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Difference between revisions of "Cape Lookout"

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[[Category:Oregon Coast]]
 
[[Category:Oregon Coast]]
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[[Category:State Parks]]
 
[[Category:Viewpoints]]
 
[[Category:Viewpoints]]
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[[Category:Moderate Hikes]]
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[[Category:Geologic Features]]
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[[Category:Volcanic Features]]
 
[[Category:Wildlife Viewing]]
 
[[Category:Wildlife Viewing]]
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[[Category:Destinations]]
  
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[[Image:Capelookout.jpg|thumb|400px|View of Cape Lookout from the south]]
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[[Image:Kiwandaview.JPG|thumb|400px|Looking southward toward Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock from the Cape Lookout Trail. ''(cfm)'']]
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[[Image:whale.jpg|thumb|250px|Grey whale navigating around the tip of the cape.]]
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[[Image:Capelookouteagle.jpg|thumb|250px|Bald Eagle perched in a cliffside tree. ''(Mike Wilson)'']]
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[[Image:Capelookouteagle.jpg|thumb|300px|Eagle perched in a cliffside tree(Mike Wilson)]]
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[[Image:Capelookout1.jpg|thumb|250px|Morning fog on Cape Lookout. ''(Steve Hart)'']]
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[[Image:Capelookout2.jpg|thumb|250px|Paintbrush near the end of the trail. ''(Steve Hart)'']]
  
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{{Start point|Cape Lookout Trailhead}}
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* Hikes to this location:
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* End point: [[Cape Lookout]]
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** {{Hike ring|trailhead=Cape Lookout Trailhead|hike=Cape Lookout Hike|log=Cape Lookout Hike/Log|previous=Cape Lookout Crash Site|next=Cape Lookout}}
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* Hike Type: Out and Back
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** {{Hike ring|trailhead=Cape Lookout Day Use Trailhead|hike=Cape Lookout North Hike|log=Cape Lookout North Hike/Log|previous=Cape Lookout Crash Site|next=Cape Lookout}}
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{{Distance|5 MILES}} round trip
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{{Elevation gain|800 FEET}}  
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{{Difficulty|Moderate}}
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* Seasons: All year
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* Family Friendly: Yes, but the trail is near steep cliffs at the end of the hike
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* Backpackable: No
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* Crowded: No
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=== Hike Description ===
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{{Maplinkinfo|latitude=45.33773|longitude=-124.00682}}
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[[Cape Lookout]] is the best spot on the coast for whale watching (without getting in a boat). As the migrating grey whales parallel the shoreline in fall and spring, they need to detour around this 2 mile long peninsula that juts westward into the Pacific Ocean.
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{{Elevation|800 feet}}
  
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Start at the [[Cape Lookout Trailhead]] and hike westard through a lush Old-growth forest. The massive trees here are Sitka spruce, whose thick limbs are laden with moss and huge primeval ferns. These NW maritime trees grow only in a narrow strip on the Pacific coast from Alaska to southern Oregon.  
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=== Description ===
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According to Ellen Morris Bishop in Hiking Oregon's Geology, Cape Lookout is "the elongate cast of a coastal valley and channel system that was filled by a Columbia River basalt flow about 15.5 million years ago". The harder basalt has persisted while the Pacific Ocean has slowly eroded the surrounding coastline resulting in a dramatic 2+ mile long peninsula jutting westward out to sea." There are three hikes available here: the [[Cape Lookout Hike]], the [[Cape Lookout South Hike]], and the [[Cape Lookout North Hike]].
  
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The trail is slightly downhill, and often muddy with occasional boardwalks to span the worst sections. After about 1/2 mile of hiking, you will come out of the trees for a view south near the site of a B-17 bomber that crashed here in 1943. There are reports that some of the plane fuselage is still present in the area, but the underbrush is so impenetrable, it would be very difficult to find. A plaque set into a boulder along the trail records the event. You will re-enter the forest for most of the remainder of the hike until you emerge near the tip of the cape. Hold onto the little ones when you come out of the trees, as you will be walking along the sheer southern cliffs that plunge almost straight down into the ocean 400 feet below. There is a bench and open area at the tip for enjoying your whale watching perch. Retrun the way you came.
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The tip of Cape Lookout is a great place to watch whales migrating up and down the Oregon Coast. The abrupt two mile finger of land forces the whales to swim out and around the point.
  
  
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=== Maps ===
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=== Guidebooks that cover this destination ===
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{{Hikemaps|latitude=45.337|longitude=-124.003}}
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* Hiking Oregon's Geology, by Ellen Morris Bishop
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* 100 Hikes on the Oregon Coast, by William L. Sullivan
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{{TripReports|{{PAGENAME}}}}
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* [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/thread/6601.aspx trip report from 9/10/06]
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{{RelatedDiscussions|{{PAGENAME}}}}
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* (Click [http://portlandhikers.com/forums/AddPost.aspx?ForumID=141 here] to ask a question or start a conversation)
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=== Guidebooks that cover this hike ===
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100 Hikes on the Oregon Coast by William L. Sullivan
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=== More Links ===
 
=== More Links ===
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* See more information at [http://www.somewebsite.com Describe the link here]  
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* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Lookout_(Oregon)  Cape Lookout (Wikipedia)]
  
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=== Contributors ===
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== Contributors ==
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* [[User:cfm|cfm]] (creator)
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* [[User:CFM|CFM]] (creator)

Revision as of 02:31, 12 April 2014

Looking southward toward Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock from the Cape Lookout Trail. (cfm)
Bald Eagle perched in a cliffside tree. (Mike Wilson)
Morning fog on Cape Lookout. (Steve Hart)
Paintbrush near the end of the trail. (Steve Hart)

Contents

Description

According to Ellen Morris Bishop in Hiking Oregon's Geology, Cape Lookout is "the elongate cast of a coastal valley and channel system that was filled by a Columbia River basalt flow about 15.5 million years ago". The harder basalt has persisted while the Pacific Ocean has slowly eroded the surrounding coastline resulting in a dramatic 2+ mile long peninsula jutting westward out to sea." There are three hikes available here: the Cape Lookout Hike, the Cape Lookout South Hike, and the Cape Lookout North Hike.

The tip of Cape Lookout is a great place to watch whales migrating up and down the Oregon Coast. The abrupt two mile finger of land forces the whales to swim out and around the point.


Guidebooks that cover this destination

  • Hiking Oregon's Geology, by Ellen Morris Bishop
  • 100 Hikes on the Oregon Coast, by William L. Sullivan

More Links

Contributors

  • CFM (creator)
Retrieved from "https://www.oregonhikers.org/w/index.php?title=Cape_Lookout&oldid=49861"
Oregon Hikers Field Guide is built as a collaborative effort by its user community. While we make every effort to fact-check, information found here should be considered anecdotal. You should cross-check against other references before planning a hike. Trail routing and conditions are subject to change. Please contact us if you notice errors on this page.

Hiking is a potentially risky activity, and the entire risk for users of this field guide is assumed by the user, and in no event shall Trailkeepers of Oregon be liable for any injury or damages suffered as a result of relying on content in this field guide. All content posted on the field guide becomes the property of Trailkeepers of Oregon, and may not be used without permission.