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Neahkahnie Mountain from South Hike

From Oregon Hikers Field Guide

Revision as of 22:57, 30 December 2022 by Bobcat (Talk | contribs)


TKO put tools to trail here.png
Summit spine of Neahkahnie Mountain (bobcat)
Checkermallow ( Sidalcea sp. ) blooming on the trail
Spruce woods on Neahkahnie Mountain (bobcat)
Looking south from the Neahkahnie Viewpoint (Steve Hart)
The short south side route to the Neahkahnie viewpoint (not a GPS track) (bobcat) Courtesy: Caltopo

Contents

Hike Description

The Oregon Coast Trail crosses Neahkahnie Mountain, so you can access the summit ridge viewpoint from the north or the south. This approach is easier and is the one preferred by families with small children.

The trail switchbacks up four times under a canopy of secondary-growth Sitka spruce and a view towards Nehalem Bay from a meadow where checkermallow blooms. Mountain beaver burrow in this hillside, so make sure you don’t twist an ankle in their large holes. Four more switchbacks take you to an even better meadow view before you enter the forest again and switchback up five times, with the trail getting more eroded and rootier. Coast fawn lilies and trilliums bloom here in the spring. Cross the maintenance track that leads to a radio tower, and make a long traverse on the east side of Neahkahnie Mountain’s south ridge. The forest here is dominated by spruce and hemlock. A somewhat sketchy switchback takes you back along a rock face where a rootball of several trees forms an umbrella over the tread. When you reach the ridge, you can head right up a rocky fin to scramble to the Neahkahnie Mountain Viewpoint, or continue on the trail for a short loop.

If you’re doing the loop follow the trail around to the west side of the rocky spine. Here, since you’re just below the viewpoint itself, the vistas really open up, following Neahkahnie Beach south to the Nehalem Bay Mouth and then all the way to Cape Lookout. Back in the forest, look for a user trail leading right, and then follow this up along the spine, dodging some fallen trees, until you emerge on the rocky basalt crest. The view takes in the town of Manzanita below, Nehalem Spit and Nehalem Bay, Manhattan Beach, Twin Rocks, Bayocean Spit, Cape Meares, Three Arch Rocks, and the two mile-long lava peninsula of Cape Lookout.

When you’re done with imbibing the vista, you can descend the south side of the rocky spine to the trail and return the way you came.


Maps

Regulations or Restrictions, etc.

  • Trails closed 10:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.; no overnight parking
  • Dogs on leash

Trip Reports

Related Discussions / Q&A

Guidebooks that cover this hike

  • Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail by Connie Soper
  • Hiking the Oregon Coast by Lizann Dunegan
  • Urban Hikes Oregon by Adam Sawyer
  • Hiking the Oregon Coast Trail by Bonnie Henderson
  • 120 Hikes on the Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson
  • Day Hiking: Oregon Coast by Bonnie Henderson
  • Best Hikes with Children: Western & Central Oregon by Bonnie Henderson
  • Trips & Trails: Oregon by William L. Sullivan
  • Hiking Oregon's History by William L. Sullivan
  • 100 Hikes: Oregon Coast by William L. Sullivan
  • The Oregon Coast Trail Guide by Jon Kenneke (eBook)
  • Oregon Coast Trail: Hiking Inn to Inn by Jack D. Remington
  • A Hiker's Guide to the Oregon Coast Trail by David E.M. Bucy & Mary C. McCauley
  • Oregon State Parks: A Complete Recreation Guide by Jan Bannan

More Links


Contributors

  • CFM (creator)
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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.

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