Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
10/29/21 - 11/01/21
Route map on AllTrails:
https://www.alltrails.com/explore/map/o ... 21-3207225
Fun trip with a changing variety of terrain and landscapes and lots of wildlife! Always surprised how you can have a whole stretch of miles of the beach sometimes all to yourself along the Oregon Coast. Beautiful sunsets and sunrises with the wet sand reflecting the clouds and sky. The headlands are neat because they're like mountain hikes with great ocean views (Cape Lookout, especially). And often a lot of mud! Cape Kiwanda had a series of fenced off viewing areas of the offshore haystack rock and the interesting, layered rock formations and arches that have been formed by the pounding surf. Lots of birds in several places; thousands of migrating waterfowl in Tillamook Bay, clusters of gulls and ducks around Sand Lake Estuary, common murres and black oystercatchers at Cape Kiwanda. At Sand Lake beach, families raced dune buggies and ATVs up and down the dunes on a beautiful Sunday. It looked really fun, and there were surprisingly women and girls along with the guys. Feral domestic bunnies roam all over Webb County Campground, and they are super adorable!!
Roadwalks were not too bad on this stretch of the OCT. Wear high visibility bright colors on roadwalks. Worst stretch was coming out of Tillamook on Highway 131 until I got to Bayocean Road.
Gear Notes:
Waterproof socks (Randy Sun, $23 on Amazon) held up well for the 4th trip. Compression socks at night helped a lot with recovery not only for hiking but also for running. Pre downloaded Netflix and ebooks with a 30,000 mAh battery helped pass away long nights.
Campsites:
(1) Bayocean spit firering
45.537824, -123.943231
Officially camping isn't allowed on Bayocean Spit. Bonnie Henderson's book "Day Hiking the Oregon Coast"
points out several campsites at the northern end around where hikers can get rides from local fishermen based in Garibaldi.
I saw a pair of backpackers who took one of the prime spots next to the water at the northern tip.
Practice Leave No Trace when stealth camping. Great view of sunrise on bay side.
(2) Cape Lookout State Park
Hiker Biker campsite, $8
Almost right on the beach. Grassy area and great view of sunset, also sunrise. Lots of people renting the nearby family cabins
(3) Fisherman's Day Use Area
Hiker Biker campsite wasn't marked. Mentioned in Bonnie Henderson's book "Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail"
Used one of the picnicking areas furthest from the parking lot
Full bathroom available at the adjacent Sand Lake campground
The estuary is pretty and has birds all over in clusters
(4) Cape Kiwanda stealth camp
Alternatively, Webb County Campground $20 feels like a converted city park and parking lot
The plus were all the feral domestic bunnies
Dunes were windy at night
Wildlife included: peregrine falcon, northern harrier, American widegon, surf scoter, gulls (Western, etc.), belted kingfisher, seals, American kestrel, red-tailed hawk, double-crested cormorant, common and hooded merganser, flocks of buffleheads, deer, bunnies!
Public Transportation: $20 + $3 = $23
Tillamook Bus #5 $20 round trip Portland to Tillamook Transit Center
Tillmook Bus #4 from Pacific City to Tillamook Transit Center $3
Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
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Last edited by rydccoc on November 3rd, 2021, 12:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
A few more pics
Re: Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
I bet "feral domestic bunnies" is an unusual phrase. Let's see what Google says. Wow, I was wrong, quite a few results.
Re: Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
Always nice to get more info on camping situation on OCT. Lots of guesswork and hoping for the best planning trips on it.
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Re: Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
Great report and pics! Yeah, the mud can be terrible on the coast. The climb up from cape Meares was crazy slippery last time I was down there. Some of the trails going over the heads are so eroded it can feel like walking in a ditch.
Re: Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
A friend figured out the mystery of the bunnies and then I guess it's actually a big problem in Cannon Beach. I was always thinking they were someone's escaped pet or they were free range roaming. Google search shows Las Vegas has a big bunny problem too! Funny, cute, and sad at the same time.
https://abandonedrabbits.com/blog/the-b ... multiplied.
https://www.dailyastorian.com/archives/ ... 5d0d5.html
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/f ... -las-vegas
https://abandonedrabbits.com/blog/the-b ... multiplied.
https://www.dailyastorian.com/archives/ ... 5d0d5.html
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/f ... -las-vegas
Re: Trip Report Oregon Coast Trail Three Capes
“The options are to kill them or to trap them … And then kill them,” St. Denis said.
“I think the winter will do a lot of the work for us,” he said.
People see poor bunnies out there and feel sorry for them
People feed the poor bunnies
The bunnies are nourished enough to reproduce
The bunnies grow exponentially, adding to the problem
repeat
viscous cycle
“I think the winter will do a lot of the work for us,” he said.
People see poor bunnies out there and feel sorry for them
People feed the poor bunnies
The bunnies are nourished enough to reproduce
The bunnies grow exponentially, adding to the problem
repeat
viscous cycle