An overnight outing on the OCT gives you an experience of the Oregon Coast that you can’t get out a car window or even on a day hike. With so many access points and trailheads, you can plan a trip of almost any distance and on any part of the coast, from the busy beaches on the north and central coast to the remote dunes on the south coast, though you will need to plan in advance for overnight parking.

Preparation

All multi-day hikers should be familiar with basic backpacking and backcountry techniques. You may need to wade rivers and work with the timing of the tides. If you get delayed or your plans don’t work out, you could find yourself hiking several extra miles.

You may have to carry extra water (and its extra weight) in sections where potable water isn’t available. You may encounter drenching rain. In an emergency, assistance can take hours to arrive, and cell phones can’t be relied upon due to spotty service. 

A few tips for beginning backpackers

• Try out your equipment (stove, tent) in advance.
• Minimize your gear, including clothing. Limit your clothes to whatever you’ll need if you are wearing everything you require in the worst conditions you can reasonably expect. The less weight you carry, the more enjoyable your walk will be and the less chance you will have of injury, including blisters.
• Expect to walk between one and three miles per hour (experienced and trail-hardened hikers will hike faster).
• Look for stretches of the OCT that don’t include long stretches of highway shoulder walking. 

More Logistics Help

• Visit the OVERNIGHT page where you’ll find details specific to the OCT regarding camping, lodging, potable drinking water, and hygiene/toilets.
• Check the PARKING AND PERMITS page if you plan to leave a car overnight. Check the TRAIL CONDITIONS page to learn if any trails or campgrounds are closed for part or all of the season (get real-time updates on the trail from the FarOut navigational app).
• The Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail guidebook has many more resources to help you plan your OCT trek. 

SUGGESTED OVERNIGHT BACKPACKING TRIPS

These options take an average hiker three to 7 days, averaging 7 to 10 miles a day. They have minimal road walking, and access to public transportation.

North Coast

The North Coast as far south to Garibaldi has the most beach walking and the least highway shoulder walking, but there are some long stretches without camping.

Suggested Route:

Cape Lookout to Neskowin (miles 98-124 in the FarOut navigational app).

Logistics:

Contact Cape Lookout State Park about overnight parking. Bus service is available from Neskowin back to Netarts, leaving a 4-mile road walk back to Cape Lookout. Or set up a car shuttle with a fellow hiker.

Central Coast

The Central Coast has a fair amount of highway and secondary road walking, most of it in short stints. It also has lots of headland trail walking. This is a good stretch for “inn to inn” hiking, especially if you use vacation rentals to bridge some lodging gaps.

Suggested Route:

Beverly Beach south to Cape Perpetua (miles 158-197 in the FarOut navigational app).

Logistics:

Contact Beverly Beach State Park about overnight parking. Bus service is available from Yachats back to Beverly Beach.

South Coast

The South Coast is where you’ll find the only significant dispersed camping (in Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area)  and the most remote beach walking (south of Bandon), but getting across the Umpqua River and Coos Bay is logistically challenging. You’ll have to wade several rivers at low tide, and you’ll encounter the longest highway shoulder-walking stretch (Humbug Mountain State Park to Neskia Beach).

suggested Route:

Start at China Creek south of Bandon (mile 312).

Night 1: primitive campsite in the dunes by the New River (mile 319).

Night 2: Boice Cope Campground at Floras Lake (mile 324).

Night 3: Cape Blanco State Park Campground (mile 330).

Night 4: Port of Port Orford campsite (basically a gravel parking lot, but access to showers at the port) or hotel (mile 338).

Finish at Humbug Mountain State Park (mile 344). This last section includes 1.7 miles on the highway shoulder.

All mile numbers are from the FarOut navigational app.

Logistics:

If you don’t have a car shuttle option: contact Humbug Mountain State Park to request overnight parking. From there the Coastal Express bus (call ahead to request pickup at the park highway entrance) can be used to get within 2 miles of the start point in Bandon (request drop off at Beach Loop Road).