Notations such as “(Hike 97)” refer to hikes in my book Day Hiking: Oregon Coast.
Cumulative mileage figures in parentheses refer to mileage in this section only.
The route from Floras Lake onto Blacklock Point can be a bit
confusing. Re-scouting this stretch is on my summer 2014 list of things to do. Until
then, these directions ought to get you where you’re going, with or without a
little backtracking.
Whether you’re on the beach continuing south or you’ve
detoured to Boice Cope County Park, get on the trail from the beach to the park,
then veer north onto a trail that heads through the dunes around the west side
of Floras Lake. Follow it for 1 mile, following little trail stakes, to where
the trail starts to rise onto the bluff. You'll quickly reach a trail junction
marked by large boulders. I believe if you bear right here, then left, you will
be on the official OCT route that passes a beach spur, drops into a creek
valley, and then follows the cliffs to meet the Blacklock Point Trail in 3
miles (bear right at all junctions. However, this trail is prone to chronic
erosion and may or may not be open. Instead, I suggest going straight, which
should put you onto the Airport-Floras Lake Trail—a lot less scenic, but a reliable
through-route (Hike 97).
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| Boardwalks keep feet dry on many trails at Blacklock Point. |
Follow that trail 2.25 miles through the woods to the end of
the huge Cape Blanco State Airport runway (3.5 miles), built during WWII and now
used by the occasional private pilot and, I'm told, July 4 weekend car races.
Cross the end of the runway and pick up Blacklock Point Trail heading west. Continue
for 1 mile, bearing left at all (four) junctions, to reach the beach on the
south side of Blacklock Point. (At the third of those junctions there is a
well-established informal campsite under the trees at the end of Blacklock
Point.) Follow the beach south (in 2009 I had to clamber over a huge log pile
first) about 1.25 mile to the Sixes River (5.75).
More than one account I read said the Sixes River is nothing
but a dry sandbar in late summer/fall. Not so when I crossed in mid-July; it
wasn't difficult, but I couldn't have crossed at high tide. Definitely aim for
low tide. If you get there and water is too high to safely cross, you could (1)
backtrack to Blacklock Point and follow the trail inland to Cape Blanco State
Airport, then follow airport road out to the highway and go south, or (2)
follow the river's north bank 1 mile, pick up a farm road leading east 2 miles,
then walk south on a road along Summers Creek to U.S. 101; follow it to the
first road leading west, toward the Cape.
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| Crossing the Sixes River |
From the river's mouth, it's about 1.5 miles to Cape Blanco;
walk the beach almost to the end and look for a marked 0.25-mile trail leading
up to the road at the top of the cape. The OCT resumes across the road as a
mowed path that turns into a forest trail leading about 0.5 mile to the state
park campground (with hiker-biker camp). Continue south on the beach access
road another 0.5 mile to reach the beach on the south side of the cape (8.5
miles).
In 1.3 miles you will reach Elk River, easy to cross at low
tide. Continue another 3.3 miles, passing a steep bluff along the beach, to
where a sand path leads up to a parking area at Paradise Point State Recreation
Site. (If you need groceries, leave the beach here and follow Paradise Point
Road about 1 mile east to US 101, and start walking south; you should hit a
grocery store on the right at the outskirts of Port Orford.) Otherwise,
continue down the beach another mile nearly to the base of rocky Port Orford
Heads and go east where footsteps lead off the beach just north of a low dune
(14.1). A trail leads a short distance to the parking area at Tseriadun State
Recreation Site; locals apparently call it Agate Beach. (In 2009 there was a
portable toilet but no water.) Follow Agate Beach Road east out of the park
(becomes Ninth Street) 0.75 mile to U.S. 101, just north of the center of Port
Orford. Follow the highway south 0.5 mile and return to beach at the Battle
Rock wayside, which has restrooms with flush toilets/water (15.4 miles).
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| On the way to Paradise Point |
There is lodging in Port Orford, but it’s likely you’ll want
to get to the next hiker-biker camp, at Humbug Mountain State Park, 5.4 miles
farther, perhaps after filling up at a the Crazy Norwegian or the pizzeria on
the highway or another restaurant at Port Orford. From Battle Rock, walk south
on the beach—how far depends upon your evaluation of the tide:
If the tide is quite low, you could follow the beach 2.25
miles to Rocky Point, distinguished by the boulders at its base. Scramble around
the point, continue down the beach another 0.25 mile, and watch for a path
heading up the brushy hillside that leads to gravel road up to U.S. 101. Follow
the highway shoulder another 0.2 mile.
If the tide is high enough to rule out a scramble around
Rocky Point, walk south just 0.9 mile from Battle Rock and look for a path
leading off the beach and up to U.S. 101. From here, follow the highway
shoulder south 1.8 miles (18.2 miles).
In either case, turn east off the highway on a road just
past the sign for Humbug Mountain State Park and follow it as it curves right
for 0.1 mile, then bear right and walk past the gate at the OCT trailhead sign
(Hike 102). Here the OCT follows the old coast highway route a total of 2.6
miles to Humbug Mountain State Park. The trail rises for the first mile, then
descends another 0.8 mile to a 0.4-mile, steep spur trail into the campground;
instead, continue another 0.8 mile on an old asphalt roadbed to the end of the
trail, near the park entrance and the hiker-biker campground (20.8). The
hiker-biker campground here is serviceable but a little odd; it is arrayed on a
hillside near the park entrance (not the usual more communal arrangement).
