk the trail was a bit rougher.

Trail markers were present at times to help identify the correct route.

Pacific waterleaf

The Astoria Columnn.

We wandered around the column taking in the views and the art on the column itself.

Megler Bridge

Young’s River on the left and the Lewis & Clark River on the right

The early bird.

We decided to go up the column since it had been years since I had visited, and Heather had never been.

The spiral staircase.

It was stuffy inside and with a rail only on one side of the staircase Heather quickly realized that this was going to be outside her comfort level so she headed back down. I continued to the top, a little dizzy, but otherwise feeling good.

The view was great despite the clouds. They were high enough to allow for decent visibility and they were already breaking up.

Young’s River

Traffic on the Columbia River.

Looking out toward the Pacific beyond Astoria.

Deer in the grass below the Astoria Column.

Heather below the column.

After taking in the view, I wound my way back down the stairs (and got dizzy again).

We returned to the Cathedral Tree trail and hiked back down to Irving Street.

This was a spur trail 0.2-miles from the column (0.6-mile from the trailhead) that also leads down to Irving Street and could be used for a loop if you don’t mind some street walking. We opted to pass and did the hike as an out-and-back.

False lily-of-the valley

The last trillium?

Fringecup

From the Cathedral Tree Trailhead we followed Google map directions through Astoria to Young’s River Road and eventually to Young’s River Falls Park.
The start of the short trail to the falls.

It was clear from the parking area that it is unfortunately popular with the party crowd who can’t be bothered to pack out their mess. Regardless the falls were impressive, and the 0.3-mile round trip was well worth the stop.
Interpretive signs near the start of the trail.

The falls were noted during Lewis and Clark’s stay at nearby Fort Clatsop (post).

This was a tough one to photograph due to the amount of spray being blown straight at us by the force of the water.

After admiring the falls we returned to the car and made our way to Highway 202 following directions from Google. Once we’d made it to the highway we headed SE to Lee Wooden Fishhawk Falls County Park.

A quarter-mile trail here leads to Fishhawk Falls which we honestly weren’t expecting much from.
We pulled over onto the shoulder of Hwy 202 to snap a picture of these bulls.

Bleeding heart

Fairybells

Scouler’s corydalis

We spotted it too late to get a photo, but as we neared the falls a bald eagle took flight. The trail ends at Fishhawk Creek nearly a tenth of a mile from the 72′ falls.

The view is good from the end of the trail, but since this was our last stop of the day I decided to ford the creek and get a closer look. The water was knee deep, but not too cold.

I was joined by a pair of ouzels at the falls.

Looking back at Heather on the other side of Fishhawk Creek.

Me through the trees below the falls.

Maybe it was the timing of our visit, but this was one of the nicest waterfalls we’ve seen in a while. We finally pulled ourselves away and returned to our car. We made one more stop on the way home at the Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area to use the public restrooms before driving home.

Please note that you need a permit to park at the refuge.

The three short hikes came to a total of 3 miles and 500′ of elevation gain, mostly from the Cathedral Tree hike. They were quite enjoyable, and we were able to get home before Noon giving us time to unpack, clean up, and then visit my Mom on Mother’s Day. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Cathedral Tree, Young’s River Falls, and Fishhawk Falls

Tags Astoria, Astoria Column, Cathedral Tree, Cathedral Tree Trail, Clatsop County, Fishhawk Falls, hiking, Jewell Meadows Wildlife Area, Lee Wooden Fishhawk Falls County Park, Oregon, Young's River, Young's River Falls, Young's River Falls Park

Hiking Northern Coast Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Crescent Beach, Ft. Stevens Historic District, and the Skipanon River Loop – 05/11/2024

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date May 14, 2024
3 Comments on Crescent Beach, Ft. Stevens Historic District, and the Skipanon River Loop – 05/11/2024

We spent Mother’s Day weekend hiking several trails in Clatsop County. We began on Saturday by driving to Ecola State Park and parking in the Ecola Point parking lot. We last visited the park in December 2013 when we hiked north along the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) to Tillamook Head’s high point. (post)

For this visit our plan was to hike south on the OCT then take the Crescent Beach Trail down to that beach.
The trail begins near the restrooms.

The trail began by climbing via a couple sets of wooden stairs to Ecola Park Rd which it briefly followed along the shoulder.

Ecola Park Road.

Where the trail left the shoulder, we came to a pair of cyclists who we thought were looking out at the Ocean. It took a second for us to realize that they were actually watching a small herd of elk in the forest below.

After watching the elk for a moment we started down the trail which wound up switching back down toward the elk. Luckily they were following proper Leave No Trace Principals and remained an acceptable distance from the wild hikers.

We continued on past the elk following the OCT approximately a mile from parking lot to the junction with the Crescent Beach Trail.

Skunk cabbage

Scouler’s corydalis

Window to the Pacific.

We turned right at the junction and descended a quarter mile to Crescent Beach.

Ecola Point

Chapman Point and Bird Rocks

We decided to head north toward Ecola Point to check out the tide pools. We had inadvertently timed our visit nearly perfectly as it was about an hour and a half from low tide.
Prior to reaching the tide pools we passed Waterfall Creek.
The upper falls.

Waterfall Creek

The lower falls.

The tide pools from Waterfall Creek.

The tide pools wound up being some of the most impressive we’d seen. We spent a good amount of time walking around to the different pools. We were careful not to climb on any of the rocks or to disturb any of the wildlife. In fact some of the rocks that were exposed are likely part of the Oregon Islands Wilderness.

We found Patrick from Spongebob!

After admiring the tide pools we headed south along the beach toward Chapman Point and the Bird Rocks.

We were curious as to what forces carved out the backside of this rock.

Chapman Point is only passable at certain low tides. On the far side is Cannon Beach (post).

This cave through Chapman Point was flooded at the far end.

Pigeon guillemot

Goose

We turned around at Chapman Point and headed back to the Crescent Beach Trail.

Whibrel

We retraced our steps back to Ecola Point where the lot was beginning to fill up.

Seaside bittercress

Youth-on-age

Our hike here came to 4.4-miles with approximately 600′ of elevation gain.

We hopped in our car and headed north to Fort Stevens State Park for our next hike. There are several parking lots at Fort Stevens and we opted to park at Battery Russell lot.
Battery Russell from the lot.

As with Ecola Point we had started a hike here before. In September 2017 we visited Battery Russell, Coffenbury Lake, and a shipwreck at the park (post). Again today we were going in the opposite direction, this time north to visit the park’s Historic Area. We followed a paved path east from the parking lot then over Jetty Road on an overpass.

The overpass

We followed the paved path to a junction near a pill box where we went right.

The path led past Swash Lake which helped explain the host of mosquitos that were flying around us.

We stayed right at the next junction and Jetty Lagoon on the Swash Lake Bridge.

Looking out toward Swash Lake from the bridge.

A little under 2 miles form the parking lot we arrived at the visitor’s center.
The gate to the Historic Area is locked in the evening.

Visitor’s center

A number of trails and paths wind around the Historic Area as well as open spaces that one can simply walk across. We made up our own route based on a suggested hike from the Oregonhikers Field Guide.

We began by walking past a jeep on display and looping behind the visitor’s center.

From the visitor’s center we headed into a large open space where the barracks had once been.

We made our way to the far end of the open space and turned south to see the old guardhouse and Battery Clark.
The guardhouse on the left.

Battery Clark

We then turned back north cutting across the barracks area toward a pair of smooth bore cannons and Battery Freeman.

We passed the cannons and hiked through a guarded underpass.

Fort Stevens Earth Works.

We crossed a grassy field to the cannons atop the Earth Works then descended a staircase.

White-crowned sparrow

We cut across the grass below to the footbridge in the distance.

Columbia River

Looking west toward the Pacific.

At the Columbia we turned right on the Jetty Trail and followed it past some disc golf holes and Battery Smur to a former roadbed.

Battery Smur

The roadbed coming in from the former barracks site.

We turned left on this road and followed it to a gate and the former Torpedo Loading Room.
Mine Loading Building

Searchlight Generator

Torpedo Loading Room

We turned around here and walked back to the Jetty Trail and followed it west through the Disc Golf Course to the Clatsop Longhouse site.

From the longhouse site we continued on the Jetty Trail toward Battery 245.

Battery 245

We hiked around Battery 245 and onto Battery Mishler.

We passed this battery and Battery Pratt then veered right on a paved path which led back to the path we’d followed from Battery Russell.

Sign for the Lil’ Oozlefinch Putting Course.

We headed back toward the parking lot and at the Pill Box we veered right which was a more direct route to the parking lot. The drawback was that there was no overpass here so we had to watch for traffic before crossing Jetty Road.

Bald eagle

Gate near Jetty Road.

After crossing Jetty Road, we followed the paved path left a tenth of a mile to the Battery Russell parking lot. This hike came to 6.3-miles with just 75′ or so of elevation gain.

Our final stop of the day was just 5 miles from the Battery Russell parking lot at Lighthouse Park in Warrenton.

The parking lot at the park.

Our plan here was to hike the 2-mile Skipanon River Loop. Three things drew us to this trail. First it was a trail we hadn’t yet hiked. Secondly, we hadn’t hiked along the Skipanon River yet, and while it isn’t an official goal we are trying to visit as many of Oregon’s rivers as possible. Finally, one of our favorite post hike restaurants, Nisa’s Thai Kitchen is located along the route.

From the parking lot we crossed NE Skipanon Drive and followed the sidewalk past a storage facility to a path next to E Harbor Drive that promptly passed beneath the road.

Emerging from the underpass.

We turned right onto a paved path along the Skipanon River for a third of a mile to Skipanon River Park.

Mallard family

Sign at the park.

At the park the trail ended and we turned right onto SE 3rd St and followed it a block to S Main Avenue where we turned left. After two blocks on Main we turned left onto SE 5th St and then took a right on a grassy track behind some buildings.
Eighth Street Dam from the grassy track.

We crossed the river on the 8th Street Dam where we finally saw an official trail map.

Until we saw this sign we’d been thinking that maybe the trail didn’t exist any longer. We were also questioning how the loop was supposed to get back across the river at the other end since the only bridge across the river there was Harbor Drive. Until seeing this we were thinking of turning around at the dam, but instead we decided that we’d do the loop with Heather getting a table at Nisa’s while I recrossed the river to retrieve the car.

With lunch calling, and our feet feeling a bit worn, we opted not to do the optional out-and-back B1 spur trail and continued on the loop past a gate.

On this side the trail was a nice grassy track following a dike which was far more pleasant than Main Avenue.

Not the clearest picture but I think this is a greater scaup based on the head shape. We’ve seen a number of lesser scaups, but this would be our first greater.

Great blue heron

Cormorant

A brief paved section.

Nisa’s Thai Kitchen across Harbor Drive.

There was a nice wide bike/pedestrian lane on the bridge making the crossing not too bad even with traffic. As I was made my way across I noticed a path leading down to the underpass on the south side of Harbor Drive which meant I wouldn’t need to cross the main street on foot.
Looking back up the path from Harbor Drive.

The loop came in just over 2-miles with minimal elevation gain.

This would probably be a nicer hike early in the morning when less traffic was about. It was a little awkward walking along the city streets as well, but the grassy dike was a comfortable walk. What really made this worth the stop though was the Drunken Noodles and Pad Thai. After a satisfying meal we drove to Astoria arriving at our motel right after check in time (3pm). We originally thought we might head out to the Astoria Riverwalk after cleaning up, but after showering a resting for a bit it was clear that 12.9 miles were enough for one day. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Crecent Beach, Fort Stevens Historic Area, and the Skipanon River Loop

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

D River, Nesika Park, and Cutler City Wetlands – 11/18/2023

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date November 20, 2023
1 Comment on D River, Nesika Park, and Cutler City Wetlands – 11/18/2023

Back on January 1st we kicked off our 2023 hiking year by visiting several trails in Lincoln City, OR (post). During that outing we kept seeing signs referring to the Lincoln City Trail Challenge. A little post hike research revealed that the challenge involved trails in eight of the city’s open spaces, the five we’d visited that day plus The Knoll which we’d visited in 2021 (post) and two hadn’t visited, Nesika Park and Cutler City Wetlands. The actual challenge is to find the trail challenge signs at each open space and snap a selfie, but we rarely ever take a selfie, and we didn’t have a picture of the sign from The Knoll. That didn’t stop us from wanting to at least visit the final two challenge locations, so when a brief window of dry weather presented itself on one of our days off we headed to Lincoln City to do just that.

Given that the two remaining locations provide less than a mile and a half of hiking we consulted the Oregon Hikers Field Guide for additional ideas and landed on their Nelscott Beach Hike. This approximately eight-mile hike would visit a lake, the D River (Once recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the worlds shortest river.), and Siletz Bay.

We began the hike at the D River State Recreation Site.

Before heading onto the beach we walked inland, crossing Highway 101 at a stop light, then passed over the D River and turned right into Hostetler Park.
The highway from the parking lot.

The D River from the highway bridge. The river flows between Devil’s Lake and the Pacific Ocean and at high tide has a length of approximately 40 yards.

Hostetler Park.

At the far end of the small park was a sign for the D River Open Space and a short trail leading to a long boardwalk.

We followed the boardwalk to a campground at Devil’s Lake State Recreation Area.
Several interpretive signs were located along the boardwalk.

One of the interpretive signs.

Nearing the campground.

We turned right at the campground entrance and followed the campground road to a paved (and flooded) path to a moorage.

Orange cones, and a cat, at the far end of the path.

We were able to follow the path far enough to see the moorage and a small portion of the lake.

We returned to the campground road and looped back around to the entrance booth and the boardwalk then hiked back to the parking lot and headed down to the beach.
Program area in the campground.

View North from the beach.

Cascade Head (post) in the sunlight behind God’s Thumb.

Seagulls at the mouth of the D River.

We headed South along the beach for nearly three miles to Siletz Bay where we turned inland across from Salishan Spit (post). It was a beautiful morning. The temperature was perfect and there was little to no breeze. We spent the majority of time watching pelicans glide just above the ocean while the occasional seal would pop it’s head up in the surf. There were also a number of ocean birds floating offshore, mostly surf scooters but there were some others mixed in.

There were of course plenty of seagulls present.

There weren’t very many ocean rocks along this stretch of beach.

Surf scooters

Loon, probably a common loon.

Baldy Creek

The largest group of offshore rocks were near the Inn at the Spanish Head.
The inn on the left with the rocks extending into the Pacific.

Cormorants and seagulls

This was a big tree that we were able to walk under.

A short distance beyond the Inn at the Spanish Head are some stairs leading down from 44th St. Here the beach widens as it nears the bay. We turned inland toward the stairs and followed paths through the brush and driftwood.

Salishan Spit across the Siletz.

Asters on the beach.

Pelicans on the left and seals on the right at the end of Salishan Spit.

Pelicans and seagull

Seals and a seagull

We walked along the bay to the Taft Dock for a short break before heading back.

We stopped briefly on our way back to watch the wildlife on the spit.

Drying off

On our way back we noticed that some pelicans had joined the cormorants and gulls on the rocks near the Inn at Spanish Head.

Pelican mouths are a sight to behold (righthand side).

Cascade Head and God’s Thumb both in the sunlight now.

After reaching our car we made the 0.8-mile drive to Nesika Park. The park is part of the trail challenge and home to sign #8. There is only room for a couple of cars at the end of the gravel road which was fine given we were the only car there at 11am.

While there is a trail through a small, forested area, the entire outing was just 0.3 miles out-and-back. We did however get a photo of the Trail Challenge sign near the Nesika Park Story Circle.

The Story Circle

Trail Challenge sign #8.

The trail ends at SE 3rd St (no parking available).

After accomplishing our goal here we hopped back into the car and continued South on Hwy 101 to find the Cutler City Wetlands Trailhead.

Here there were three other cars and a few more trail options.

While there are more trails to choose from here the total milage is just about 1.25 miles. We opted to loop around the outside with detours to the Salt Marsh Overlook and Pond’s Edge.

To the left is the very short spur to the Salt Marsh Overlook which was too overgrown to really see anything.

Interpretive sign at the overlook.

A noisy little hummer near the overlook.

There was pretty good signage at the main trail junctions.

Boardwalks helped cross the wet areas.

Pond’s Edge spur trail.

At the edge of the pond.

We hadn’t expected to see any blooming rhododendrons.

Arriving at the signboards at the start of the loop.

This was a nice area and a pleasant hike, but by sticking to the outside trails we missed seeing the Trail Challenge sign. I briefly thought about wandering through the center searching for it, but since we didn’t get a picture of the sign at The Knoll even if I found it, we wouldn’t have a full set. Maybe someday we’ll get actual pictures of those last two but for now we’re satisfied with having visited all these unique little parks/open spaces.

In all the days mileage came in at 9.3 with no more than 50′ of total elevation gain.

Today’s hikes are highlighted. The others are from our January outing.

Late Fall and Winter are great times to visit the Oregon Coast and today was no exception. Happy Trails!

Flickr: D River, Nesika Park, and Cutler City Wetlands

Tags Cutler City Wetlands, D River, D River State Recreation Area, Devil's Lake State Recreation Area, Devils Lake, hiking, lincoln city, Lincoln city trail challenge, Nesika Park, Oregon, Oregon Coast, salishan spit, siletz bay

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Oceanside, Short Beach, Tillamook Wetlands, and Anderson Hill – 10/28/23

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 30, 2023
1 Comment on Oceanside, Short Beach, Tillamook Wetlands, and Anderson Hill – 10/28/23

A cold snap arrived in conjunction with the final hike of our official 2023 season leaving us with a decision to make about where to go. One of the great things about living in Western Oregon are the hiking options. We were debating between heading to Government Camp near Mt. Hood to see some of the new snow that the system had brought with it, or to the beach where things would be a little bit warmer. In the end we decided that we weren’t quite ready for a Winter wonderland yet, and highs in the low to mid 50s sounded a little more appealing than highs in the low to mid 30s. The beach it was where we had some unfinished business at Oceanside.

We had attempted to hike the beach at Oceanside earlier in the year on a different multi-stop day (post), but had saved it for the final stop only to find the area so crowded that there was no place to park. We wouldn’t be making that mistake again so this time it was stop number one on the itinerary. We had no issue finding a parking spot this time arriving just as the Moon was disappearing behind Three Arch Rocks.
From left to right: Storm, Finely, and Shag Rocks.

Three Arch Rocks is one of two designated wilderness areas along the Oregon Coast Managed by the Department of Fish and Wildlife as a wildlife refuge the 15-acre wilderness area was the first designated refuge West of the Mississippi and is one of only a few wilderness areas entirely closed to entry by the general public.

From the parking lot we took the stairs down to the beach and headed north toward the Tunnel which leads through Maxwell Point to Tunnel Beach.
Cape Lookout (post) to the south.

Maxwell Point

View from beside Maxwell Point.

The Tunnel was built in 1926.

The Tunnel from Tunnel Beach.

Three Arch Rocks from Tunnel Beach.

We hiked North along the beach passing a rocky point to Agate Beach before turning around where that beach ended at a cliff a little more than a third of a mile from the Tunnel.
The end of Tunnel Beach. At higher tide it’s not possible to get around the point here.

Getting closer to the end of Tunnel Beach. This set of ocean rocks are part of the Oregon Islands Wilderness, A string of of over 5,600 rocks, reefs, islets, and islands lying within three miles offshore mirroring almost the entire length of the Oregon coast from Tillamook Head to the California border. Like Three Arch Rocks this wilderness is also closed to the public.

Bald eagle on top of one of the rocks.

Seal

Agate Beach

Cape Lookout from Agate Beach.

After reaching the cliff we headed back to the Tunnel and then continued South along the beach 2.3-miles to Hodgdon Creek across from Netarts Spit (post).

An assortment of sea birds.

Maxwell Point and Cape Lookout

Sun starting to hit the Three Arch Rocks.

Sand dollar

Cormorants. There was a steady stream of flocks of birds heading south along the coastline.

Footbridge over Fall Creek.

Fall Creek

Frosty leaves near Fall Creek.

Great blue heron in a tree above Fall Creek.

Happy Camp

Hodgdon Creek

Seagulls and common mergansers near Hodgdon Creek.

Buffleheads

Netarts Spit

Happy Camp from our turn around point.

We returned the way we’d come and then drove North on Cape Meares Loop Road just under a mile and a half to a pullout across from a sign for Short Beach.
Three Arch Rocks and Maxwell Point now in full Sun.

A local built the staircase leading down to Short Beach and it is about as “Oregon Coast” as a staircase could be.

The beach only extends a short distance to the South.

The sea stack and Short Creek Spillway to the North.

We headed North along the cobblestone beach which isn’t the easiest surface to hike on, especially when they are wet and slightly frosty. On the positive side the cobblestones added some great sounds to the ocean as the waves tossed them about then rolled them over one another as the waves receded.

Starfish

The sea stack

Cape Meares (post)

I didn’t notice the little waterfall along the cliffs below Cape Mears until I looked at the pictures.

Red-throated loon

A third of a mile from the stairs we reached Larsen Creek Falls.

Apparently at low tide it’s possible to reach the cliffs below Cape Meares, but the tide was coming in and it also appeared that some sliding had occurred at some point, so we turned around a tenth of a mile beyond Larsen Creek Falls.
The area ahead in the shade is where things started looking a little sketchy.

These two beach hikes came to a total of 6.6-miles, 5.5 at Oceanside and 1.1 at Short Beach. From Short Beach we drove to Tillamook to try the Tillamook Bay Wetlands hike which I’d found as I was looking through the Oregon Hikers Field Guide. We parked at the Goodspeed Road Trailhead. The field guide entry showed this as a 3.6-mile loop following dikes through wetlands between the Wilson, Trask, and Tillamook Rivers. We were immediately confused due to the field guide mentioning a map and metal gate at the Goodspeed Trailhead but there was neither at the signed parking area.
Apparently there used to be a metal gate here instead of a the rope/chain.

We were pretty sure we’d followed the driving directions though so we stepped over the chain onto the grassy dike and began following it through the wetlands.

Bald eagles in the tree tops.

Bald eagles

The map in the field guide showed an elongated loop following what Google Maps and the GPS showed as the continuation of Goodspeed Road to the Wilson River then along that river to the Tillamook River where the route looped back along it then the Trask to Sissek Road. The dike we were on though reached a slough where it turned sharply South.
This is where the dike/path turned South. Our best guess is that there has been additional wetland restoration since the entry in the field guide and some of the dikes that the guide route followed have been removed.

We didn’t come up with our theory about what was going on until after we got home. While we were hiking we kept checking the GPS map/track and comparing it to the map in the field guide. We still weren’t sure if we really had started in the right spot given the lack of a metal gate and map at the trailhead or if we’d missed a turn somewhere. We continued to follow the dike system which looped around and after just over a half mile the GPS showed that we were on Sissek Road (now a grassy dike).
We weren’t getting across that.

Somewhere out that way, beyond the slough, was the Wilson River.

Now heading East toward Sissek Road.

At this point we had left Sissek Road which used to extend straight from Goodspeed Road where the signs and rope/chain is in this photo (ahead to the right at the 90-degree turn).

The dike system brought us to another signed parking area we’d pass on the way to the Goodspeed Road Trailhead. This one is just past a one-lane bridge over Hall Slough.

At this point we were sure we’d started at the correct trailhead and were now convinced we’d missed a turn somewhere near the start of the hike. First we tried walking a grassy track South from this parking area which brought us to another muddy slough, but not before spotting an egret and a great blue heron.

We backtracked to the parking area and then hiked Goodspeed Road back to the trailhead where I began searching for a different route.
Hawk above Goodspeed Road.

One path led down to Hall Slough ending in mud at it’s bank.

A second path led north on what the GPS showed as a former road but it was too overgrown and flooded to make it far.

We wound up doing just 1.9-miles here including the out-and-back explorations.

It was a fine little hike and we saw a nice little variety of birds, but it was a little disappointing not to be able to see any of the rivers. We had one last stop planned, another short hike I found in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide, the Anderson Hill Loop . The trail begins at Anderson Hill County Park to the right of a metal picnic table.

The 1.2-mile reverse lollipop loop gains just 130′ as it climbs to a power line corridor on Anderson Hill. The view from the power lines is of course limited due to the power lines, but the trail was in good shape and the forest was nice making for a decent little outing.

Junction with the spur trail to the power line corridor.

Footbridge and stairs leading back up to the picnic table.

The four hikes came to just 9.7-miles and 270′ of cumulative elevation gain and included ocean views, waterfalls, forests, wetlands, and ample wildlife.

It was a beautiful day weather wise and great way to end our season. We’ll scale back our hiking for the next 5-6 months, but we plan on getting out at least once a month until our 2024 season kicks off. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Tillamook Area Hikes

Central Coast Coastal Range Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Big Creek -Forest Park and Strom Boulder Ridge – 09/30/2023

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date October 2, 2023
2 Comments on Big Creek -Forest Park and Strom Boulder Ridge – 09/30/2023

Our hike this week took second fiddle to our son’s birthday which we planned to celebrate by taking him out to lunch/dinner in Eugene. We still wanted to get a hike in that morning, so we looked for something in the general direction of Eugene. Our original plan had been to visit Vivian Lake near Diamond Peak, but a forecast of rain, followed by snow, then more rain had us look elsewhere. Looking at my list of future hikes a couple of hikes between Corvallis and Newport caught my eye. They were more or less on the way to Eugene and the weather forecast looked good. The two hikes had been Strom Boulder Ridge and Olalla Reservoir. Double checking the status of the hikes revealed that Georgia Pacific, who manages Olalla Reservoir, had closed access due to low water at the beginning of September so that hike was out. I then turned to the Oregon Hikers Field Guide to look for another short hike in the area and found the Big Creek-Forest Park Hike in Newport.

We began with the Big Creek hike parking at the Agate Beach State Recreation Site.

A trail begins near the restrooms at a footbridge over Big Creek.

Big Creek in the morning.

The trail follows Big Creek toward Highway 101 then recrosses it leading to a tunnel under the highway.
A short section of the trail was paved.

At the eastern end of the parking area we came to this new kiosk that is being installed marking the start of the Agate Beach TRACK Trail. There was also a path directly to the parking lot from the kiosk which we used upon our return.

The tunnel under Highway 101. The stairs at the far end lead up to a city street while the trail makes a hard right to briefly follow the highway back across Big Creek.

A series of boardwalks crosses the marshy bottomlands of Big Creek.

While the kiosk was a new work in process there were a number of older looking interpretive signposts. This was one of only a handful that still contained an interpretive sign.

The bottomlands.

There were no signs at junctions but for the TRACK Trail stick to the level fork and ignore anything going uphill.

Further along the trail Big Creek could actually be seen flowing.

A non-boardwalk section along Big Creek.

Approximately three quarters of a mile from the kiosk the trail arrived at Big Creek Road at another new signboard.

The signboard at Big Creek Road didn’t have any information on it yet.

We turned right on Big Creek Road passing a large overflow parking lot for Big Creek Park and Reservoir, crossed Big Creek, and then turned left into Big Creek Park.

Stellar’s Jay

Northern flickers on the picnic shelter.

A signboard near the picnic shelter marked the start of the Forest Park Trail.
Map on the signboard.

Don’t be fooled by the footbridge over Anderson Creek to the right of the signboard, the Forest Park Trail follows an old gravel roadbed steeply uphill to the left of the sign.
Anderson Creek, the footbridge, and signboard from the roadbed.

The Forest Park Trail

While the Track Trail had gained almost no elevation the Forest Park Trail climbed over 200′ in its first half mile to a pair of water towers.
A nice sitka spruce forest lined the old roadbed.

Mushrooms

Sunlight hitting the trees.

The Pacific Ocean through the trees near the water towers.

Passing the water towers.

Beyond the towers the trail dropped 160′ to wetlands along Jeffries Creek then climbed nearly another 90′ to a gate at the Fogarty Street Trailhead.

The drop to Jeffries Creek.

Jeffries Creek

Wood ducks in the wetlands.

The gate near Fogarty Street.

The Forest Park Trail from the other side of the gate.

We returned to the kiosk at the start of the TRACK Trail the way we’d come then cut to parking lot and returned to our car. The hike came to 4.0 miles with just over 550′ of elevation gain, nearly all of which was on the Forest Park Trail. The TRACK Trail seems like a good option for kids with the Forest Park Trail adding some short, steep climbs for those looking for more of a workout. The ability to visit Agate Beach from the parking lot is a huge bonus. We didn’t have time today to visit the beach but had in 2018 during our Yaquina Bay hike (post).

For our next stop at Strom Boulder Ridge we drove East on Highway 20 from Newport to Burnt Woods and turned right onto Harlan-Burnt Woods Road. We followed this road for 2 miles then turned right onto the unsigned gravel Burnt Woods Forest Road. I found this hike on Alltrails which I have somewhat reluctantly been looking at more frequently, mostly to check for recent trip reports but there are also some obscure “hikes” that don’t appear in any of our guidebooks or in the Oregon Hikers Field Guide. Strom Boulder Ridge is one such “hike” which is really just a 7.5-mile loop on drivable gravel logging roads on Oregon Department of Forestry managed lands. As such there is no official trailhead (although Google Maps seems think there is). The loop begins 0.7-miles up the forest road but we decided to park at a pullout next to a gravel pile halfway to the start of the loop.

Morning fog was still burning off at 9:30am.

One thing to note is that there isn’t any signage and because the area is actively logged roads may be added or closed depending on operations. I had downloaded the Alltrails track and we had our GPS units with us. Almost immediately we passed a logging road coming downhill on the left that was not shown on either the Alltrails or Garmin maps.
A car by the gravel pile to the left with the road coming down the hillside to the right. Interestingly Google Maps labels this as “Burnt Woods Ridge Road” which both Alltrails & Garmin showed as the left-hand fork where our loop would begin. (Google doesn’t show a road there at all but you can see the road in the trees by looking at the aerial view.) Numerous times throughout the hike we relied on comparing the Alltrails Track to the GPS map and our track to that point to determine where we were and which road(s) to take.

The trip reports on Alltrails had all mentioned how quite this hike was and it was (we saw no other hikers and only passed one pickup truck on the loop) other than the gunfire that we heard almost immediately and then off and on throughout the majority of the hike. We followed the road uphill to a saddle then dropped slightly to a fork marking the start of the loop.

There was some room to park here at the start of the loop (this is not where Google marks the TH) as well as many pullouts along the loop where one could choose to start.

We forked right following the suggested direction shown on the Alltrails track sticking to the Burnt Woods Forest Road. Over the next three and a half miles the road swung out and around several ridges in a series of ups and downs resulting losing a cumulative 580′ but regaining over 400′ along the way. As we descended we found ourselves back in the fog for a while before it finally burned off.

Heading down into the fog.

One positive to the fog is that it can create some dramatic Sun rays.

Vine maple

Blue sky in the upper left hand corner.

The road to the right is an example of a road that wasn’t labeled on any map we had.

Emerging from the fog.

Looking back through the fog to blue sky and the Sun.

The only other “hiker” we saw on the loop.

We couldn’t see it but just over three miles from the start of the loop the road crossed Cline Creek which was the first time we heard what sounded like a decent amount of flowing water.

A little over a tenth of a mile beyond Cline Creek we left Burnt Woods Forest Road and forked uphill to the left onto Cline Creek Road.

Cline Creek Road climbed gradually for approximately a half mile at which point it steepened and climbed for another mile to a junction with Burnt Ridge Road.
Arriving at a clearcut. Much of Cline Creek Road was along different clearcuts.

Mylitta crescent

Red-tailed hawk soaring over the clearcut.

Trying to get the red-tailed hawk in flight.

Lots of Fall colors starting to pop.

The first signs we’d seen (noticed anyway) were at the Cline Creek/Burnt Woods Ridge Road junction.

We turned onto Burnt Ridge Road and climbed some more gaining just over 150′ in the next 0.3-miles to the loop’s highpoint along the ridge (1558′). From there the road followed the ridge in a series of ups and downs for another mile and a half before making a sharp left and beginning a steeper descent back to the Burnt Woods Forest Road.

Arriving at the high point which was actually the first good viewpoint being above one of the clearcuts.

Looking North at more of the Coast Range.

Theoretically we should have been able to see both Mt. Hood and Mt. Jefferson from here but between haze from the fog and clouds we couldn’t make either out.

Mt. Jefferson is out there somewhere. The fact that the Cascades have some snow again doesn’t help them stand out in the haze and clouds.

Yet another unsigned road junction. Sticking to the ridge is the key.

After crossing a saddle we gained views SE to Mary’s Peak (post)

The tower and summit meadow of Mary’s Peak.

The hard left prior to the steep descent. The road on the far hillside in the clearcut is part of the road Google Maps has labeled as Burnt Ridge Road but doesn’t show on Alltrails or the Garmin maps.

We followed the ridge downhill for a little over a mile to complete the loop then followed the Burnt Woods Forest Road back to our car.

The end of the loop at the bottom of the hill.

Due to where we parked our hike came in at 8.5-miles with a little over 1200′ of cumulative elevation gain.

While it wasn’t the most exciting hike there was enough variety for it to be pleasant and aside from the gunfire it was quiet. It’s a decent option for a moderate workout, especially after rains when the road walk would be less wet/muddy than many trails. I would probably avoid weekdays if there is active logging occurring though. One other thing of note – Alltrails entry for the hike mentions the Siuslaw National Forest requiring a recreation pass but this is not National Forest land (and there is no developed trailhead) so no passes are currently needed.

After the hike we drove to Eugene and met Dominique at Ubon Thai for a late lunch/early dinner for his birthday. Good food and as someone who enjoys spicy foods, they didn’t disappoint with their heat scale. We followed the meal up with a slice of cake we’d brought down from Gerry Frank’s Konditorei. A great way to end a nice day. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Big Creek-Forest Park and Strom Boulder Ridge

Tags Agate Beach State Recreation Site, Agate Beach TRACK Trail, Big Creek, Big Creek Park, Burnt Woods, Burnt Woods Forest Road, Burnt Woods Ridge Road, Cline Creek Road, Fogarty Street Trailhead, Forest Park, Forest Park Trail, hiking, Newport, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Strom Boulder Ridge