All you West coasters

imported
#1

We’re getting a hike together out there, and are looking for information on the California (we have those books), Oregon, and Washington Coast trails. I’ve been all over the internet, but most stuff I’ve found is outdated or irrelevant.

Here are some specific questions:

  1. How complete is the the OR coast trail? How long are the road walks?

  2. Are there guidebooks on the OR and WA? Where?

  3. Are there any journals of anyone who’s hiked the whole or portions of the coast?

  4. Do you know how to arrange a boat across the Smith River near the OR border?

  5. We are leaving in June. Should we start in Mexico or Canada? Why? Which way will we have the winds to our back?

  6. Any special concerns?

Thanks for responding to this lengthy post. Every comment helps us in these early planning stages. I can tell it will be a lot of fun. Anyone interested in coming along for a stretch?

Tha Wookie

#2

my apologies… please be gentle;) Comments still appreciated!

Tha Wookie

#3

Sounds like a great trip! I know that the book “100 Hikes in Washington’s South Cascades and Olympic Mountains” describes most of the Olympic National Park Coastal Strip. The author’s are Harvey Manning and Ira Spring, published by the Mountaineers. If you have trouble locating the book, let me know. I may even part with a few pages of mine. I think in WA, the wind would be more likely to be at your back if you are walking north. Don’t forget your kite. Have a good trip!

john

#4

the difference between rainy washington and sunny washington is drastic. people dont know it, and dont tell them, but it doesnt rain all year. and when it is sunny blue skies and in the 80’s… forget it. july and august are solid bliss. june and september are usually gorgeous. october…i wouldnt recomend. it can be nice, but it can be constant rain too. so if you couldnt make it to WA by late august going north, then i would start there. and man, if youve never been to the peninsula before, i highly encourage you to do something in the heart of it. even if only a day or two. the hoh rainforest, the high divide trail, the skyline ridge trail, the elwha hot springs, and on and on. soak it in. if you want any other info on the peninsula, give me a shout. its my favorite place.

man, call the olympic state park and harass them. they have always been super friendly on the phone. i bet they could answer many of your questions. i want the wind question to be resolved. plus, there are two native reservations on the coast in wa, ask the park what youd have to do to walk through them.

when i googled “oregon coast trail,” this site came up, '99 isnt outdated, is it? http://home.clara.net/hintez/octindex.htm

sykes hot springs, big sur is a good spot. its not very well advertized, so be sure to seek it out. ask a ranger about the hot springs.

your going to keep a trail journal, right? i would love to hear how it goes. great idea homie.

milo

#5

olympic national park

milo

#6

Wookie,
Sounds like you have a great hike coming up. Where are you going to start/end in the north? The northern tip of the Olympic peninsula, or the Canadian/Washington border?

Bankrobber

#7

This site advertises a guidebook for the Oregon Coast Trail, though I’ve never seen book or talked with the company.

http://www.kenneke.com/oct.html

Calling Nature of the Northwest ( http://www.naturenw.org/ ) is probably the best possible source of information.

As I understand, the trail is complete, though there is still a lot of roadwalking on US 101 : The coast is a mix of beach and rocky headlands where cliffs plunge straight into the ocean. Some of these are state parks and have trails, while others hold ridiculously expensive homes, which have to be skirted on the road. River mouths usually hold a town, which again requires roadwalking, but holds the possibility of a brewpub. Check out Pete’s in Cannon Beach, Pelican in Pacific City, the home of Rogue on the bayfront in Newport ( not the restraunt in the brewery on the south end of the bridge !!! ) Pelican serves an oatmeal stout float as a desert ( stout over vanilla ice cream ) that is amazing, though it sounds kinda weird. The brewpub in Astoria ( can’t remember the name ) is pretty good too.

Some parks have hiker / biker campsites, reserved for muscle-powered travellers. It’s otherwise pretty impossible to find a campsite without a reservation ( or a hotel room, for that matter )on the coast on Friday or Saturday nights during the summer.

The Olympic Nat. Park section is amazing - definately heed the park’s advice to carry tide charts and the maps that give the maximum tide height for passage around headlands.

Happy Trails, It sounds like an great trip. Feel free to e-mail with any other questions, especially about the central Oregon coast.

Odin, AT2K, GA->VA<-ME

Odin