Day Hiking – Trailkeepers of Oregon

All Oregon beaches are open to the public up to the vegetation line, and there are plenty of beach access sites. That means that whenever you take a beach walk in Oregon, you are probably on the Oregon Coast Trail. That’s also true of many of the hiking trails in coastal Oregon State Parks.

Why day hike?

Some hikers enjoy walking the entire Oregon Coast Trail as a series of day hikes, over one month or one summer or many years. This approach allows you to skip highway shoulder portions of the trail. You can also skip major bay mouth crossings, unless you are able to incorporate a boat ferry into a day hike. Walk portions of the trail out and back, or take one-way hikes with a car shuttle or public buses. Bus schedules are limited (see BUSES & FERRIES), and parking permits (see PARKING & PERMITS) are required at some (but not all) sites. Taxi service is limited; you may not find ride share services on the road.

planning resources

Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail by Connie Soper is an excellent resource for planning day hikes on the Oregon Coast Trail. Other guidebooks such as Day Hiking: Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson can also help with trail descriptions and maps. You may find navigational apps such as Gaia GPS, AllTrails, and FarOut useful.

popular day hikes

NORTH COast: all beach

For an all-beach hike on the north coast, consider the 6.5 miles between Fort Stevens State Park and Sunset Beach State Recreation Site. This is Day 1 in Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail and miles 3.8-9.6 in the FarOut app (plus 0.7 miles from the parking to the trailhead). It includes the very photogenic wreck of the Peter Iredale. This hike can be an out-and-back, or you can hike the entire length using a car shuttle.

The rusted remains of the bow of a ship rest on sand flats with breaking waves in the distance. All that’s left is the ribs of the structure and the keel. Barnacles are attached to the lower two feet of the 15’ high hull.

NORTH COAST: TILLAMOOK HEAD

Traversing headlands to the next beach is part of hiking the OCT. This 5.3-mile hike over Tillamook Head between Seaside and Indian Beach parking lot in Ecola State Park passes a hiker’s camp that is a good spot for a picnic stop. From here a short out-and-back trail leads to a view of Tillamook Head Lighthouse, clinging to a rock a mile out to sea. Extend your hike another 2.2 miles to the Ecola Point parking lot, or walk 2.3 miles more to Les Shirley Park at the north end of Cannon Beach. Check trail conditions on this website and on the Ecola State Park website, as it can be muddy or have downfall trees to navigate if trail crews have not been through recently. Return as you came, or use a shuttle car. Walking one-way and returning by bus is impractical for most day hikers as it adds additional mileage to reach bus stops at either end.

View from a bluff overlooking the ocean. A small rock rises above the sea in the foreground, and a larger rock with a small lighthouse is in the background.

CENTRAL COAST: ICONIC BRIDGE

The 10.5 miles from Yaquina Bay State Recreation Site to Seal Rock State Park includes the iconic Yaquina Bay Bridge. If crossing a narrow bridge is not your cup of tea, it’s possible to start from the south end and just take photos. It also has a bus service to return to your car (check schedule carefully, as it only runs a few times a day). This hike can be shortened by ending at one of the intermediate bus stops along the way. This hike is Day 16 in Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail and miles 166-176.4 in the FarOut app.

A view from below a bridge crossing a bay opening on a sunny day. The bridge is art deco in style with cement pillars capped with decorative plinths. Between the pillars are three sections of green metal arches. The first and third sections are supported from below, and the middle has a high arch lifting the span from above.

SOUTH COAST: SEA STACKS AND CAVEs

This out-and-back (or car shuttle) in Bandon is one of the most picturesque stretches of beach on the entire coastline. Starting at the South Jetty Park, the hike is 3.7 miles one way on packed sand to exit at China Creek. It passes sea stacks like Sisters, Face Rock, and Cat and Kittens. On the shore side, there are caves in the bluffs. This hike is the last half of Day 30 in Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail and miles 307.7-311.4 in the FarOut app.

A sunny seaside view from above, with several hundred feet of sand exposed by the tide. There is a low rocky bluff on one side and dozens of rocks and small sea stacks on the other. Waves are breaking amid the sea stacks. Small groups of people are walking on the beach.

SOUTH COAST: BEACH and bluff loop

At Whaleshead Beach, the OCT has two alternate routes. They can be combined into a 3.6 mile loop, or the beach portion can be hiked as an out and back. Park at Whaleshead Beach Road and pick up the trail at mile 397 in the FarOut app. The trail descends to the beach where you can hike the beach, then pick up the bluff trail at the end of the beach and loop back on the bluff. Alternately, you can turn around and hike back.

View from a bluff with dense brush in the foreground overlooking a bay with a sandy beach, breaking waves, and two rock formations off shore. In the background, you can see part of the next bay.