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Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail: Newport to Waldport

Trip Report:
Trip Leader: Mark Hougardy | Organization: Eugene-based Hiking Club | Date: July 2021 | Duration: 3 days | Distance: 25 miles | Participants: 8 | Type: Hiking & Camping | Trip leader and participants were fully vaccinated against Covid-19

Day 1: The first day began at noon at the South Beach State Park day-use area. The afternoon was free-form for exploring, and some of us walked over the Yaquina Bay Bridge into Newport, where the previous Oregon Coast Trail hike ended. We stayed away from busy indoor areas as many visitors to the area were being flippant about Covid precautions, especially not wearing masks. Our walk back over the bridge proved to be very windy. The wind was knocking our feet from underneath ourselves, and with the amount of close vehicle traffic on the narrow walkway, this was a bit unnerving. in the late afternoon, we checked into the group camp and explored a bit more of the park.

Day 2: In the morning we walked a few steps to the trailhead and began our 8-mile hike to Seal Rock. The route was sunny for the first several miles then the fog moved in. At Brian Booth State Park, we had lunch next to Beaver Creek then continued south again on the beach to Seal Rock. As the beach trail ended about 1/8th of a mile from Seal Rock, we ascended a somewhat hidden and unnamed path to the highway. While walking that last couple of feet on the highway, to the parking area and our shuttle, a large truck passed us and swerved onto the highway’s shoulder to avoid hitting a car that was turning. It was a close call for us. At the parking area, we enjoyed the view of Seal Rock then returned to the campsite. For dinner, we ate at a local fish house where we could sit outside. Everyone had an early night.

Day 3: We started at Seal Rock and enjoyed a negative low tide. The tidepools were amazing! Because of the low water we easily navigated rocks that might have been problematic. The soup-like fog returned and we hiked for 5 miles on the beach in an ethereal haze. Approaching Waldport, we walked inland on some side roads, and the fog immediately cleared. We made out way down to the Alsea River and shimmied up a rough trail to the Alsea Bay Bridge. The crossing was pleasant, and we enjoyed the wide pedestrian walkway. In Waldport, we walked more on the beach, past the seawall, and to the mouth of the Alsea River. The wind was picking up again. We had a close encounter with a blue heron who flew close. At the Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Area, we ended the section of the Oregon Coast Trail.

Looking back at the massive Yaquina Bay Bridge, Newport, Oregon.
Crossing the 3/4 mile-long Yaquina Bay Bridge. The wind was intense at times.
After the bridge, we walked along the jetty road crossed into the South Beach State Park. The park has a number of little trails that all route to the park’s massive camping area. The campground is one of the largest, if not the largest, in the Oregon State Park system. We were fortunate our group area was mostly away from the busy campground.
A beautiful start to our O.C.T. hike today. Best of all, we could leave our group site and walk to the trailhead.
For the first 2 miles, there were blue skies and lots of sun.
Our view for the next 5 miles. This provided an other-worldly view of the coast and helped us to not see a number of large houses that rested on the unstable sandy bluffs.
We arrived at the mouth of Beaver Creek.
After a lunch break along the bank of Beaver Creek (Brian Booth State Park), we crossed over a bridge to continue south along the coast. About 2 miles later we approached Seal Rock. About an eighth of a mile before the rock was a small, and hard-to-see trail, in the fog trail that led us close to the parking area of the Seal Rock Recreation Site.
Departing Seal Rock. The dark line at the base of the rock represents the splash zone of the high tide.
A beautiful low tide!
Amazing tide pools; a minus low tide today!
The fog returned! This was our ethereal view for the next several miles.
A quarter-of-a-mile inland on the OCT the sky was clear and warm. At the end of the road, we turned onto a footpath along the river to the Alsea Bay Bridge. After a short climb up a hill, we arrived at the north end of the bridge.
Crossing the Alsea Bay Bridge into Waldport.
Another mile or so to go.
While walking near the seawall in Waldport we saw a Blue Heron.
We arrived at the Governor Patterson Memorial State Recreation Site where this section of the hike ends. In the distance is Cape Perpetua, the heart of the next section hike on the OCT.

Hiking and Kayaking on Oregon’s Scenic and Wild Central Coast

The Cape Perpetua Scenic Area on Oregon’s coast is stunning.

Trip Report:
Volunteer Leader: Mark Hougardy | Organization: Eugene-based Hiking Club | Date: August 2018 | Duration: 2 days | Participants: 8 | Type: car camping, hiking, and kayaking

Our group was fortunate as the weather was surprisingly mild and there was little wind. We spent much of the morning exploring tide pools and beachcombing during low tide. The Cape’s forest offered us the chance to stand at the base of the 200-foot tall and 500-year old Sitka Spruce. These amazing trees grow in a four-mile-wide zone along the coast from northern California to Kodiak Island in Alaska. Around lunchtime, we pitched our tents at a nearby campground and had a quick bite to eat. Our two tiny campsites proved challenging with our collection of tents. In the late afternoon, during high tide, we appreciated the coast’s craggy beauty. A favorite is Spouting Horn, where wave action forces water into a small sea cave and through a hole at the top creating a sizeable plume. Thor’s Well, a large sinkhole on the shoreline, water cascades into what appears to be an unearthly entrance to the underworld. In the evening, some of us climbed the 700-foot cape and enjoyed awe-inspiring views of the rocky shoreline below. Standing inside the historic Civilian Conservation Corps shelter, we witnessed a brief sunset. That day we saw a whale, gulls, cormorants, sea lions, a myriad of tide pool creatures, turkey vultures, and ravens.

We woke with the sun and drove to Brian Booth State Park where we participated in a kayaking trip along Beaver Creek. This interpretive tour is offered as a service by Oregon State Parks. Beaver Creek is a freshwater estuary and is prime habitat for Coho salmon, cutthroat trout, winter steelhead, and waterfowl. We finished our three-mile paddle about noon and had a great time. We had seen ducks, nutria (invasive), a family of river otters, kingfishers, a young bald eagle, swallow, cranes, blue herons, a green heron, Canada geese, merganser, and a red-tailed hawk. As we pulled our kayaks from the water there was a nearby splash, a river otter had been playfully observing at us. Across the creek, a bald eagle surveyed our group. That afternoon we drove south to Yachats and enjoyed a tasty lunch before heading home.

I snapped this picture half a second too late! A chain of bubbles was rapidly passing my kayak on Beaver Creek. They were followed by a furry head popping out of the water. The river otter, upon seeing me, immediately dove. Here is the splash it made as it disappeared.

Whale Watching Trip in Half Moon Bay

Each year Gray Whales migrate roughly 6000 miles from their Arctic feeding grounds to the warm lagoons of Baja California. Their migration path along the California coast provides excellent viewing opportunities for seeing these magnificent creatures. Join us on March 28 from 9:00 am to noon aboard the 56-foot Salty Lady as we venture 1-12 miles into whale’s migration path. This is an excellent opportunity to photograph these creatures so please come prepared with extra film. After the trip, interested folks can join us for lunch in Half Moon Bay. Reservations for whale watching are required and space is limited to the first twelve individuals. Please send payment of $29.00 (per person) and a self-addressed stamped envelope with a return address to Sanborn Park Hostel for confirmation of your reservation and additional information.

Organization: Sanborn Park Hostel
Date: Saturday, 28 March 1999
Trip leader: Mark Hougardy
Participants: 12