Pioneering long-distance hikers began walking the OCT border-to-border since the late 1980s. Pacific Crest Trail “refugees” get credit for popularizing the OCT in 2017, when the PCT experienced unusually high snowpack in the Sierra followed by wildfires in Oregon and Washington; those hikers began peeling off the PCT and onto the OCT while they waited for conditions in the high country to change. And word spread. 

An OCT thru-hike typically takes less than a month —even less if you skip the road walking and take the bus— because thru-hikers tend to average at least 15 miles a day (longer than most backpackers).

Getting to/from the trail: See details under PARKING AND PERMITS.

quirks of the oct

Whether this is your first thru-hike, your umpteeth, or something you’re doing on a break from the PCT, you will find the OCT has a few quirks that make it different from most long-distance trails:

Travel

Vehicles can be left at the north and south trailheads by prearrangement only. See details under PARKING AND PERMITS.

Most hikers find that a southbound hike is much more pleasant, due to the often-strong prevailing north winds of summer.

It’s tempting to thru-hike the OCT in the spring, while you wait for high-country trails to open. But some rivers on the south half of the OCT are too high to wade (even at low tide) until around mid-June.

Amenities

You don’t need to prearrange resupply; food and even gear are available at frequent intervals along the trail.

Avoid drinking surface water (even filtered). Public potable water sources are easy to find every day except on some stretches of the south coast; there you’ll either need to carry extra water or take your chances filtering at a lake or a stream at low tide.

Camping is different on the OCT. Only in a few places can you legally do dispersed camping or beach camping. Usually you will sleep in inexpensive state park hiker-biker camps (or more expensive private campgrounds or motels). See details under OVERNIGHTING.

Use toilets wherever you can. There are lots of public toilets on the OCT; use them. Where you can’t, follow Leave No Trace principles (mainly in the dunes south of Florence).

Things change!

The Oregon Coast is a very dynamic landscape. Trails, public and private campgrounds, and boat ferries may be closed. Check the TRAIL CONDITIONS page while planning your hike. Use the FarOut navigational app and consider joining the OCT Facebook Group to get the latest updates from fellow hikers.