Notes from a late summer 2016 thru-hiker

It's November now, definitely not the time to hike the Oregon Coast Trail (refer to my Feb. 20, 2016 post for details). But I got some intel from experienced thru-hiker Dogwood late in the last hiking season. I'll share it now just to get it into the blogosphere, for those doing some advance planning for 2017.

Heading south from Humbug Mountain

HITCHHIKING THE ROAD STRETCHES: Dogwood has had to do some hitchhiking when he thru-hiked the entire Pacific Crest Trail (getting into town for supplies, etc.) and it seems he found it relatively easy to get rides; in the Cascades, it's not unusual to encounter thru-hikers with backpacks heading to town. In contrast, he found hitchhiking on US 101 nearly impossible. People didn't want to stop for a guy with a backpack. He suggests (and it's certainly true) that along the coast, people aren't aware of the OCT and don't realize that they'd be helping a long-distance hiker. Fortunately there are taxis and buses available in many parts of the coast where the route strays briefly onto the highway.

DOGWOOD'S FAVORITE SECTIONS: Hiking over the capes and headlands. Specifically he gives thumbs-up to Ecola State Park and Tillamook Head (between Seaside and Cannon Beach); the stretch from Tenmile Creek, past Hobbit Beach, to Heceta Head (north of Florence); the shoreline parks at  Cape Arago (south of Charleston); and Boardman State Park, way down south. I have to say I especially love the capes up north.

ON BOARDMAN STATE PARK: Dogwood loved it. Points out that you pretty much have to stealth camp to get through it, since there are no legal campsites. (I took a taxi from Pistol River to Harris Beach State Park, then went back the next day and walked in to Harris Beach; I might consider a cabin at Whaleshead RV park next time, myself.) I had a report from another 2016 hiker that the OCT connector trail at the very north end of Boardman State Park (Hike 85 in my book) was in very poor shape and nearly impassable. Dogwood found it rough but passable, still preferably to walking on the highway.

DOGWOOD ON CAMPING ON THE BEACH: "I too think on the beach camping can get overrated especially when the fine sand embeds in clothing and every other nook and cranny. Being sand blasted in high winds with gusts simply gets old." Ditto.

ON SOME SOUTHERN RIVER CROSSINGS: Dogwood didn't cross the mouth of Pistol River; he seems to have found it a little confusing, as I did when I thru-hiked, and he just went to the highway and crossed the highway bridge. New River was also a little strange. He reminds us, "Things change depending on many factors." As I say again, the OCT isn't a wilderness experience, but it is an adventure..

DOGWOOD ON MY BOOK Day Hiking: Oregon Coast (couldn't resist sharing): "Many accolades concerning your book. I liked that you gave logistical details to stay true to a shoreline hike. You're in the know. I followed the book well. You include many possible side hikes and optional routes."

Your 2016 OCT Update (for those who have not yet started or finished their trek)

I have not posted for awhile. I have many excuses:

• I have been busy hiking. Yay.
• I have been busy with my day job(s). It happens.
• I have been trying to wrap my mind around a post giving suggestions for section hikes, but I just can't do it. There are too many variables. (For instance, I recently corresponded with some folks planning a section hike, but it needed to be two nights, on the north coast, with a particular range of miles per day, and each campsite had to be accessible by road...) You'll have to figure out your section hike on your own, with help from my book Day Hiking: Oregon Coast and my May 18 post on DIY section-hike planning.

But I also owe followers (or discoverers) of this blog a  2016 summary update on the OCT. Here is the intel I have on trail conditions, tips, changes, etc., from my own observations and those of hikers who have emailed me thus far. (This includes info from 2015--basically, anything since my update guidebook was published). If you haven't yet set out on your 2016 OCT trek (or even if you go early in summer 2017), you may find these helpful. I also expect to get some beta from thru-hiker Dogwood, who recently finished; I'll post it if/when I get it.

CLATSOP BEACH

I recently learned that the beach adjacent to Camp Rilea Armed Forces Training Center (in the dunes spanning approximately miles 8 to 9 south of Clatsop Spit, so just north of Sunset Beach Road) is occasionally closed when the national guard is doing "live fire" exercises. You can presumably call ahead to find out when that is happening, but in practice it is really hard to reach them. Fortunately 1) this doesn't happen often, and 2) anytime this is happening, they open the beach at the top of every hour each hour to let walkers pass through safely. Just FYI.

SEASIDE

No toilets at the west end of Avenue U (sorry about that). Fortunately Seltzer Park (flush toilets and water) is just a short walk ahead.

A chunk of the trail over Tillamook Head slid away over the winter (1.4 miles from the north trailhead at Seaside) but hikers have blazed a scramble route around it—totally passable with care. Note that there is no water at the trail’s end at Indian Point (toilets only) but there is water (and toilets) in 1.5 miles at Ecola Point.

THREE CAPES TO CASCADE HEAD

If, after Cape Lookout, you find yourself on track to hit the mouth of Sand Lake at high tide, and you want to keep moving, and you decide to leave the beach at the OHV area, you’ll follow Galloway Road north and east to Sandlake Road, which you’ll take south to Cape Kiwanda. On the way you’ll pass the short road to Whalen Island and Whalen Island County Park, which, it turns out, has hiker-biker campsites (with toilets and water). It’s a lovely and much-quieter alternative to hiker-biker sites at Webb County Park at Cape Kiwanda. (Or just wait for low tide, cross, and continue south.)

Crossing the Nestucca River, south of Pacific City: I had it on good authority (and my own observations) that there was no safe way to make a boat ferry across the mouth of the Nestucca (thus requiring a road walk or bus ride from Pacific City to return to the beach north of Neskowin). Au contraire: a pair of 2016 thru-hikers let me know that fishing guide Jesse Zalois is willing to give it a shot, at a reasonable price, if conditions are right. He would pick up hikers at the end of Nestucca Spit (Bob Straub State Park) and drop them off on the beach south of the mouth of the river.  (Unfortunately it didn’t work out; Zalonis had a family emergency and had to cancel.) If you want to try it yourself, contact him through his website, fishhouseguideservice.com, or 503-392-5808.

OREGON DUNES NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

If you’re heading south on the beach from Florence and looking for the mouth of Threemile Creek (to locate the end of Sparrow Park Road), note that the creek mouth may have migrated slightly and be south of the end of the road.

My book mentions that camping is not allowed at the mouth of Tenmile Creek, south of Winchester Bay in the Oregon Dunes. Turns out that restriction (protecting snow plover nesting habitat) applies for 1.5 miles south of Tenmile Creek as well.

Horsfall Beach, north of Coos Bay/North Bend, has portable toilets but no water. Walk to 0.75 mile to Bluebill Campground for decent vault toilets and potable water (lots of mosquitoes early in summer, but not now). If you are unable to arrange a boat shuttle across the mouth of Coos Bay to Charleston, I’m told that the cab from here to Charleston was only $20 (way cheaper than my boat shuttle was).

GOLD BEACH AREA

Nesika Beach, north of Gold Beach: My book says to leave the beach at the south end of town, but in fact that’s all private property. Instead, about 1.3 miles south of Ophir Rest Area, look for a ravine with a trail post and sand path leading off the beach (if you start seeing houses on the bluff, you’ve gone too far). It leads to Nesika Road. Follow it south through town until it curves east, toward US 101, and look to your right for where the OCT resumes as a footpath.

I’m told that the trail up the north side of Cape Sebastian (south of Gold Beach) is much better signed than when I walked it.

WAY DOWN SOUTH

Regarding the mouth of Pistol River: I don’t know if it can be safely waded even in summer, even at low tide. (The beach is very steep and the sand soft.) Here’s what I suggest instead. Leave the beach 1 mile south of the mouth of Myers Creek (look for footsteps heading into the dunes just north of a house-size boulder in the dunes). Follow this short path to US 101 and walk south on the highway shoulder 1 mile to the bridge over Pistol River. Cross the bridge, then go right into the parking area at Pistol River Viewpoint. From here, scramble down the dune, across the river floodplain (dry in summer), back up over a dune, and down to the beach.

Report from a hiker in September 2015 indicated that the North Boardman OCT Connection trail (#85 in my book) was totally unmaintained, rough, and overgrown with blackberry briars. You might consider staying on the highway shoulder for another 2 miles or so, to Arch Rock Picnic Area, where the well-maintained OCT resumes.

Your 2016 OCT Update (for those who have not yet started or finished their trek)

I have not posted for awhile. I have many excuses:

• I have been busy hiking. Yay.
• I have been busy with my day job(s). It happens.
• I have been trying to wrap my mind around a post giving suggestions for section hikes, but I just can't do it. There are too many variables. (For instance, I recently corresponded with some folks planning a section hike, but it needed to be two nights, on the north coast, with a particular range of miles per day, and each campsite had to be accessible by road...) You'll have to figure out your section hike on your own, with help from my book Day Hiking: Oregon Coast and my May 18 post on DIY section-hike planning.

But I also owe followers (or discoverers) of this blog a  2016 summary update on the OCT. Here is the intel I have on trail conditions, tips, changes, etc., from my own observations and those of hikers who have emailed me thus far. (This includes info from 2015--basically, anything since my update guidebook was published). If you haven't yet set out on your 2016 OCT trek (or even if you go early in summer 2017), you may find these helpful. I also expect to get some beta from thru-hiker Dogwood, who recently finished; I'll post it if/when I get it.

SEASIDE

No toilets at the west end of Avenue U (sorry about that). Fortunately Seltzer Park (flush toilets and water) is just a short walk ahead.

A chunk of the trail over Tillamook Head slid away over the winter (1.4 miles from the north trailhead at Seaside) but hikers have blazed a scramble route around it—totally passable with care. Note that there is no water at the trail’s end at Indian Point (toilets only) but there is water (and toilets) in 1.5 miles at Ecola Point.

THREE CAPES TO CASCADE HEAD

If, after Cape Lookout, you find yourself on track to hit the mouth of Sand Lake at high tide, and you want to keep moving, and you decide to leave the beach at the OHV area, you’ll follow Galloway Road north and east to Sandlake Road, which you’ll take south to Cape Kiwanda. On the way you’ll pass the short road to Whalen Island and Whalen Island County Park, which, it turns out, has hiker-biker campsites (with toilets and water). It’s a lovely and much-quieter alternative to hiker-biker sites at Webb County Park at Cape Kiwanda. (Or just wait for low tide, cross, and continue south.)

Crossing the Nestucca River, south of Pacific City: I had it on good authority (and my own observations) that there was no safe way to make a boat ferry across the mouth of the Nestucca (thus requiring a road walk or bus ride from Pacific City to return to the beach north of Neskowin). Au contraire: a pair of 2016 thru-hikers let me know that fishing guide Jesse Zalois is willing to give it a shot, at a reasonable price, if conditions are right. He would pick up hikers at the end of Nestucca Spit (Bob Straub State Park) and drop them off on the beach south of the mouth of the river.  (Unfortunately it didn’t work out; Zalonis had a family emergency and had to cancel.) If you want to try it yourself, contact him through his website, fishhouseguideservice.com, or 503-392-5808.

OREGON DUNES NATIONAL RECREATION AREA

If you’re heading south on the beach from Florence and looking for the mouth of Threemile Creek (to locate the end of Sparrow Park Road), note that the creek mouth may have migrated slightly and be south of the end of the road.

My book mentions that camping is not allowed at the mouth of Tenmile Creek, south of Winchester Bay in the Oregon Dunes. Turns out that restriction (protecting snow plover nesting habitat) applies for 1.5 miles south of Tenmile Creek as well.

Horsfall Beach, north of Coos Bay/North Bend, has portable toilets but no water. Walk to 0.75 mile to Bluebill Campground for decent vault toilets and potable water (lots of mosquitoes early in summer, but not now). If you are unable to arrange a boat shuttle across the mouth of Coos Bay to Charleston, I’m told that the cab from here to Charleston was only $20 (way cheaper than my boat shuttle was).

GOLD BEACH AREA

Nesika Beach, north of Gold Beach: My book says to leave the beach at the south end of town, but in fact that’s all private property. Instead, about 1.3 miles south of Ophir Rest Area, look for a ravine with a trail post and sand path leading off the beach (if you start seeing houses on the bluff, you’ve gone too far). It leads to Nesika Road. Follow it south through town until it curves east, toward US 101, and look to your right for where the OCT resumes as a footpath.

I’m told that the trail up the north side of Cape Sebastian (south of Gold Beach) is much better signed than when I walked it.

WAY DOWN SOUTH

Regarding the mouth of Pistol River: I don’t know if it can be safely waded even in summer, even at low tide. (The beach is very steep and the sand soft.) Here’s what I suggest instead. Leave the beach 1 mile south of the mouth of Myers Creek (look for footsteps heading into the dunes just north of a house-size boulder in the dunes). Follow this short path to US 101 and walk south on the highway shoulder 1 mile to the bridge over Pistol River. Cross the bridge, then go right into the parking area at Pistol River Viewpoint. From here, scramble down the dune, across the river floodplain (dry in summer), back up over a dune, and down to the beach.

Report from a hiker in September 2015 indicated that the North Boardman OCT Connection trail (#85 in my book) was totally unmaintained, rough, and overgrown with blackberry briars. You might consider staying on the highway shoulder for another 2 miles or so, to Arch Rock Picnic Area, where the well-maintained OCT resumes.

A DIY Guide to planning a section hike on the OCT

If you go in June and manage to time your arrival on the beach at Ecola State Park on a minus tide, you might be able to walk the beach all the way from Indian Beach to Cannon Beach.

Brooke wrote to me a couple of months ago asking advice for where to go for a section hike of several days on the OCT. I promised to get back to her right away with some ideas.

I still haven’t.

I get a little overwhelmed by the options when people ask for my advice on what section of the OCT to choose for a section hike. So I’ve decided to start my answer to Brooke by posting this DIY guide, which might help her (and you) settle on where to do an OCT section hike of a weekend or week or whatever you can squeeze into your life.

Then I promise to post some specific suggestions for 3-5 day section hikes! Really.

First, some (overly) broad generalizations about the OCT, north to south:

NORTH COAST: View south

from the top of Neahkahnie

Mountain.

NORTH: More people and artsy-touristy towns; nevertheless, long stretches that are far from US 101; fair amount of lodging (if you’re considering inn-to-inn); camping a bit challenging in places; spectacular scenery; bay mouth crossings can be managed pretty easily.

CENTRAL: Lots of towns, and US 101 tends to be fairly close; lots of lodging; lots of bays, but most are easy to cross on bridges or hitching rides with boaters.

SOUTH: Highway 101 is close in places, but overall much more remote; spectacular; no lodging for long stretches; obviously farther from Portland and Eugene, so it’s a longer bus ride (but still doable); south of the Umpqua River and Coos Bay (which might require some research to find someone to take you across by prearrangement), no big bays to figure out how to get around/across.

Here are some other considerations for section hikers:

CENTRAL COAST: Following

the OCT down the south side

of Cascade Head.

DAILY DISTANCE/WHERE TO SLEEP
If you’re just going out for a few days, you are probably not training to hike 15 to 20+ miles a day, right? Maybe 10 to 15, max. So that limits your ability to hike from one state park hike-biker camp (or other legal campsite) to another. You will want to do your homework (but you are anyway, right?). You may also need to be a little more creative about where to stay (shorter/longer days, hotel or motel room in places, or stealth camping …)

BOAT RIDES ACROSS BAY MOUTHS
Again, if time is of the essence, you might want to prearrange boat rides across bay mouths that aren’t easily crossed with bridges. It's part of the fun, though it can be expensive (especially if you're solo). You might have to do some calling around; my book lists some charter operators who will provide rides for a fee by prearrangement.

SOUTH COAST: Taking a

break before crossing

New River.

ROAD WALKING TO AVOID
Since you’re only out for a few days, I doubt you want to spend much of it on the highway shoulder. So you want to avoid those sections that necessarily include a long stretches of road walking—particularly long slogs on the shoulder of US Highway 101. (For thru-hikers, a certain amount of road-shoulder walking is just part of the deal.) North to south, these are stretches you might want to avoid on a section hike:

6 miles from Pacific City to your return to beach north of Neskowin.

4 miles (or several miles more, depending on your route) over Cascade Head and then south to Lincoln City.

Between Cape Perpetua and Heceta Head, you’ll be on the highway shoulder in two stretches for at least 4+ miles, then shortly thereafter another 4+ miles between Heceta Head and your return to the beach north of Florence.

From mouth of the Siuslaw, it’s about 5 miles by road (not highway) to Florence, then another 3 miles (partly highway) to return to beach. Florence is a good place to start a section hike, however; either suck it up and walk the 3 miles to the beach, or call a cab.

From Charleston to your return to beach, it’s almost 12 miles by road (a quiet backroad, not US 101), or at least 5 miles if you cut over Cape Arago on gravel logging roads.

Between Humbug Mountain and Nesika Beach you’re on US 101 for about 8 miles (broken in middle by a couple of miles of beach).

The OCT effectively ends at Lone Ranch Beach, at the south end of Boardman State Scenic Corridor. From here to the California border it’s about 14 miles, mostly on roads (but mostly off US 101).

CATCHING PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO THE OCT
And by public transportation, I mean bus. You can fly into Portland, Eugene or Medford (or take the train to Portland or Eugene), but from there you need to take a bus. It’s easy to search for bus transportation between these cities and the coast. Sunset Empire Transportation District serves towns on the north coast, and Tillamook County Transportation District serves towns on the north and central coasts.

Lone Ranch Beach: From here, you're mostly on road shoulders to reach California and complete the OCT.

CoastWalk Oregon: Join me in September

“You start out as a recreationist, but over time,
with enough time, you end up a conservationist.”
—Bonnie Olin, author of Owyhee River Journals

This blog is the perfect place to share something I’m helping pull together as part of my day job with North Coast Land Conservancy: the inaugural CoastWalk Oregon. Registration opened today.

It’s “only” 30 miles, so thru-hikers aren’t the target audience. But perhaps you or a friend would enjoy a late-summer, supported, 3-day taste of the OCT (with a party at day’s end).  It should be a good time; I seriously expect it to fill pretty quickly. I’ll be there with a bunch of my friends!

The registration fee is pretty steep, but there’s a reason: most of it is a donation toward conserving more coastal land, including the views you enjoy as you hike the OCT. Which brought to mind the above quote—I heard the author speak a couple of nights ago. It rang a bell for me. Not that I haven't always been a conservationist—it’s an ethic I grew up with. But I’ve found that the more I walk, the more I value the intrinsic worth of what I’m walking through—its value not only to my own mental and physical health but to all the other beings, the plants and wildlife that require nothing more than SPACE and will thrive if we are willing to share the Earth with them and not claim all of it for the seemingly unlimited uses we can think up, none of them bad things if there aren’t too many of them and they’re not usurping particularly sensitive habitat: housing, strip malls, ballfields, whatever. I hope salmon continue to run up these coastal streams, and they will if we have large, connected forests, laced with streams that aren’t filled with sediments from clear-cutting but that have gravel for salmon to spawn in, with a healthy ocean where they can grow.

The Oregon Coast Trail is possible only because early state leaders had the vision to conserve the entire beach, and because the state’s first parks superintendent made it his personal mission to conserve the coast’s magnificent headlands. Virtually all the headlands you will hike over on the Oregon Coast Trail were once logged. But one by one, over the past century, they were acquired as state parks (or national forest) and are re-growing. They're beautiful now, and they're on their way to becoming even more beautiful in a few hundred years, thanks to people of vision who understood the value of conservation and who knew that it sometimes takes several human generations—well beyond one’s own lifetime—to see the results.

So join me on CoastWalk Oregon (or skip it and make a donation to North Coast Land Conservancy). Or hike the OCT on your own, or pieces of it. That’s where all good things start, in my experience: outside, in the Big Quiet that Bonnie Olin talks about, on a river or a trail, when we have the space and time to think about what matters most to us.

Peace.

The Ultimate Oregon Coast Trail Guide, Part III

There’s a saying I’ve heard Pacific Crest Trail hikers use more than once: “Hike your own hike.” Meaning, do it all in one summer or hike it section by section over several years. Use lots of gadgets (electronic maps, solar phone charger, earbuds for listening to music all day) or go old-school, with paper maps and nothing but the sounds of the forest in your ears. Survive on power bars or organic vegetables you grew and dehydrated yourself. Whatever—it’s your hike. There are no rules except the ones you make for yourself.

That came to mind as I thought about camping on the Oregon Coast Trail, especially the southern half. You’ll see that I definitely “hiked my own hike” at the very end. Camping is challenging down south, where frankly there aren’t a lot of legal options in places. So hike your own hike and figure out what works for you. Again, you’ll want to refer to the maps in my book Day Hiking: Oregon Coast or another source as you read. Mileage figures are approximate.

Heceta Head to Florence (miles 185 to 202)
I believe that camping is legal on the beach anywhere between Heceta Head and the Siuslaw River. It’s most appealing at the north end, where you’re not close to US 101 or beach access at Driftwood Shores condominiums. No services, however; walk inland a bit to camp at Baker Beach trailhead (not a formal campground and no water, but has toilets and campsites) or Sutton (a longer walk: toilets and water). Inland a short distance from the Siuslaw River’s north jetty, the OCT takes you past Harbor Vista County Park. And there’s an RV park right in Florence where you can pitch a tent; seems like a weird idea, but you can take a shower and go out to eat shop for groceries and it's kind of cool that way. (I stayed at a friend’s house in Florence.)

Florence to Tahkenitch Creek (Oregon Dunes NRA) (miles 202 to roughly 226)
The only restrictions on beach camping here are from snowy plover protection, March 15 to Sept. 15: you can camp north of the Siltcoos River (the first 5.8 miles south of your return to the beach) but not in the 8.4 miles between the river and Sparrow Park Road. But you can camp in the dunes, such as off the trail north of Tahkenitch Creek (where I camped) or on a sweet knoll at the south end of Threemile Lake. There are also several Forest Service campgrounds along this stretch (have to hike 1+ miles inland through the dunes to reach them) with toilets and water (more details in my book). Camp anywhere on the North Spit south of Sparrow Park Road.

Tahkenitch Creek to Charleston (Oregon Dunes NRA) (miles 226 to 245)
Tank up in Winchester Bay; no good access to water on this stretch. Camp anywhere on the beach except the mouth of Tenmile Creek during plover nesting season. (That is where I camped, before the plover restrictions were in place. Beautiful.) The Horsfall Beach OHV campground (a paved parking area, really) no longer has water but has porta-potties; there’s water at Bluebill Lake Campground less than 1 mile inland off Horsfall Beach Road. You can camp on the beach on Coos Bay North Spit north of the FAA tower (again, details in my book). Toilets and water at the BLM boat launch on the North Spit, where if you’re lucky and smart you will be catching a boat ride to Charleston.

Charleston to Bandon (miles 245 to 267)
I camped at Sunset Bay State Park hiker-biker. It’s 4.2 miles from Charleston—a detour if you plan to continue south from Charleston on Seven Devils Road, but it’s on your way if you plan to go the back way south over Cape Arago. It was raining when I stayed there and the ground was soggy, but lots of friendly cyclists! If you do take the back way over on Cape Arago, you will be going through private timberland and I would urge you to not bivouac there. (I recommend not camping at Bastendorff Beach, where homeless folks have begun camping.) You can camp on the beach anywhere between Seven Devils State Recreation Site and Bullards Beach State Park, where there is a fine hiker-biker (that I stayed in).  No water on this entire stretch, and toilets only at Seven Devils.

Bandon to Floras Lake (miles 267 to 283)
Plover protection prohibits camping on the beach for much of this section, but it’s a narrow, steep beach anyway and not good for camping; there is one primitive site in the dunes designated basically for thru hikers (no services). You’ll probably want to walk all the way to Floras Lake anyway, where there is a county campground where I camped (toilets, water) and where beach camping is allowed west of the lake.

Floras Lake to Port Orford (miles 283 to 298)
The whole Blacklock Point area is an undeveloped state park, so camping is not allowed—but clearly people do it, especially under the trees near the end of the point. You could camp on the beach north of the Sixes River—or walk a little farther to the hiker-biker at Cape Blanco State Park. Ought to be able to camp on the beach between Cape Blanco and where you leave the beach at Tseriadun beach access at the north end of Port Orford.

Port Orford to Gold Beach (miles 298 to 331)
I stayed at the hiker-biker at Humbug Mountain State Park. Otherwise not a lot of options in this stretch. I guess you could camp on the beach north of Nesika Beach, but it’s right next to the highway. South of Otter Point the beach is adjacent to state park land until it’s adjacent to a bunch of houses. But it seems to me you should be able to camp on the beach near the south jetty of the Rogue River; homeless people seem to. I stayed in the Motel 6 at the south end of the Rogue River bridge.


South of Gold Beach (miles 331 to the California border around mile 377)
Not a lot of good options here. Here’s how I “hiked my own hike”: I stopped at the mouth of the Pistol River and called a cab from Brookings to take me to Harris Beach State Park (hiker-biker). In the morning I took a cab back out to the Pistol River and spent a long day walking back to Harris Beach through Boardman State Scenic Corridor. The next day I hiked out to the border and Crissey Field State Recreation Site, where I met my ride home. South of Harris Beach State Park, there is really no place to camp on the beach.

Other options OCT thru-hikers might consider in this stretch, not all of them legal:

● Camp on the beach between Buena Vista State Wayside and the start of the trail up Cape Sebastian (north of the wayside the highway is too close).

● Find a flat spot to bivouac on the trail up the north side of Cape Sebastian (not legal, but unlikely anyone will find you or care).

● Camp on the beach between Pistol River and Crook Point (north of Pistol River the highway is too close).

● Bivouac (illegally) somewhere in Boardman State Scenic Corridor; you wouldn’t be the first person to camp on the little flat above Secret Beach.

● Get a cabin/RV to stay in at Whaleshead Beach Resort, about half-way through Boardman corridor and the only near-OCT lodging I know of between Gold Beach and Brookings.

I offer this online guide as a quicker reference for people contemplating an OCT thru-hike; my book has a lot more details. A follower of this blog just informed that he couldn't get it from REI; apparently REI's book buying section is in some disarray. They should have it soon. And any bookstore (online or brick-and-mortar) can order it if they don't already have it.

The Ultimate Oregon Coast Trail Camping Guide, Part II (of III, it turns out)

Hiker-biker camp at Bullards Beach, north of Bandon.

Camping isn’t always easy to figure out along the Oregon Coast Trail (see previous post, on March 5, for basic overview). This is not a wilderness trail like the Pacific Crest Trail, where you can basically bivouac wherever, limited only by the availability of water. Here there are more limits, toilets being a big one. Sorry if I seem obsessed with toilets; in fact, I’m quite comfortable with “going” in the wild. But there are a lot of people using the beach in Oregon, and you really must avoid taking a crap in the dunes; OCT hikers should use existing facilities whenever possible. That’s why I tend toward developed sites—I think of it as part of the OCT culture. Plus there are limits on where you can just pitch a tent on the beach; it’s not allowed adjacent to city limits or state parks, and camping right alongside US 101 is neither fun nor a great idea safety-wise, IMO.

So here’s what I know about where you can camp on the north half of the OCT (next post will cover the south half). Someday this may all be captured in an app, but as far as I know, it’s not yet. You’ll want to refer to the maps in my book Day Hiking: Oregon Coast or another source as you read. Mileage figure are approximate.

Astoria to Gearhart (miles 0 to 16)
State Parks allows camping on the beach between Sunset Beach access (about 10 miles south of the start of the trail; toilets at the parking area a short distance inland) and about 0.5 mile south of the 10th Avenue beach access in Gearhart (more toilets in city park at Pacific Way beach access in Gearhart). I stayed at my brother’s house.

Gearhart to Cannon Beach (miles 16 to 30)
Options in this stretch: Seaside International Hostel in Seaside; the top of Tillamook Head, where there is a trailside camping site (the only one like this on the OCT) with three-sided shelters; Sea Ranch RV park in Cannon Beach, which has tent camping sites (NO beach camping allowed on Cannon Beach, strictly enforced). Again, I was fortunate to have a friend to stay with in Cannon Beach.

Cannon Beach to Manzanita (miles 30 to 58)
This stretch is thorny. It looks like you could camp on the beach north and south of Arcadia Beach access (not adjacent to state park) or maybe just north of the houses at Arch Cape, but I haven’t tried it. Rangers kick out anyone trying to camp at the former campground at Oswald West State Park. A person might be able to bivouac along the trail out to Cape Falcon or up Neahkahnie Mountain, but it would illegal and there are no developed sites. I myself walked all the way to the hiker-biker camp at Nehalem Bay State Park, skipping the hike up and over Neahkahnie, which I’ve hiked many times; if you haven’t, don’t miss it. There’s a flat-ish spot on the back side of the summit, just before the trail starts to descend down the south side, that would make a great place for a backpacker’s camp, like the one on Tillamook Head, but there’s not one there now.

Manzanita to Cape Meares (miles 58 to 70)
Best options in this stretch: Barview County Park (at the mouth of Tillamook Bay) and primitive camping at the end of Bayocean Spit. (I bivouacked, probably illegally, off the trail that used to lead up Cape Meares but no longer exists).

Cape Meares to Cape Lookout (miles 70 to 81)
I doubt anyone would bother you if you camped at the end of 5-mile-long Netarts Spit instead (if you get a boat ride across Netarts Bay), but strictly speaking it’s not allowed. I camped in the great hiker-biker camp in Cape Lookout State Park.

Cape Lookout to Pacific City (miles 81 to 94)
I’ve seen surfers camped on the beach on the south side of Cape Lookout: it’s legal between here and the community of Tierra del Mar. I myself got a cheap motel room in the middle of Pacific City. I didn’t then know about the hiker-biker camp at Webb County Campground/Park, a short walk inland from beach access at Cape Kiwanda. No camping allowed on the spit at Bob Straub State Park.

Pacific City to D River at Lincoln City (miles 94 to 119)
Camping is allowed on the beach north of Camp Wi Ne Ma (northernmost end of beach at Neskowin).  South of here you enter beautiful, forested Cascade Head Scenic Research Area, where no camping is allowed (understandable, but unfortunate for thru-hikers). I walked all the way to Devil’s Lake State Park, which has the most unpleasant hiker-biker camp on the coast; instead, I was able to get a regular campsite here, which was nice enough and very convenient.

Lincoln City to Nye Beach at Newport (miles 119 to 145.5 )
Between Lincoln City and Newport there aren’t a lot of options: beach is quite developed and highway 101 runs close to it. I camped at Beverly Beach State Park, then the next day walked the short distance to Nye Beach at the north end of Newport, where I knew there was inexpensive dormitory lodging at the Sylvia Beach Hotel. (I love the hotel, but the dorm was overcrowded and noisy.)

Newport to Beachside State Recreation Site, north of Yachats (miles 145.5 to 165)
South Beach State Park, just south of Newport, has a hiker-biker camp. Within a few years there may be a campground with a hiker-biker camp at Brian Booth State Park, near the mouth of Beaver Creek (but there isn’t yet). That would be cool, as the highway runs right along the beach for much of this stretch: not that bothersome for hiking, but not a place you want to camp. Although I see no reason why you couldn’t camp on the beach just south of Driftwood Creek State Recreation Site; not adjacent to park or city limits. I camped at little Beachside State Recreation Site, between Waldport and Yachats; it has a small hiker-biker camp.

Beachside to Washburne State Park/Heceta Head (miles 165 to 185)
This stretch is not good for beach camping. South of Beachside, there’s a Forest Service campground at Cape Perpetua and one at Rock Creek and finally a hiker-biker at Washburne State Park, which by my calculations is the half-way point on the OCT. People apparently camp at Hobbit Beach, though strictly speaking it’s not allowed.

I’ll finish this OCT camping guide in the next post.

The Ultimate Oregon Coast Trail Camping Guide, Part 1

I recently got an email from a woman who was planning an OCT through hike with a group of people. She was disappointed that the new edition of my book (Day Hiking: Oregon Coast Trail) didn’t spell out more clearly where to sleep, night to night.


Camping at the mouth of Tenmile Creek, in the Oregon Dunes, after a stormy night.

Here is the thing. So many people thru-hike the Pacific Crest Trail that there are now multiple apps, such as one from guthook.com, that pinpoint every campsite, water source, and other important sites along the trail. WITH photos, so you can see it all on your phone before you even get there. No one has done this yet for the OCT (as far as I know). So in that sense, the OCT is actually much more of an adventure than the PCT (other than the fact that the OCT is one-seventh the length of the PCT, is in and out of civilization almost daily, and will never require you to bivouc solo in the high Sierra, in the snow.)

The basic rule of thumb for overnighting on the OCT is as follows: stay at state park hiker-biker camps or Forest Service or county campgrounds whenever possible. Not only is it more comfortable, but it puts your human waste in a toilet, which is a major benefit to everyone else vacationing on the Oregon Coast. There are about 19 of these right on the  coast, depending on how you count them (I don’t count campsites in the dunes designed for ATV riders, for instance). Otherwise, wing it. On a month-long hike (12 miles a day average), if these developed campsites were evenly distributed along the coast, you would need to wing it about 1/3 of the time—less often if you hike longer days. But they aren't equally distributed; sometimes you'll find two in one day's hike, and on the southernmost coast it's 65 miles between the hiker-bikers camps at Humbug Mountain and Harris Beach state park.

Which brings us to winging it. This can mean:

• Camp on the beach or dunes, legally (outside of city and state park limits)
• Camp on the beach or dunes, illegally (some places no one cares; other places they do)
• Bivouac in a state park, illegally (in some sites, if you’re discreet and leave no trace, no one will care. I'm not tell you to break the law—I’m just staying that people do)
• Stay in a hostel (Seaside, for instance) or private campground (as in Pacific City)
• Stay in a motel (I was able to get a room at a cheap motel twice, in summer, with no reservation)

That’s the basic idea. In my next post I will get specific about where I personally overnighted (23 nights) on the Oregon Coast Trail along with other options in each vicinity.

 

Top 8 reasons why to not hike the OCT in winter

Siletz Bay in February (through my windshield)

It’s kind of tempting: while the Cascades are snowbound, why not do an off-season thru-hike on the Oregon Coast Trail? What’s a little rain?


Consider “Dave” (I don’t actually know his name), who wound up at my friend Pat’s house in Gearhart last Sunday, Feb. 14. It was late afternoon when he wandered into a café seeking warmth and wifi, and the owner—after chatting with him—called Pat. She knew that Pat is part of the Warmshowers community, a free worldwide hospitality exchange for touring cyclists. If anyone ever needed hospitality that wet afternoon, it was Dave.

“He was sopping wet,” Pat says—after just one night and a day on the trail. His preparation seemed to have been Wild caliber: a tarp but no tent or ground cloth. A pack weighing in at more than 50 pounds. Too much heavy food—including 11 glass jars of almond butter (“They were on sale,” he told Pat). She dried him out, helped him decant his almond butter into ziplock bags, and sent him on his way the next day—he was eager to continue—into weather that would range that week from balmy to pounding hail and torrential rain.

You might get away with a decent section hike in winter, depending on the section. But the frequency of crappy weather is only one reason to not hike the OCT in winter. Here are my top 8 reasons to plan your OCT thru-hike for late June through September.

It’s lonely. No one else in the hiker-biker camps. No one on the beach. Sad.

Windfall is a pain. You may still run into trails blocked by fallen logs (and brush) in summer, if trail crews haven’t been through yet. You definitely will in winter or spring. Sometimes it’s easy to get around, and sometimes it’s not.

High tides can be very high, to the point where the beach just disappears. And sneaker waves are frequent.

Snow on Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach

It’s cold. True, it rarely snows on the Oregon Coast, and it can be quite warm (nearly 80 one day last week), but you can run into pretty cold weather which, combined with the prevailing wetness, is a recipe for hypothermia.

It rains. A ton. On average, 11 to 14 inches a month November through March on the north coast. In summer you’re likely to get some rain over the course of your thru-hike, but not a lot.

It can be dangerous on headlands. High winds during winter storms can send branches and whole trees toppling.

There’s no simple way across the bay mouths. In summer it’s easy to flag a passing boater or prearrange a ride with a charter boat operator. In winter, boaters are inside by the fire. Where you should be.

The mouth of New River: easy to wade in July, impossible in winter.

The wade-able rivers are too high to wade. This is the main reason why you ought to wait until summer to thru-hike the OCT. By late June, all the creeks and rivers are typically at their lowest level and many can be waded, certainly at low tide. In winter they’re so high that you have to find a bridge across them, which can mean long detours off the beach and onto Highway 101. Which sort of defeats the point of a thru-hike on the beach.

(Did I mention that the new edition of my hiking guidebook includes everything I know about thru-hiking the OCT?)

A long trail with a very long history

How the Oregon Coast Trail came into existence is a pretty interesting story. It started as the brainchild of a University of Oregon geography professor back in 1959. But the OCT owes its existence to Oregon's first parks superintendent, who during the Great Depression acquired many of the coast's major headlands for the public, and crews from the Civilian Conservation Corps began building trails over them. And with half the OCT route on beaches, credit for the trail needs to start with Governor Oswald West designating all of Oregon's beaches public highways in 1913.

But wait: people have been walking the Oregon Coast Trail--or something like it--for as long as people have been living on the Oregon Coast, right? Which raises two questions: how long have people been on the Oregon Coast, and how long as the Oregon Coast been, well, the Oregon Coast?

Seem like simple questions, but they turn out to go right to the heart of the biggest mysteries in American archaeology. And the most likely answers have changed radically in the past decade or so.

I have put together a talk exploring all that--the history and prehistory of the OCT--that I'm giving several places around Oregon this winter/spring, and I would love to see friends and meet new hikers there. I'll have copies of Day Hiking: Oregon Coast available to sell, but all these events (except the Cascade Ruck on Feb. 27) are free.

In brief (click here for details):
Eugene Feb. 3
Portland Feb. 10
Astoria Feb. 18
Cascade Locks Feb. 27
Cannon Beach March 17
Tillamook May 15

All You Can Eat

 

 

 

 

Last summer I spent a week backpacking on the Pacific Crest Trail in Oregon. TONS of thru-hikers on the trail, and as we approached Mount Hood, it seemed all they could talk about was the breakfast buffet at Timberline Lodge: strategizing their schedule and pace and campsite locations to put them at Timberline Lodge at breakfast time. Timberline isn’t the only place where you can buy food along the PCT—at Olallie Lake Resort, for instance, just a couple of days south of Mount Hood. But Timberline’s breakfast is a sit-down, all-you-can eat buffet, and that phrase—all you can eat—holds a particular charm for people who have just spent three months walking 20+ miles every day and burning who-knows-how-many calories. (Lifted that photo at Timberline from Tracy at hikergirl186.wordpress.com; I hope she doesn't mind!)

I don’t know of any all-you-can-eat places along the Oregon Coast Trail, but part of the charm of the OCT is the accessibility of restaurants, should you want to forego freeze-dry for a night or a morning. Literally without leaving the trail (OK, walking a few steps or blocks), you have access to great and not particularly expensive restaurants. The following is a list of eateries to consider adjacent to the OCT—not an exhaustive list, but places I know and like. Be advised that an OCT thru-hiker of my acquaintance says she actually gained weight hiking the OCT. I spend most of my coastal time up north, where there are more restaurants anyway, so the list is weighted that way. North to south … 

Sand Trap, Gearhart: Just 14 miles from the start of the trail and 0.3 mile off the beach, if you can’t go a single day on the OCT without stopping for a brew. A McMennamin's pub (if that means anything to you).

 

The Stand, Seaside: The only place on this list that is not actually on the trail, but worth the slight detour. Open weekdays 11-5. Huge portions of great Mexican food, and a favorite spot among Seaside surfers.

OCT backpacker at Cannon Beach--Haystack Rock in the background.

The Bald Eagle (for coffee and homemade soup), The Sleepy Monk (for coffee and morning scones), Cannon Beach Hardware and Public House (burgers): Lots of great places to eat in Cannon Beach; these three are clustered in midtown, near the beach access east and slightly north of Haystack Rock.

Bread and Ocean (fabulous deli) and Buttercup (ice cream and chowder), Manzanita. Haven’t been to Buttercup yet, but it gets great reviews; menu is limited to variations on just those two items.

No idea what’s good in Rockaway or Garibaldi, but there’s no shortage of options.

Roseanna’s Café, Oceanside: I find it a bit tired and higher-priced than most on my list, but it’s right off the beach and may be the only option for some miles.



Pelican Pub, Pacific City



Pelican Pub, Pacific City: Right on the trail/beach, great beer and food. There's also a grocery-deli across the street.

The Café at Hawk Creek, Neskowin: I knew and loved it as the Hawk Creek Café; new incarnation might be a bit more expensive but still gets great reviews. Great breakfasts and brick-oven pizza, among other things.

My favorite place to eat in Lincoln City (lunch and dinner) is Blackfish Cafe, on US 101 0.7 miles south of where you would normally return to the beach at the north end of town; a little higher-end but worth it. As you leave, ask how to get back to the beach southbound. Plenty of other places to eat in the mall you cross to return to the beach at the north end and again near the D River beach access, but tend to be chains or touristy and I can’t make any recommendations.

Side Door Café, Gleneden Beach: Haven’t been there for several years, but I think it’s still good, and it’s maybe two blocks north of the Gleneden Beach beach access.

Depoe Bay: I don’t know what’s good here now, but you will be walking right through town; lots of options.

Rogue Ales, Newport: Right under the south end of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. Great local beer, decent pub menu.

The Green Salmon, Yachats: Yummy bagels and lox, amazing variations on hot cocoa.

1285 Restobar, Florence: Reach it via a slight detour into Old Town. If you’re spending the night in Florence you could try its sister restaurant, Waterfront Depot, but better make a reservation in advance (unless there’s room at the bar).

Winchester Bay and Charleston: Plenty of chowder shops and other eateries in these harbor towns, but none I know well enough to recommend.  And I’m not up to date on Bandon food, but you’ll pass through Old Town, with lots of options, on your way to the south jetty.

 

The Crazy Norwegian’s, Port Orford: I love the vibe and the fish and chips in this small-town café; you’ll walk right by it. I look forward to trying Redfish, a newer and upscale addition to town with an amazing view.

Biscuit Coffeehouse at Gold Beach Books, Gold Beach: I find it hard to pass through Gold Beach without stopping here (for coffee and a muffin, or to browse the books, or both); you might do the same if your route takes you through town rather straight to the beach from the bridge over the Rogue River.