Tag: Oregon Coast

New River and Bandon Islands

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 19, 2018
2 Comments on New River and Bandon Islands

We had changed our mini-vacation plans from a four day backpacking loop around and up Diamond Peak to four days of hiking on the Oregon Coast due to the possibility of wet weather. Wet weather isn’t typically a big deal at the coast and drying off in a motel room is a lot more convenient than trying to keep your backpacking gear dry for multiple days. When we had looked at the forecast for Bandon the best looking day weather wise had been Friday with a forecast of mostly sunny and no chance of showers. We planned a pair of hikes for that day, first at the New River Recreation Area and then a walk along the beach starting at the Bandon South Jetty Park.

The BLM managed New River Recreation Area is located eight miles south of Bandon on Croft Lake Road. We parked near the New River Nature Center which hadn’t opened yet for the day.

We headed north from the parking area onto the signed North Trail.

A little over a quarter mile along this forested path we came to a junction with the Ridge Trail.

We turned right onto this trail which made a .4 mile horseshoe along the top of an old dune now covered in vegetation including some madrone trees.

At a bench at the end of the Ridge Trail we turned right onto the Huckleberry Hill Trail (If we had gone straight at the North/Ridge Trail junction we would have wound up here in less than a tenth of a mile.)

We followed the Huckleberry Hill trail .4 miles down an increasingly sandy track to the Ocean View Trail where we turned left (the only choice).

Huckleberries along the Huckleberry Hill Trail

After just 430′ on the Ocean View Trail we took a signed spur trail to the right to a viewpoint.

We arrived at the New River in less than 100 yards. The Ocean was barely visible on the other side of a low rise on the beach between the river and the Pacific.

We returned to the main trail and continued an additional .2 miles before arriving at the New River Boat Ramp.

It was a little foggy but we could see quite a few Canada geese and an egret in the river.

From the boat ramp we followed the road for .2 miles to the Muddy Lake Trail.

Two tenths of a mile from the road we turned right on the .1 mile New River Spur Trail.

Instead of burning off we noticed that the fog was getting thicker when we arrived back at the river.

Canada geese

We headed back to the Muddy Lake Trail which we followed for about 110 yards, crossing over a boardwalk, to a very short spur trail leading to a bird blind at Muddy Lake.

We were fortunate enough to have a couple of different birds hunting their morning meal near the blind.

The egret seemed to be having quite a bit of success.

After watching the birds from the blind we continued on. A little over a quarter mile from the blind we came to another trail junction.

This first junction wasn’t signed but just over the small hill was a signed junction letting us know that this was the Old Bog Trail.

This .3 mile trail climbed up and over an old dune to the site of an old cranberry bog.

After reading the history of the bog we returned to the Muddy Lake Trail and followed it another .2 miles back to the New River Nature Center. Even with all the side trips this was only a 3.6 mile hike making it a good option for the kiddos.

We drove back north to Bandon and used the GPS to guide us through town to the Bandon South Jetty Park located at the end of Lincoln Ave. SW across the Coquille River from the Coquille River Lighthouse.

We headed down to the beach just south of the jetty. There was a little bit of blue sky to the north and inland to the east.

That was not the case however to the south where we were headed.

We would be passing by a series of ocean rocks and islands along a three and a half mile stretch of beach from the jetty to Devils Kitchen. We headed into the fog hoping that it would indeed burn off as the day progressed. In the meantime the tide was out allowing us to get a closer look at some of the rocks. Please note that climbing on any of the rocks and tidepooling is banned so keep your distance and use your binoculars or camera’s zoom.

We got to see an actual live crab dig itself back into the sand.

The rocky islands were neat but with the fog limiting visibility they weren’t as impressive as they should have been. For one thing we could only see the ones close by and couldn’t get a feel for just how many and how big they were.

Near the two mile mark below the Face Rock State Scenic Viewpoint there were a few sea caves present at Grave Point.

Beyond Grave Point the number of sea stacks and islands dwindled as the beach flattened out. In the next 1.9 miles we crossed Johnson Creek and passed Fish Rock before arriving at Crooked Creek and Devils Kitchen.

Fish Rock aka Haystack Rock

Devils Kitchen

We climbed up to the Devils Kitchen parking lot.

We made use of a bench at a viewpoint above Devils Kitchen where we had a snack and took a break.

We were still hoping that the fog would burn off as promised as we headed back along the beach but alas it was not to be.

By the time we’d gotten back to the car we had decided that we would be trying this hike again the next time we were in the area. We have a few more hikes left to complete between Bandon and Coos Bay and the Bandon Islands will be a part of that trip.

After cleaning up in the motel we walked across Highway 101 into Bandon’s Old Town and did a little shopping. They were having a farmers market where we came away with a few goodies. After a hitting the farmers market and a few of the shops we stopped into Bandon Brewing for a beer and an appetizer, at least that had been the plan. We ordered the small Spinach Artichoke Stix from the bradsticks section of the menu. We had expected a few breadsticks with some dip, but it turned out to be more like a pizza and was quite a bit larger than we’d anticipated. That wasn’t a bad thing as they were delicious and we had no problem finishing them off. It ended up being our dinner which was fine because we had also picked up some pastries from Pastries and Pizzas which was located dangerously close to our motel.

The pastries hit the spot that night and we went to bed satisfied and ready for another day of hiking on Saturday. Happy Trails!

Flickr: New River and Bandon Islands

Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Southern Coast

Taylor Dunes, Lake Marie, and Umpqua Dunes

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date September 19, 2018
1 Comment on Taylor Dunes, Lake Marie, and Umpqua Dunes

We’d been fortunate this year having only been forced to change plans due to weather twice, in February due to snow in the coast range and at the end of our trip to the Elkhorns when thunderstorms forced us to cancel our plans to visit the lookout atop Mt. Ireland. For the third time in the last four years our September vacation coincided with a forecast for snow in the mountains. We had planned a four day trip around and up Diamond Peak, but with a chance of rain or snow showers all four days we decided to turn to our alternate plan which was a trip to Bandon, OR on the Oregon Coast.

We had three stops planned in the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area on our way down to Bandon. Our first stop was at the Taylor Dunes Trailhead located seven and a half miles south of Florence.

From the small parking area the trail immediately crossed a paved road and passed by Taylor Lake.

After .4 miles we arrived at a viewpoint above the dunes.

From the viewpoint we followed the trail through the sand for half a mile to a signed junction.

We turned right here on a half mile trail that passed through a forest behind a foredune before arriving at the Pacific Ocean.

After reaching the ocean we returned to the junction and turned right to complete a loop through the Carter Lake Campground.

Carter Lake

The final .4 miles of the loop was along the paved campground road.

Our second stop was at Lake Marie, about 18 miles south of Taylor Dunes, in the Umpqua Lighthouse State Park. We parked at the Lake Marie Trailhead and set off on the 1 mile loop clockwise around the lake.

The fishermen around the lake had some competition from the local wildlife.

Just under a mile around the lake a short spur trail led to a viewpoint overlooking more dunes.

We completed the loop and then decided to walk the tenth of a mile up Lighthouse Road to see the Umpqua River Lighthouse.

A viewpoint at the lighthouse looked out to the mouth of the Umpqua River.

There was also a gray whale jawbone nearby.

After visiting the lighthouse we returned to our car and continued south on Highway 101 for another 5.5 miles to the signed John Dellenback Dune Trailhead.

The trail left the parking area and immediately crossed Eel Creek on a footbridge.

The trail passed a marshy area where a great blue heron was looking for breakfast.

At the quarter mile mark the trail crossed a paved road in Eel Creek Campground.

In just .2 more miles the trail left the trees and entered the dunes.

Poles marked the route of the trail through the shifting sands of the dunes, but we began to doubt that we were really supposed to follow the poles when they began to veer to the north (right) of a tree island. The GPS appeared to show the trail passing to the south (left) of that island.

There were footprints leading to both sides of the trees so we decided to trust the GPS and headed to the left.

When we reached the vegetation of the deflation plain just under two miles from the trailhead we were unable to find any sign of a trail. We did however find a lupine still in bloom.

We attempted to locate some sign of a trail in the area shown on the GPS but each time we thought we might have found a way through the brush it got too dense to continue. We worked our way north along the edge of the vegetation for nearly half a mile where we finally spotted some signs.

For the next three quarters of a mile the trail passed through a variety of scenery before reaching the ocean.

We followed the beach south for about a mile before turning back.

On the way back we followed the posts along the north side of the island.

We took a side trip up the tallest of the dunes before reaching a junction at the edge of the trees.

We went right at the junction for a half mile to complete a loop back to the trailhead.

With our wandering around this hike came in at 8 miles giving us a total of 12.7 on the day. We ended the day in Bandon where we explored the old downtown and had a wonderful dinner at Foley’s Irish Pub. A good start as far as backup plans go. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Taylor Dunes, Lake Marie, and Umpqua Dunes

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

South Beach and Depoe Bay

On the way to our annual family reunion near Gleneden Beach we made several stops to check out short trails in the Newport and Depoe Bay areas. For our first stop we parked next to the Hatfield Marine Science Center and took the paved Yaquina Bay Estuary Trail from the east end of the parking lot.

We were hoping to see some wildlife along the half mile trail and we weren’t disappointed. Just from the parking lot there were many birds visible.

There was also a snake sunning itself at the beginning of the path.

We followed the path along the estuary to its other end near the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

The final stretch of trail was across a boardwalk.

View from the boardwalk

We were impressed by the number of herons and egrets in the bay.

In addition to the the herons, egrets, and numerous seagulls there were many other birds in the area, most of which didn’t want to stop for pictures.

After returning to our car we drove to Highway 101 and headed south to the signed entrance of South Beach State Park. Here we parked at the Day Use Area and hiked past the restrooms over the foredune to the ocean.

We turned right and headed north along the beach toward the south jetty about a mile away.

From the jetty we could see a pair of lighthouses, the Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head Lighthouses. They had been the stops on our way to the reunion in 2017 (post).

We turned inland at the jetty continuing for just over a quarter of a mile to the South Jetty parking area.

Part of the Oregon Coast Trail

An osprey was busy eating its catch on a nearby tower.

From the South Jetty parking area we took the paved South Beach Jetty Trail back to the South Beach State Park Day Use Area for a two and a quarter mile loop.

Our next stop was the Mike Miller Trail which is located on the east side of Highway 101 along SE 50th Street which was just two tenths of a mile north of the South Beach State Park entrance. We parked along the shoulder of 50th St. near the start of the trail.

They were out of trail guides at the trailhead so we weren’t able to follow along with the numbered stops along the 1-mile loop but we did get to see some nice coastal old-growth trees along the way. We followed signs for the Mike Miller Trail which crossed a marshy pond twice on footbridges.

One of several benches along the trail.

From the Mike Miller Trail we returned to Highway 101 and drove north through Newport toward Depot Bay. We turned inland on Schoolhouse Street just south of Depoe Bay at a Shell Station. We immediately forked left and drove downhill toward the bay following City Park signs. After parking we headed into the park where we followed signs for the South Depoe Bay Creek Nature Trail.

The forested path followed South Depoe Bay Creek for a quarter of a mile to a footbridge where a .3 mile loop began.

We crossed the creek and stayed left on the main trail at junctions. The trail passed a huge, hollow old stump with two trees growing off of it.

A second nearby stump was covered in green foliage.

The trail recrossed the still creek and passed a rather large picnic table before completing the loop.

A short distance prior to the start of the loop we had passed a fork where the right hand path led uphill.

On our way back we turned uphill on that trail and climbed through the trees to Indian Trail Avenue.

We followed this road down to the Shell Station along Highway 101 passing a little whale statue/slide.

We then followed the highway north into Depoe Bay.

We could have crossed the highway and visited the Whale Watching Center or browsed the local shops, but we didn’t want to be late for the reunion so we simply turned right onto Bay St. after crossing over the highway bridge following it around the bay to the Coast Guard boathouse.
Whale Watching Center

We continued along the bay until we reached a wide footbridge across South Depoe Bay Creek back to the city park.

This wound up being a 1.7 mile round trip bringing our total mileage for day to a grand total of 6 miles. It was a nice variety of trails and a good way to work up an appetite before the reunion. Happy Trails!

Flickr: South Beach and Depot Bay Trails

Tags Depoe Bay, Depoe Bay City Park, Egret, great blue heron, Hatfield Marine Science Center, hiking, Mike Miller Trail, Newport, Oregon, Oregon Coast, snake, South Beach, South Beach Jetty Trail, South Beach State Park, South Depoe Bay Nature Trail, South Jetty, Whale Watching Center, Yaquina Bay, Yaquina Bay Estuary Trail

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast

Throwback Thursday – Cape Mountain

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date April 26, 2018
5 Comments on Throwback Thursday – Cape Mountain

This week we are throwing back to an 8 mile loop we hiked at Cape Mountain north of Florence on Labor Day weekend in 2011. This hike appealed to us for two reasons at the time, it was in the 6 to 10 mile range and it was a loop. Another draw was the possibility of seeing an elk for the first time on a hike.

We began our hike at the Dry Lake Horse Camp located 3 miles off of Highway 101 along Herman Cape Road which is 7 miles north of Florence. From the trailhead we set off on the Princess Tasha Trail.

Princess Tasha Trail

After .4 miles we came to a 4-way junction. Here we took a right onto the Scurvey Ridge Trail. After another .4 miles we came to a viewpoint with a bench.

View from Scurvy Ridge

We followed the ridge for another mile where we arrived at a replica of a hitsi, Siuslaw Indian hunting cabin.

A hitsi which was an Indian hunting shelter

Informationa sign near the shelter

A short distance from the hitsi we arrived at another junction near the Horse Creek Campground

We kept left at junctions following pointers for “Horse Water” for a quarter mile to the Berry Creek Trail. We turned left onto the Berry Creek Trail and followed this trail a total of 2.2 miles. It began on an old roadbed but quickly left that and switchbacked down to Berry Creek.

Berry Creek

After rock hopping across the creek the trail a short distance to another 4-way junction. We left the Berry Creek Trail here turning right on the Nelson Ridge Trail which gently climbed uphill to the ridge crest.

Nelson Ridge Trail

On top of the ridge is a meadow that the Forest Service created in an attempt to simulate the elk friendly habitat that the Native Americans created by setting fires.

Nelson Ridge Trail

Interpretive sign on Cape Mountain

Unfortunately we didn’t see any elk on this day but we took a seat on a bench and enjoyed a somewhat limited view due to low clouds.

View from the meadow on Cape Mountain

View from the Nelson Ridge Trail

After passing through the meadow we kept right at junctions for 1.8 miles back to our car, stopping briefly to take a look at Dry Lake.

Dry Lake

We were done early enough in the day that we decided to drive up Highway 101 three miles to the Sea Lion Caves. While it isn’t exactly a hike the cave tour does require walking along a path to viewpoints and is a worthwhile stop.

Pacific Ocean on the way to the Sea Lion Caves

Inside the cave sea lions lounged on the rocks.

Sea Lions in Sea Lion Cave

Windows in the cave walls also allow a look outside to seabirds on the rocky cliffs.

Pacific Ocean from the Sea Lion Caves

Pelicans

While driving home we spotted a herd of elk grazing in a field on a farm. It figured. It would be another 55 hikes (2 years) before we finally saw elk during a hike. Never the less it had been another nice hike at the coast. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Cape Mountain

Tags Berry Creek Trail, Cape Mountain, Dry Lake, Dry Lake Horse Camp, florence, hiking, hitsi, Horse Creek Campground, Nelson Ridge Trail, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Princess Tasha Trail, Scurvey Ridge Trail, Sea Lion Caves

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Throwback Thursday Trip report

Throwback Thursday – Cape Lookout

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date March 29, 2018
7 Comments on Throwback Thursday – Cape Lookout

This Throwback Thursday hike took place on our 16th wedding anniversary. To celebrate we headed to Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon Coast. We parked at the Cape Lookout Trailhead where we had three trails to choose from.

Trail sign in Cape Lookout State Park

The most scenic (and popular) of the three trails is the Cape Trail which we started out on. This nearly 2.5 mile trail follows Cape Lookout to it a viewpoint overlooking the tip of the Cape. The trail starts out on the southern side of Cape Lookout offering a view after .6 miles of Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock near Pacific City (post).

The viewpoint is also near the site where a B-17 bomber crashed in 1943.

Memorial plaque along the Cape Trail

The Cape Trail soon crosses the cape to the northern side where Cape Mears (post) and the Three Arch Rocks Wilderness could be seen.

View from the Cape Trail

Storm Rock, Finley Rock, Shag Rock and Seal Rock

We followed the trail around Wells Cove before it returned to the southern side of the cape.

Wells Cove

Cape Trail

The final stretch of trail offered wide open views down to the Pacific.

View from Cape Lookout

It was a busy day on the trail, there had been a few other hikers out as well as several locals along the trail.

Snail

Douglas squirrel

Chipmunk

After resting at the viewpoint we returned to the trailhead and decided to try the South Trail which led 1.8 miles down to the beach. The trail switchbacked down through the forest but offered occasional views of the cliff lined southern face of Cape Lookout.

South Trail

Forest along the South Trail

Cape Lookout

We spotted another local on the way down to the beach.

Snake

We walked along the beach watching for sand dollars for a bit finally sitting down on a log and taking a nice long break as we listened to the ocean and watched more locals as they went about their days.

Cape Lookout

Sand dollar

Beach south of Cape Lookout

Northern alligator lizard

Seagull

Wolly bear caterpillar

We eventually pulled ourselves away from the hypnotic trance of the Pacific and climbed back up to the trailhead. Other than one woman with her dog that we spotted in the distance we had been the only humans on the beach making it a relaxing way to end the day. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Cape Lookout

Tags cape kiwanda, cape lookout, Cape Lookout State park, cape mears, Cape Trail, Oergon, Oregon Coast, pacific city, pacific ocean, South Trail, Wells Cove

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Throwback Thursday Trip report

Throwback Thursday – Cascade Head

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date March 15, 2018
1 Comment on 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

Tags cascade head, Cascade Head Preserve, God's Thumb, hiking, Knights Park, lincoln city, Oregon, Oregon Coast, The Nature Conservancy, The Nature Conservancy Trail

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Throwback Thursday Trip report

Throwback Thursday – Drift Creek Wilderness and Cape Perpetua

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date February 8, 2018
4 Comments on Throwback Thursday – Drift Creek Wilderness and Cape Perpetua

This week’s Throwback Thursday hike is another we completed fairly earl on in our hiking days. On September 15th 2010 we set off on our 18th hike into the Drift Creek Wilderness NW of Yachats, OR.

The wilderness is home to impressive stands of old growth trees but in all honesty we had not yet come to fully appreciate what that meant. Like too many hikers we were focused on big views, massive waterfalls, vast wildflower meadows, or glistening lakes.

Our hike began at the Horse Creek North Trailhead where we followed the trail for .6 miles along an old roadbed to the boundary of the Drift Creek Wilderness.
Drift Creek Trailhead

Drift Creek Wilderness sign

From the wilderness boundary the trail gradually descended for 3.2 miles to a campsite near Drift Creek.
Drift Creek Wilderness

Drift Creek Wilderness

Interestingly there was no easy path down to the creek which one could ford to the Harris Ranch Trail to the north. We have plans to hike this trail in the future.
Drift Creek

Drift Creek

We returned the way we’d come, climbing back up to the trailhead wondering what the point of that was. Looking back on the hike now we realize we weren’t really paying attention to the forest along the way. If we were to repeat this hike now I think we would come away with a whole different view.

Given that the hike was only 7.6 miles we had the time and energy to make a second stop somewhere. We were hoping for something with a little more “bang” to it so we pulled out our guidebook and began looking for another short hike nearby.

We landed on the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area. Located three miles south of Yachats the area offered several trails to choose from and we picked the Captain Cook Trail.
Infromation for the Captain Cook Trail

The Captain Cook Trail leads to a viewpoint of one of the Oregon’s Coasts more famous attraction – Thor’s Well. Unfortunately our visit occurred at time when the tide was out and the well quite.
Looking toward Thor's Well

There was also a view to the north of the Cape Perputua Shelter which we would visit a couple years later (post).
Cape Perpetua stone shelter

Thor’s Well may have been quiet due to the tide being out but that also meant that we could see quite a few of the tide pools.

Anemone

Starfish

Tide pool

After touring the tide pools we headed back toward the parking area but turned left before passing under Highway 101 to take the Cape Cove Trail. This path crossed over Cape Creek on a bridge before leading down to more tidepools along the Devil’s Churn, a 50 slot carved into lava rock by the Pacific.

Devil's Churn

Again with the tide out there wasn’t much action occurring in the Devil’s Churn but it was still an interesting feature. Our hike here was just under 2 miles making it a reasonable hike for almost anyone. In addition to our plan to revisit the Drift Creek Wilderness we have one more trail to take at the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area so we will also be returning there someday to hike the Giant Spruce Trail. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Drift Creek North and Cape Perpetua Scenic Area

Tags Cape Perpetua, Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, Captain Cook Trail, Devil's Churn, Drift Creek, Drift Creek Wilderness, hiking, Horse Creek Trailhead, Oregon, Oregon Coast, Thor's Well, Tidepool

Hiking Northern Coast Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Nehalem Bay State Park, Kilchis Point Reserve, and Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date January 5, 2018
8 Comments on Nehalem Bay State Park, Kilchis Point Reserve, and Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint

We didn’t waste any time starting on our 2018 list of hikes as we took advantage of favorable weather on New Year’s Day and headed for the Oregon Coast. Our plan for the day was to make three stops near Tillamook. First at Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint, then at Kilchis Point Reserve, and finally at Nehalem Bay State Park. As we neared Tillamook though it became apparent that we were a bit ahead of the Sun so we decided to swap the first and final stops to avoid sitting at the Cape Meares Trailhead waiting for light.

We drove north through Tillamook on Highway 101 to mile post 44 (one mile south of Manzanita) where we turned west at a sign for Nehalem Bay State Park. After paying the $5 day use fee we parked at the large day use area. We waited briefly for enough light to take a short path to the ocean.
Nehalem Bay Trailhead

Pacific Ocean

The view from the beach was a good one with some of our previous destinations visible to the north.
Neahkahanie Mountain
Neahaknie Mountain, Angora Peak, and Cape Falcon

To the south our final destination of the day, Cape Meares, jutted out into the Pacific.
Looking south from the Nehalem Spit

We walked south along the quite beach for 2.25 miles to the jetty at the end of the spit. We were joined by a lone jogger, some seagulls, and a curious seal.
Morning glow on the Pacific

Seagull

Seal

Jetty on Nehalem Spit

A mass of driftwood near the jetty forced us to backtrack a bit along the beach to a hiker sign where we turned inland.
Morning light hitting Neahkahanie Mountain

Hiker post on Nehalem Spit

We crossed the spit to the bay and turned north along the water on a worn path.
Swell heading into the bay

We were eventually able to get down onto the sandy Nehalem Beach which we walked along as far as we could before the high water forced us back up into the vegetation.
Neahkahanie Mountain across Nehalem Bay Nehalem Beach ahead

While we walked along the beach we spotted a bald eagle, more seals, and a varied thrush.

Seals in Nehalem Bay

Varied thrush

Ideally we would have been able to keep on the sand all the way back along the bay to the park’s boat ramp but since that wasn’t an option we turned inland on what appeared to be a well traveled trail. We were hoping it would lead us to the horse trail that our map showed running down the center of the spit but after a short distance the path we were following became flooded.
More water on Nehalem Spit

We were forced to attempt to follow a maze of game trails.
Off trail travel on Nehalem Spit

We could guess who was responsible for the confusion of trails by the elk sign we continually spotted. We lucked out at one point when we came to another flooded area at a narrow point where we were able to cross on driftwood. Had we tried sticking to the bay we would have run into a spot too wide to cross and wound up where we were anyway.
Inlet along Nehalem Bay

Shortly after crossing the water travel became easier as we were able to reach another sandy beach and then pick up a wider more traveled trail back to the horse trail not far from the day use parking lot.
Nehalem Bay

Horse Trail in Nehalem Bay State Park

Our guidebook and called this a 5.2 mile loop but the time we’d arrived back at the car we had squeezed 5.7 miles out of it due to backtracking because of the flooded trail.

After returning to the highway we headed south to Bay City for our second stop of the morning – Kilchis Point Reserve. We turned towards Tillamook Bay on Warren Street near mile post 61 and followed pointers to the parking area on Spurce Street.
Kilshis Point Reserve Trailhead

Kilchis Point is the site of one of the largest Native American villages along the Northern Oregon Coast. It is also the location where the Morning Star of Tillamook, first ship registered in the Oregon Territory, was built. The small park is very nice with plenty of amenities and a plethora of information posted throughout. It was a little chilly out so we didn’t stop to read all the signs this time but that just gives us a reason to stop again and check it out in the Spring or Summertime.
Path at Kilchis Point Reserve

Interpretive sign at Kilchis Point Reserve

We followed the brick path from the parking area keeping right at junctions a total of 1.2 miles to a bird watching gazebo at Tillamook Bay.
Brick path at Kilchis Point Reserve

Gazeebo for birdwatching at Kilchis Point Reserve

Tillamook Bay

We didn’t spot many animals (other than dogs) along the way but we did get to listen to a pair of bald eagles for a bit.

After a short break by the bay we returned to the parking area by following signs and staying right at trail junctions to complete two short loops.
Trail sign at Kilchis Point Reserve

Kilchis Point

We then drove south to Tillamook and followed signs to Oceanside on Highway 131. From Oceanside we followed signs to Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint and parked at a trailhead parking area at the park entrance.
Cape Meares Trailhead

A mudslide in January of 2013 closed the Three Capes Scenic Loop beyond the park entrance. That slide continues to slowly shift the area and has affected a trail between the trailhead and the beach to the north of Cape Meares. We decided to head down this trail to see the conditions first hand.
Cape Meares Trail map

Trail at Cape Meares

The upper portion of the trail was in reasonably good shape although there was a small tree that required ducking under.
Trail at Cape Meares

Shortly after passing a fairly nice view of another place we had previously hiked, Bayocean Spit, we came to a jumble of debris.
Bayocean Spit from Cape Meares

Washed out trail at Cape Meares

That was our turn around point,a little over half a mile from the trialhead. We headed back up to the trailhead and took the .2 mile Big Spruce Trail. The tree is estimated to be 750 to 800 years old and is the largest known Sitka spruce in Oregon.
Sign for the Big Spurce

Big Spruce

Big Spruce at Cape Meares

For a bit of perspective if the tree sprouted in 1217 it was there at the start of the fifth crusade.

After visiting the old tree we road walked .6 miles along the entrance road to the crowded parking area for the Cape Meares Lighthouse.
Cape Meares lighthouse parking

We stopped at a viewpoint platform overlooking Tower and Pillar Rocks to the north.

A .2 mile path led from the parking area past more viewpoints to the lighthouse.
Cape Meares

Waterfall at Cape Meares

Cape Meares Lighthouse

A second .2 mile path led back to the parking lot allowing for a short loop and providing views south to Cape Lookout and the Three Arch Rocks Wilderness, one of the two off-limits wilderness areas in Oregon.
Looking south from Cape Meares

After returning to the parking area we headed for the Octopus Tree which was just a tenth of a mile away.
Sign for the Octopus Tree

Octopus Tree at Cape Meares

Another Sitka spruce, this unique tree has no central trunk. Instead several limbs have grown vertically. After visiting this tree we walked back up the entrance road to our car and headed home, capping off our first outing of 2018. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Nehalem Bay, Kilchis Point, and Cape Meares

Tags Angora Peak, Bald Eagle, Bayocean Spit, Big Spruce, Cape falcon, Cape Meares, Cape Meares Lighthouse, hiking, Kilchis Point, Neahkahnie mountain, Nehalem Bay State Park, Nehalem Spit, Oceanside, Octopus Tree, Oregon, Oregon Coast, seal, Three Capes Scenic Loop, Tillamook

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Heceta Head and Brain Booth State Park

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date December 14, 2017
3 Comments on Heceta Head and Brain Booth State Park

For our final outing of 2017 we returned to the Oregon Coast for three short hikes between Newport and Florence. We began our day by driving Highway 101 35 miles south of Newport (14 miles north of Florence) to the Carl G. Washburne Memorial State Park Day Use parking lot.

Our plan was to hike to the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint and then return on a different route. In order to complete the loop portion of the hike we needed to cross Highway 101 twice. We decided to get the crossing done as soon as possible thinking that traffic would be less problematic earlier in the day. From the parking area we took a paved path east following a pointer for the Campground Trail.

After a tenth of a mile we crossed the empty highway and continued on the campground entrance road for just over an additional tenth of a mile where we turned right at a signpost onto the Valley Trail.

We followed this trail for three tenths of mile to a junction in a meadow with the China Creek Loop Trail.

The loop added a little distance to the hike but not enough to keep us from turning left and crossing China Creek on a footbridge.

The China Creek Loop passed through a green coastal forest crossing China Creek again after .3 miles.

A half mile from the second crossing we found ourselves back at the Valley Trail where we turned left toward the lighthouse.

Over the next mile the trail passed two small ponds, crossed Blowout Creek on what appeared to be a recently installed footbridge, and skirted a beaver lake.

We were now at the second crossing of Highway 101 at the Hobbit Trailhead, another possible starting point.

On the other side of the highway the trail split, right was our return route via Hobbit Beach but first we turned left to visit the lighthouse. We were now following the route of the Oregon Coast Trail.

At first the trail remained near the highway but soon veered away toward the ocean as it began to climb up Heceta Head.

The trail climbed gradually and offered a few views north to Cape Perpetua.

After reaching a saddle on the head, the trail descended to the south in a series of switchbacks before following a ridge and finally arriving above the lighthouse at the Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint.

Seal Lion Point jutted out to the south where the occasional bark of a sea lion drifted our way.

We made our way down to the lighthouse to get a closer look.

After a short break we returned the way we’d come to the fork and turned toward Hobbit Beach. We arrived at the beach in a little under half a mile.

A quiet 1.2 mile walk along the beach (and across Blowout Creek) brought us back to our car at the day use area.

From there we drove north on Highway 101 for 28 miles to Ona Beach State Park, one of two units of Brian Booth State Park.

For this hike we planned on hiking along Ona Beach to Seal Rock and back. We passed through a large picnic area avoiding some flooded trails and arriving at a footbridge over Beaver Creek.

After crossing the creek we turned south along Ona Beach.

Portions of the beach can be impassible at high tide but we had arrived an hour and a half below low tide. Exposed rocks made the first stretch of beach very interesting.

The rock along the beach eventually petered out but a number of ocean rocks just offshore held our interest.

Further to the south lay the Seal Rock Recreation Site.

Approximately 1.75 miles from the footbridge we turned inland along a small creek on an unmarked but obvious trail. We followed this path up to Highway 101 where a short road walk brought us to the entrance of the park.

We followed a paved path out to a viewpoint where much of the area was roped off for erosion control.

After admiring the views we returned the way we’d come and headed for our final stop at the Beaver Creek Natural Area, the second unit of Brian Booth State Park. To reach the winter trailhead for the Beaver Creek Loop from Ona Beach State Park we crossed Highway 101 onto N. Beaver Creek Road. After a mile we turned right onto S. Beaver Creek Road for another 1.1 miles and parked on the shoulder across from a gate.

We picked up a trail map and set off on the gated service road.

After .4 miles we turned uphill on a mowed path following posts for the Beaver Creek Loop.

Being the coast we’d seen a few flowers still blooming despite it being mid-December and even eaten a few huckleberries along the China Creek Loop earlier in the day. Here we found a few blackberry? blossoms.

After climbing for .3 miles we arrived at a saddle where we could have turned right on the Elk Meadow Trail for a half mile loop.

We already had enough mileage planned for the day so we saved that for another time and continued on the Beaver Creek Loop. After passing another trail to Snaggy Point we began to descend toward the marshes surrounding Beaver Creek.

We stopped to watch a couple of woodpeckers circle a tree. They didn’t seem too bothered by us but they wouldn’t hold still long enough for a decent photo.

We briefly followed a pointer for the Marsh Trail which brought us to a footbridge over Beaver Creek. For about two months during Summer the marsh is apparently dry enough to cross without too much trouble.

We heard some ducks and startled a great blue heron (a couple of times) as we continued along the loop. We also spotted a hawk, more woodpeckers, and some small birds before arriving at a pole barn at the end of the service road we’d started on that seemed to be undergoing some construction.
Hawk flying off

From the barn it was only .2 miles back to the start of the loop. The hike here came in at an even three miles. Ona Beach to Seal Rock had been 4.6 miles round trip and our hike to Heceta Head was 6.6 miles giving us a total of 14.2 miles for the day. Each of the hikes would be worthy destinations on their own and there were several more trails to explore in the Beaver Creek Natural Area making a return visit tempting someday.

With our 2017 hikes completed it’s time to get to work on 2018. Happy Trails!

Flickr: Heceta Head and Brian Booth State Park

Tags Beaver Creek, Beaver Creek Natural Area, Blowout Creek, Brian Booth State Park, Cape Perpetua, Carl G. Washburne State Park, China Creek, Heceta Head, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Heceta Head Lighthouse Scenic Viewpoint, hiking, Hobbit Beach, Hobbit Trailhead, Ona Beach State Park, Oregon, Oregon Coast, oregon coast trail, Seal Rock Recreation Site

Central Coast Hiking Oregon Oregon Coast Trip report

Cummins Ridge Trail – Cummins Creek Wilderness

Post author By derwoodynck
Post date November 13, 2017
3 Comments on Cummins Ridge Trail – Cummins Creek Wilderness

On Veterans day we celebrated our 22nd wedding anniversary by visiting our 34th Oregon wilderness area – the Cummins Creek Wilderness. The 9,173 acre wilderness is located along the Oregon Coast between Florence and Waldport. The Cummins Creek Wilderness is home to the only old-growth Sitka Spruce forest in the state. For our visit we chose the only designated trail in the wilderness, the Cummins Ridge Trail.

There are trailheads at either end of the nearly 6 mile long Cummins Ridge Trail which opens up the option of a car shuttle if one only wanted to hike the trail one way. For a shuttle hike starting at the upper (east) trailhead located along Forest Road 5694 would make the most sense as the majority of the hike would be downhill. Our plan was to do an out and back so we started from the lower (west) trailhead located approximately 2.5 miles from Highway 101 on Forest Road 1051.
Lower Cummins Ridge Trailhead

The trail almost immediately enters the wilderness area.
Informational sign board at the lower trailhead

Cummins Creek Wilderness sign

It was raining steadily as we set off which we hadn’t really expected based on the forecast but as the day progressed the rain lessened and eventually quit. The lower portion of the trial followed an old road bed which at times was obvious but at others the vegetation had nearly hidden it.
Cummins Ridge Trail

Cummins Ridge Trail

After about 3 miles on the old road bed the trail forked to the right leaving the road and leading us into a foggy forest.
Cummins Ridge Trail

The trail was in good shape with just a couple of short overgrown sections and never very steep as it followed the ridge up and down to the upper trailhead.
Cummins Ridge Trail

Cummins Ridge Trail

Upper Cummins Ridge Trailhead

We returned the way we’d come for an 11.9 mile hike with approximately 1200′ of elevation gain. The forest along the ridge limit any real views that might otherwise be available from the trail.
View from the Cummins Ridge Trail

We did manage a couple of brief glimpses of the Pacific Ocean through the trees.
Pacific Ocean from the Cummins Ridge Trail

With no viewpoints and no water features along the trail it is strictly a hike for those who are looking for a nice forest stroll. Not all hikes need to lead to an amazing view or some Instagram destination to be enjoyable. We enjoyed the moss covered trees, various mushrooms, and some bird sightings on our visit.
Mossy tree