Oregon Pictures (15 pictures)
Saddle Mountain
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Hwy 26 (just north of Cannon Beach) about 10
1/2 miles to road signing indicating Saddle Mountain that
way (take a left). Go 7 miles along the paved, some times
rough road to the trailhead [I joked with my dad that the
trail was better maintained than the road]. There are
flush toilets and running water at the parking lot.
Free.
Trails:
This 2.5 miles one-person width trail goes to the top of
Saddle Mountain, the tallest peak in Oregon's Coast Range.
The trail is well maintained, but very steep at points -
you'll want to be wearing good hiking shoes (not sneakers),
even with the chicken wire in some areas. The trail goes
through the woods for most of the way and there are markers
every 1/4 of a mile (though I didn't spot all of them).
After about 2 miles of climbing, things get difficult. You
can see the mountain peak across the way, but first you
have to go down steeply into a side saddle (not the one the
mountain is named for) and then go up steeply and longer.
This last bit is mostly in the open, above the tree line.
there is a circle bench at the top. On a clear day,
supposedly there are great views of the ocean and of the
Cascade peaks in the distance. All we saw was clouds and
a couple of mountains peaking through. It took us about
1 3/4 hours to get to the top. We encountered 2 people
as we were heading up with a 9 am start, 3 people already
at the top, and far too many people to count as we were
heading back.
Trail Length + Elevation:
2.5 miles one-way and 1,630 feet gained
Area:
Steep mountain area, in the woods until last 1/2 mile.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Saturday, July 20, 2002
Recommendation:
Maybe a clear day and less people would have made this
a trail I'd recommend, but for all the effort, the reward
wasn't much. The wildflowers were pretty, though.
Ecola State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to just north of Cannon Beach - hang a right of Hwy
101 where the sign says Ecola State Park that way and then
take the next right where the sign says Ecola State Park that
way. Take a right right after the entrance station and drive
the windy road to the Indian Beach parking lot. Or park in
the Ecola Point Parking Lot (2 mile trail to Indian Beach).
Chemical toilet at the Indian Beach parking lot.
$3 (day pass is good at all State Parks)
Trails:
For my second visit, I parked in the Ecola Point parking
lot and took the 2 mile trail to Indian Beach before again
doing the Clatsop Loop trail (described below). The point
area is very pretty with good coastal views of sea stacks
(even saw a puffin in the water) - take a left and out from
the parking lot and wander the area before heading along the
trail, which is to the right towards the end of the parking
lot. After a short mild bit, the trail heads up to a ridge
and then down the other side. At points there are great
coast views (including down on Indian Beach) and at times
you are in the trees. It is a bit of work, so don't think
this is an easy walk (saw a couple of families with younger
kids struggling (and I suggested that one of the parents
go back and get the car and meet them at Indian Beach for
a one-way hike)). The trail comes down near the beach and
hook a right and cross the creek over the bridge and go
through the parking lot (baring left) to hook up with the
Clatsop Loop Trail (a 2 mile loop), which starts next to
the toilets.
The Clatsop Loop Trail has 14 interpretive signs along the
way. For the loop, take the right branch and head up the
blah gravel road. It's a steady climb and not very
scenic as it is purely in the woods. After finally
reaching the junction, continue straight to the Old
Military Bunker (there are a couple of bunks from
World War II) and at the end is a great view (barring
fog) of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, on an island
12 miles off shore). Make your way back to the
junction and hook a right just past the outhouses
for the narrower and prettier second half of the
loop. The trail goes through the woods and has some
good views of the ocean and sea stacks along the way
(not a constant view, though). Looking back, you can
sometimes see the lighthouse in the distance. It's
not a steady down and there are a couple of mild ups.
goes left over the bridge. A short ways from the
start of the trail and on a very short side branch is
a bench with a wonderful view of Indian Beach and the
coast.
The west portion of the loop and the trail to the
Ecola Point Parking Lot is part of the Oregon Coast
Trail.
Trail Length:
2 miles one-way Ecola Point Parking Lot to Indian Beach
2 miles Clatsop Loop Trail
Area:
Woods and hills along the coast.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 21, 2002; Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Recommendation:
Definitely. Do the Ecola Point trail and western
portion of the Clatsop Loop trail (going and returning
the same way) - skip the blah inner portion of the
loop.
Oswald State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to about 10 miles south of Cannon Beach. There are 3
parking areas right off Hwy 101 - take your pick (or which
ever you can find a parking spot in). There are flush toilets
and water in the camping area and near the beach.
$3 (day pass is good at all State Parks)
Trails:
We took a stop of Oswald State Park to hike out to the cape
view point. From the parking lot is paved trails down to the
beach area. The Cape Falcon trail (part of the Oregon Coast
Trail) goes up to the right between the beach and the
bathrooms - there is a sign pointing the way. Interestingly,
the one-person width trail has asphalt at some points
(including spots a ways in), but is mostly packed dirt.
Where the trail cuts through the cape, there is a trail
branch to the left with tall bushes on both sides and ends
at a small view point with views back towards the beach
(there are no views for the other side of the cape). There
is a little bit of up and down, but not too much elevation
change.
Trail Length:
1/4 a mile from the parking lot down to the beach area
1 3/4 miles from the beach to Cape Falcon (one-way)
The Oregon Coast Trail runs through the park
Area:
Woods along the coast.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 21, 2002; Monday, August 6, 2007
Recommendation:
If you have time to do both Ecola and Oswald, then do both.
If you only time for one, stick to Ecola - it is the
prettier of the 2 with better views.
Lookout State Park
Directions:
Take Hwy 101 to Tillamook. Head west on the Three Capes
Scenic Route towards Oceanside on 3rd Street (I think it
is the 2nd light in Tillamook heading South). Fork left
with the road (or fork right to take a short trip to the
Cape Meares lighthouse). Follow the signs for Cape
Lookout - about 6 miles from Tillamook. Go past the
main entrance and park in the parking lot about 2 miles
ahead. No facilities at the trailhead parking lot.
$3 (day pass is good at all State Parks) [have to get the
pass at the day use area, not available at the trailhead
parking lot]
Trails:
There are 3 trails in Lookout State Park plus 2 good-sized
beaches. The Cape Trail is 2.4 miles from the trailhead to
the tip of the cape. The South Trail is 1.8 miles from the
trailhead down to an isolated beach. Both these trails
start to the left at the end of the parking lot (the South
Trail branches down a short ways in). The North trail goes
2.3 miles from the parking lot back to the main day-use and
campground area (haven't hiked this trail). The North
trail starts in the middle at the end of the parking lot.
South Trail down to the beach: The trail takes long
switchbacks down the mountain in the woods about 500 feet
down to the beach. It's a softer fern, dirt floor trail -
very peaceful. The beach has a rocky area for a ways to
the right and a nice, long sand beach to the left. I spent
some time strolling along the sand and seconds at a time
in the surf (brrrr) barefoot for a while and then explored
the rocks. I found some neat green rocks down there. The
hike back out wasn't too bad.
Cape Trail: The trail heads along the peninsula for 2.4
miles to the tip. The 2-person width trail varies between
being along the peninsula's edge with coastal views (mostly
to the south as there are only 2 short areas with views to
the north) and weaving its way through the middle through
the trees. It can get muddy at points and there are a
couple of sections with boardwalks. The views are nice,
but not stunning as it simply is not a stunning coastal
area. The trail ends with a very small area (not truly
at the tip and the views are only to the south). The
trail starts fairly level and then has a good section
heading down and another heading back up (which means you
have to do the reverse on the return) before become mild
again to the viewpoint.
Trail Length + Elevation:
Cape Trail is 2.4 miles one-way to the cape tip
South Trail is 1.8 miles and 500 feet one-way down to the
beach
North Trail is 2.3 miles one-way
Area:
Woods, small mountain area and ocean with beaches
When I did the hike:
South Trail: Monday, July 22, 2002
Cape Trail: Sunday, August 5, 2007
Recommendation:
I loved my time at the beach. Though worth doing, the
Cape Trail was a little disappointing as I was expecting
grand coastal views.
Munson Ceek Falls
Directions:
Take Hwy 101 to about 6 miles south of Tillamook to Munson
Creek Road - there should be a sign saying Munson Creek
Falls that way. Go about 2 miles (the road turns gravel a
short ways in, but no problem for a compact) to the small
parking area.
Free.
Trails:
Short, wide trail to a 300 foot tall waterfall - you don't
get too close to it. I read about there being a 1/2 mile
trail to the top of the falls, but I saw no signs of an
existing trail besides the one that goes to the base of
the falls.
Trail Length:
1/4 mile one-way (flat)
Area:
Woody area next to a creek to a 300 foot tall waterfall.
When I did the hike:
July 22, 2002
Recommendation:
Unless you're desperate for a waterfall, don't waste your
time with this not very impressive waterfall - especially
with some neat coastal areas nearby.
Cape Perpetua
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Cape Perpetua, just south of Yachats.
Park alongside the road near mile 167.4 or at
the interpretive center at mile 167.3.
No facilities (might be some at center).
Free.
Trails:
Though one of the tourist Oregon magazines says
there are 25 miles of hiking trails in the
area, I stopped there to see the blowhole and
water chasm - and was fortunate that the sea
was rough and had great water action for the
blowhole, chasm, and simply crashing against
the rocks. From the pullout, take the short
trail down to the viewing area for Spouting
Horn (the blowhole) and watch the water spout
out of the hole. From there, you can make
your way down, around, and over the solid
sandstone/rocks of the shore, heading to the
left for Cook's Chasm or it's a short trail
down from the interpretive center. The chasm
is a long crevice in the rock from the ocean
to nearly the road (but well below the road)
with the water consently crashing through it.
Trail Length:
short
Area:
Ocean, blow holes, water chasm
When I did the hike:
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Recommendation:
Definitely worth a short visit for these neat
features.
Hecta Head Lighthouse
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Hecta Head Lighthouse (about 10 miles
north of Florence), Pull into the parking lot for
the small beach. Note there is nice distance view
of the lighthouse at a pulloff on Hwy 101 about
1/2 mile before the lot.
$3 parking fee.
Toilets at parking lot.
Trails:
It's a .5 mile walk up a road to the lighthouse.
A short bit before the lighthouse, you can hook a
right onto a true trail and head up a short bit
for a view from above of the lighthouse (it's not
a great view as the trees obscure most of the
view). I went up to the ridge a little bit,
hoping for a view of the coast to the south, but
turned around without getting one. The trail
(part of the Oregon Coast Trail) goes for .5 miles,
heading down, to an viewpoint of the beach below
and then continues .75 miles down to the beach
parking lot (hook a left to get out to the large
beach).
Trail Length + Elevation:
.5 mile, 150 feet to lighthouse
1.25 miles, 600 feet one-way lighthouse to beach
Area:
Beach, woods, hill, pretty lighthouse
Picture
When I did the hike:
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Recommendation:
Worth a short visit. One of the prettier
lighthouses and lighthouse settings.
Port Orford Heads State Park
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Port Orford. In town, take a left
(west) at the sign for the park and drive to the
parking area.
Port-a-potties next to tennis court.
Free.
Trails:
Next to the parking area is an old Lifeboat Station
(1934-1970) including a museum and one of the
boats. Head to the left to the old tennis court
and then go through the court to the left and the
trail to the headlands viewpoint starts there.
It's a .5 mile walk on a path covered with wood
chips to the viewpoint (take right at the trail
junction), with a couple of benchs along the way.
The ocean views are wonderful and I even saw a
whale off the shore while there (even though it
wasn't whaling season). On the way back, you can
hook a right at the trail junction and continue
with ocean views to the lookout site (taking a
right at the next junction). The Cove Trail heads
east just short of the lookout site. From the
lookout site, it's .25 miles of paved trail back
up to the Lifeboat Station area.
Trail Length:
Number of short trails
.5 miles to Headlands viewpoint
.25 miles to Lookout site
?? Cove Trail
Area:
Pretty wooded headlands with good ocean views.
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, August 3, 2007
Recommendation:
Very pretty area.
Humbug Mountain
Directions:
Hwy 101 to Humbug Mountain State Park (about 25 miles
north of Gold Beach). Go around the mountain, past
the campground, and then turn left (west) in to the
parking area.
No facilities (flush toilets in the campground).
Free.
Trails:
You would think hiking a mountain next to the ocean
would have lots of great ocean views. For this hike,
that is not the case as the mountain is heavily
wooded. Humbug Mountain is the tallest mountain along
the Oregon coast and this trail goes to the top. The
trail heads up for a mile, with very few switchbacks,
and gains 700 feet along the way. Just past the 1/2
mile marker is a pretty ocean view including 3 sea
stacks. At the junction, you can either go left or
right as it is a loop trail to the top - to the left
it is 1.8 miles to the top and to the right it is 1.6
miles. I headed left, as I was doing the loop. A
little after the 2 mile marker is a bench (the only
bench on the Eastern Route). Later you do get a
couple of views to the south through the trees of the
ocean, but it's not that pretty. There are a few
switchbacks, but not a ton. At the junction, take a
left for the short trip to the summit - there is a
small open area and one bench under a tree. Again
there is an ocean view to the south (none to the
north), but it's not a great view. Heading down the
Western Route, the trail remains in the trees. A
little past the 1.5 mile marker is a bench (the only
bench on the Western Route) and a good view south of
the ocean.
Trail Length + Elevation:
5.4 miles, 1750 feet
Area:
Trees, mountain, very few ocean views
Picture
When I did the hike:
Friday, August 3, 2007
Recommendation:
Na. A lot of work for hardly any good views.
Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor
Directions:
2 miles north of Brookings, just north of the
California border, on Hwy 101. Various pulloffs and
parking areas throughout the 10 mile corridor.
Stop at the state visitor center near Harris Beach
(directly off of Hwy 101) and pick up up the
brochure for the corridor.
Vault toilets at the Lone Ranch Picnic area,
Whaleshead Picnic area, and Arch Rocks Picnic area.
Free.
Trails:
I had originally planned on just spending a few hours
in the Boardman area, but ended up spending most of
the day as the beaches along this stretch of coast
are just wonderful. The Oregon Coast Trail goes
through the corridor, but about 1/3 of the trail is
walking various beaches. I ended up actually not
doing much true hiking, but used the car to move
between the various viewpoints and beaches. I walked
(barefoot, of course) the entire length of Lone Ranch
Beach and Whaleshead Beach (note for Whaleshead, the
first parking area that says Whaleshead is an overlook
with a steep, non-trail down to the beach; but about
1/2 mile north on the road is another parking area
with a much easier walk down to the beach). The
various viewpoint areas are of pretty coastal views
including a number of sea stacks (rock mounds) in the
ocean - Arch Rock is probably the most famous (and is
a short loop walk to see it), but I liked Natural
Bridges with its double-arch the best. For Indian
Sands, you have to take a steep walk down (and harder
back up) then hook right to get to the sand dunes and
walk over the dunes in various directions for great
ocean views (above the coast) and some more sea
arches. The hard to find jewel is Secret Beach -
it's not marked and you have to look for a very small
unpaved pulloff area (room for about 8 cars) and then
take a short trail down that ends at a rock mound that
you have to make your way very carefully down to the
very small beach with a waterfall right next to it and
several very large sea stacks in the ocean for a very
scenic spot.
I returned to the area in 2009 with thoughts of hiking
more of the coastal trail than I had on the first
visit. Have to say that it was a disappointment as
the views from the overlooks were better than from the
trail and the trail varied between ups and downs (not
mild), often was in the trees with no coastal views,
and even went next to (and even on) the road at times.
So, stick to the car to drive between the overlooks
and beaches. There is a nice little loop trail at the
Thunder Cove area - about .5 mile loop that drops some
to 2 view points.
Trail Length:
10 miles of combination trail and beach walking
Area:
Trees, ocean cliffs, beaches, large sea stacks
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Thursday, August 2, 2007; Monday, August 3, 2009
Recommendation:
Absolutely. A wonderful area and the beaches are
grand. Secret Beach is one of the highlights of
the pretty area.
See http://www.nbps.gov/crla for Crater Lake's
official web pate.
Garfield Peak - Crater Lake
Directions:
In Crater Lake Nation Park, go to the Rim Village area and
park as close as to the Crater Lake Lodge at you can get.
$10 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
This trail heads away from the lodge and after a little bit
starts switchbacking up (with no views of the lake for a
while). Eventually, though, you do get great views of
the lake. I was able to go a quick 30 minutes up (it was
late in the afternoon, so I was rushing) before I reached
where the trail was closed (so I didn't get to the top).
Apparently the park has a policy to close the trail where
there is snow on the trail as too much damage is done by
people going off the trail to get around the snow.
Trail Length:
1.7 miles to the top, about 1,000 feet
Area:
Small mountain next to Crater Lake
Picture
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Recommendation:
Very pretty views of the lake, not too long or hard (but
enough to leave some of the crowd behind).
Sun Notch Viewpoint - Crater Lake
Directions:
In Crater Lake Nation Park, go to the Sun Notch parking
area (on the south side of the lake).
$10 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Trails:
A short little pseudo-loop to a view point overlooking
the lake. The views were worth the extra walk from the
car, but I was swarmed by mosquitoes.
Trail Length:
about .5 miles
Area:
Short bit through woods to Crater Lake rim
Picture
When I did the hike:
Monday, July 24, 2006
Recommendation:
Worth the tiny bit extra work for your scenic drive
around the rim.
Wizard Island - Crater Lake
Directions:
In Crater Lake Nation Park, go to the Cleetwood Cove
parking area (on the north side of the lake).
$10 per week (for a car load) or National Parks Pass
Plus (I think) $25 for boat ride with stop at island -
you purchase tickets at a hut in the parking lot. Arrive
early for the opening of the hut (about an hour should be
plenty of time) as they do sell out - they only sell
tickets for that day. Make sure you buy a ticket with
a stop on the island.
Trails:
There are 2 trails. First is the trail down to the lake
(the only lake access) to get to the boat launch. It's
steep switchback down of about a mile and 700 feet (of
course, you have to go back up afterwards) - if you aren't
going to do the boat ride, you should probably do this
hike anyways as it is neat to get lakeside. It is a wide
trail (it's used to supply the boat dock) and almost
anyone can do this hike - for non-hikers, just tell them
to take their time and take rests when they need to.
It is an hour boat ride with a stop at the island in the
middle (and you pick up a different boat in the middle).
The bad news for me was that they had changed their island
policy for the summer of 2006 (and hopefully they will
change it again) - you were given a set time to pick up
the departure boat and I only had about 75 minutes on the
island (where as I had planned on spending several hours
there).
On Wizard Island, the one-person width trail heads up and
to the left from the boat launch. At the intersection in
the lava field, take a right. The trail will soon head
through a small patch of woods and start heading up. The
trail will head out of the trees and wind its way up the
cinder cone (with a lava sand base (gravelish)). Don't
forget to stop every once and a while and look out at the
great views. After what seems like longer than a mile,
the trail will curve around the north end and reach the
top, with a small crater in the middle. Walk around the
rim and again enjoy the great views (rest if you have
time). There is another trail - back at the junction,
head straight and the trail reaches Fumerole Bay, where
you can swim in the lake - unfortunately, with the
mandatory boat times, I didn't have time to do fully
this trail (though I did do a quick partial visit).
[I did send to the park a note complaining about the time
limit restricting my enjoyment of the island and
hopefully they will again change the rules for visiting
the island.]
Trail Length:
1.1 miles, 700 feet to boat launch
about 1 mile, 750 feet to Wizard Island top
Area:
At, on, and in the middle of the large Crater Lake. And
then on the cinder cone Wizard Island.
Pictures
When I did the hike:
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Recommendation:
Splurge and do this. You can't fully experience the lake
from the rim and the views are wonderful and completely
different from the rim. If you can't splurge or are
unable to get a boat ticket, take the hike down to the
lake anyways.