Life on the Edge: Spring along Oregon's North Coast

Please note that this list of hikes is provisional. Oregon coast trails are sometimes damaged and closed by winter storms, and we may have to make an alternate plan for one or more hikes; participants will be kept apprised of any changes before June 2020.

Day 1: Meet by 12:00 p.m. in Portland, Oregon (at the airport or nearby location to be determined). Following introductions and a brief orientation, we will load up our two vans and drive through agricultural landscapes west of Portland, traversing the forested coast range and pausing for a snack and leg-stretch along the way. After checking into our lodgings in Manzanita, we will have the rest of the afternoon to walk the beach or relax at the end of our travel day. After a simple dinner at our lodging, we’ll convene for an evening introduction to Oregon Coast natural history and a briefing for the following day.

Day 2: After breakfast and packing lunches and water for the day, we’ll drive about an hour south to the Cape Lookout North trailhead. This 4.5-mile, often steep trail follows rugged coastal bluffs south and then west to the tip of the cape, dropping into wooded drainages and emerging on high points with wide views of Cape Meares, offshore rocks, and Netarts Bay. Total distance: about 9 miles; total elevation gain: 800 feet. Cape Lookout juts more than two miles into the Pacific and provides excellent opportunities to look for seabirds, bald eagles, peregrine falcons, whales, and pinnipeds. After lunch at the cape and the return hike, we’ll meander back to Manzanita, perhaps with a detour to Cape Meares State Park for the short walk to the historic lighthouse and a little more wildlife-watching. We will return to our lodgings with time to clean up and head into town for dinner. 

Day 3: Today we will hike up Neahkahnie Mountain, passing through old-growth spruce and hemlock forest to take in dramatic views of wave-battered cliffs before ascending through coastal scrub and meadows to the southern peak of Neahkahnie. Diverse habitats along the way support a wide variety of wildlife and native plants, and the view south from the peak encompasses Nehalem Bay and the ocean spit we will hike tomorrow. From the peak we will descend to the south. Total distance: about 6 miles; total elevation gain: about 1,600 feet. We will return to our lodgings in Manzanita for dinner.

Day 4: Nehalem Spit is a long, sandy strand that separates Nehalem Bay from the ocean. We will circumnavigate the spit, though estuarine, marine, beach and scrub habitats that harbor numerous bird species, including federally threatened snowy plovers, which nest on the beach side of the spit. At the end of the spit we may find harbor seals sleeping on the beach or lolling the water. Total distance: about 7 miles; little elevation change. After picking up our bags in Manzanita, we will head north to our lodgings in Cannon Beach.

Day 5: Today we will take advantage of the morning minus tide to find marine invertebrates large, small, and tiny on rocks and in pools that are seldom accessible. The low tide also allows good views of some of the many birds that nest on the islets and sea stacks of the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge and forage in the surrounding waters, such as tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots, and harlequin ducks. Chances are good that we will see bald eagles. We also will visit Ecola State Park and hike to sparsely visited beaches that can only be reached during low tide. Total distance: 4- 5 miles; little elevation change. Following lunch on bluffs overlooking the ocean, the afternoon will be free time to wander the galleries and shops of Cannon Beach. Dinner on your own in town.

Day 6: We will pack lunch and leave early for the 45-minute drive to the Saddle Mountain trailhead. At 3,287 feet above sea level, Saddle Mountain is not among the highest peaks in the Oregon Coast Range, but on a clear day, the summit provides a bird’s-eye view north to the massive estuary of the Columbia River, the largest river on the Pacific coast of North America. The steep hike up Saddle Mountain traverses forest, scrub, and meadow habitats, and in the spring is known for its diverse wildflowers and forest birds. Total distance: 5 miles; total elevation gain: 2,243 feet. Dinner at our lodgings.

Day 7: This morning we will pack up and drive north to our last stop, Astoria, the oldest U.S. city west of the Rockies (established in 1811). Here we will visit Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, home to the reconstructed Fort Clatsop, where the Lewis and Clark Expedition spent the rough winter of 1805-06 shortly after they first reached the Pacific Ocean. The park also is the site of innovative restoration projects in coastal wetlands, and we may visit one of these with Park Service staff. After lunch, we will spend the afternoon walking through coastal scrub and dunes in Fort Stevens State Park to the mouth of the Columbia, and examine evidence of the river’s power in the huge logs and other fascinating flotsam on the beach. This will be our last chance to spot nesting snowy plovers and other species that dwell on the edge between land and sea. Total distance: about 5 miles; little elevation change. We’ll end the trip with excellent local fare and then a night at a unique Astoria hotel. 

Day 8: End of trip. The vans will head back to Portland after breakfast. If you would like to stay on in Astoria, rental cars are available in town. 

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Getting There

The trip will begin and end in Portland, Oregon (specific location TBD), which is served by an international airport and is easily accessible by road via several interstate highways. We will travel to and along the coast in two vans; for those driving their own cars to Portland, we will provide a safe location to leave your vehicle for a week.

Accommodations and Food

This is a lodge-based trip. We will stay in locally owned accommodations with shared bedrooms and bathrooms. We will spend the final night of the trip at an unusual hotel right on the river in Astoria. We will have breakfast and roughly half our dinners at our lodgings, and we’ll pack individual lunches for the trail each morning. Trip leaders will supply a variety of fixings for breakfast and lunch and will prepare simple, hearty dinners -- all vegetarian. For those looking forward to Pacific seafood, we’ll dine out one night each in Manzanita, Cannon Beach, and Astoria. Trip participants will pay individually for these meals, and for any alcoholic beverages during the trip. Meals we prepare will also accommodate members of our group with other dietary restrictions. 

Equipment and Clothing

Well broken-in and waterproof hiking boots with good traction soles are key to great hikes. We will walk on well-maintained trails for the most part, but these are rocky in places and often steep, so bring trekking poles to give your knees and back a break. Weather on the Oregon coast is changeable. Layers, sun protection, and rain gear all are essential. Bring a daypack that can accommodate these items, lunch, and a means of carrying 1 to 2 liters of water as well as other gear (such as a camera and binoculars). A few of our hikes will take most of the day, and being prepared for a variety of conditions is essential to your comfort and greatest enjoyment of the trip. In early June, temperatures average in the high 50s during the day and the mid 40s at night. Late spring can be rainy, so a full set of good rain gear, waterproof boots, and a waterproof cover for your daypack are strongly recommended. Enhance your wildlife-watching with a pair of lightweight binoculars and perhaps a hand-lens for tide-pooling. Bring a wide-angle lens for your camera to capture the views.

References

Books:

The trip leaders will bring a selection of field guides and other references. If you wish to bring your own, here are a few recommendations:

• Pojar, Jim, and Andy Mackinnon, Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast Washington Oregon BC & Alaska, 2nd Edition. Lone Pine Publishing, 2004.
• Kozloff, Eugene, Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast: An Illustrated Guide to Northern California Oregon Washington & British Columbia. University of Washington Press, 1983.

A guide to Oregon birds:

• Kavanaugh, James, and Raymond Leug, Oregon Birds (laminated pocket-sized pamphlet).
• Irons, Dave, and Brian Small, American Birding Association Field Guide to Birds of Oregon. Independent Publishers Group, 2018.

For history fans, Peter Stark’s Astoria: Astor and Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire comes highly recommended.

Websites:

• A variety of information about wildlife and conservation from the Oregon Coast National Wildlife Refuge (we will see some of the refuge during the trip): https://www.fws.gov/refuge/oregon_islands/
• A selection of references on Oregon Coast geology can be found here: https://www.beachconnection.net/oregoncoastgeology/
• The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has a nice “wildlife viewing” site that includes an introduction to birds and bird-watching: https://myodfw.com/wildlife-viewing/species/

For some background (and a variety of perspectives) on salmon conservation on the Oregon coast:

• https://www.wildsalmoncenter.org/work/where-we-work/oregon/
• https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/crp/coastal_coho_conservation_plan.asp
• https://www.oregon.gov/oweb/resources/Pages/opsw.aspx

Conservation

Although much of the Oregon coast is public land, the north coast is a complex mosaic of public and private lands and landscapes that include agriculture, tourism and recreation, and small residential communities as well as native ecosystems and habitat for wildlife. Addressing conservation issues, such as habitat connectivity for wildlife, invasive species control, coastal wetland and watershed restoration, and climate change, thus requires sensitivity to a diverse range of human concerns and priorities. In addition to visiting a variety of coastal habitats and protected areas -- mainly state parks, one National Historical Park, one National Wildlife Refuge -- we also will have the opportunity to see and consider how human presence has affected this magnificent coast and efforts to protect native species and habitats as well as meet the need for sustainable livelihoods for people.

The Oregon coast and lower Columbia River are home to numerous distinct runs of salmon and steelhead (collectively, “salmonids”) that are listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act. These fishes, with their unique natural history and central role in human culture and livelihoods, symbolize the conservation challenges here. Salmonid populations in these watersheds are much reduced from what they were a century ago, and seven of Oregon’s salmonid populations are listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Today, these iconic fishes conduct their lives -- hatching in freshwater streams, migrating out to sea where they spend most of their lives, and returning to the streams of their birth to spawn and die -- in landscapes rife with physical obstacles and other threats. Salmon conservation is a multi-faceted and multi-billion-dollar endeavor that touches many other aspects of the natural world on the Oregon coast, and takes place amid a swirl of politics and competing human interests, including State and Federal agencies, Native American Tribes, sport anglers, and commercial fisheries.

During our trip, we will have the opportunity to learn about work to restore salmonid populations and their habitat along the Oregon coast and in the Columbia estuary and how restoration projects can benefit ecosystems and other species as well as salmon. We also will see some of the other species that play a role in the salmonids’ world, such as cormorants and other seabirds that eat young fish heading out to sea, and bald eagles that are increasingly common now on the Oregon coast, but are recovering into a world very different from the one they nearly left in the last century.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.