Reddit reviews Backpacking Oregon: From Rugged Coastline to Mountain Meadow

Rosary Lakes or Maiden Lake is a great trip without too much difficult elevation (unless you want it in which case you can go up Maiden Peak too). I also like the trail out to Eddeeleeo lake which is more private trip, usually don't run into other people out there. There's a TON of places around though depending on what you're looking for. Green lakes by south sister is also a great trip. So many good trips! This book has some good suggestions as well.

Crossposted to /r/campingandhiking with some ultralight specific comments here.

I’d never done any real beach hiking let alone beach backpacking so I figured this would be an interesting change from the mountains. This is a section of the Oregon Coast Trail that is entirely on beach or wooded trail and much of it is quite remote.

Pros: Unique hike, beautiful coast

Cons: Lots and lots of walking on soft, slightly slanted beaches

Summary: Too much hiking on a barren beach to get to places you could have reached more easily without all that pain.

Resources:

Backpacking Oregon

Clever Hiker

Richard Hikes trip report

NOAA Tide Charts

Photos: Imgur album

Distance: About 30 miles including walking to/from trailhead to town. Did about 12 miles on days 1 and 2 and then finished the final 5 on day 3.

Gear: Lighterpack gear list. The main considerations for this hike revolve around the sand. You need a free standing tent to camp on the sand. I’d forgotten that my new trekking poles weren’t long enough to set up my TarpTent Rainbow in freestanding mode. Ouch. I'm not sure how many ultralight tents are free standing or have the ability to be set up that way. My Double Rainbow would have been fine had a remembered the trekking pole issue.

The second consideration is how to deal with walking in sand. I opted for my usual trail runners. This was fine when walking on wet sand, but walking on anything but ideal sand conditions will get sand in through the mesh of the shoe. At worst I had to empty my shoes after an hour of walking in pretty soft sand. At best I went half the day. If I were to do it again I’d probably take waterproof hiking shoes and wear gaiters just to keep the sand out. I know that goes against the prevailing sentiment of waterproof hiking footwear here but I'd take the weight penalty if I were doing it again.

I brought my Ursack more for critter control than anything else. This was the first time it was challenged, albeit just by raccoons. They beat it up for about 10 minutes straight in the middle of the night. It was thoroughly muddy in the morning and my ziploc bag was full of holes on the inside. I'd probably make a point to hang it up at least a little bit in a tree to make it harder to access in the first place in the future.

I've now used the ULA circuit on 3 separate overnight or short trips. It's very comfortable and fits me well. I have a long 23-24" torso so finding a good pack has been tough. However it is quite large and probably more than I need for these short trips. I could get something lighter but I do like the ability to carry a bit more weight with the camera gear.

Also, don’t forget the sunscreen! Even partly cloudy skies at 60 degrees will give you quite a sunburn when walking 100% exposed for the entire day. Luckily I was able to mostly compensate with a hat and long sleeves.

Trekking poles may be usual if the rivers are running higher, but I ended up not using mine at all as all the crossings were ankle deep or less.

While I’d love to carry a 10 lb pack, I’ve only managed to get my base weight under 20 lbs. However, I think that’s not too bad for carrying a dSLR and all my gear being large enough to accommodate me (6’4” 275). I realize I could cut some weight in a few places but this kit is good enough for now without spending more cash.

Trip Summary:

I started in Bandon and hiked south. After stumbling across this website I ended up stay at La Kris Inn which is run by this guy who is also an outstanding photographer. He let me park my car there for a few days.

I walked the 1 mile from the inn to the beach to start the hike at Coquille Point. This is a beautiful area and it was a shame to pass it mid-morning and to not get to see it at sunset.

After the first 2 miles or so the beach becomes quite isolated. At this point I went 24 hours without seeing another soul. This is the part that I hadn’t quite absorbed before deciding to do the hike. You will be hiking on sand for the next 17 miles. Most of the beach will not be postcard Oregon Coast with trees and coves and rocks and lighthouses. It will be ocean, beach, and a little foredune for miles and miles. I will admit, however, that watching the waves crash into the beach over and over for hours on end is soothing, mesmerizing, and awe-inspiring.

If you’re lucky, you’ll be hiking after a high tide and can follow the low tide out over nice wet, firm sand. In fact, hiking on hard sand is rather pleasant. However, walking on anything less than this becomes very, very tiresome to the point of shouting obscenities and wanting to give up when you run into soft patches of sand toward the end of the hike.

I planned to camp near the New River around 12 miles in the first night. I’m not sure I actually found the camp or that there is even a camp at all. Mostly I found a spot around the side of the dune that was sheltered from wind, was fairly flat, and had some firm sand that (barely) supported my tent. You’ll want a free standing tent, of course, if you plan on camping on sand (where else are you going to pitch your tent anyway?). However, I had forgotten that my trekking poles only work to make my tent totally free standing if they’re long enough. I had upgraded to lighter (and slightly shorter) trekking poles since buying the tent so I was left to hope the tent stayed upright with stakes in the sand. I was left with 4 out of 6 stakes actually in the sand in the morning and somehow it stood, though I think it was the worst pitch of a TarpTent Double Rainbow ever recorded. I at least got to enjoy a nice sunset on the beach.

I was following the listed itinerary in Backpacking Oregon which planned for just 7 miles on the second day. I quickly realized this would not take long and I could not stand looking at Blacklock Point all day just to set up camp a mile short of it so I decided I would go all the way to Cape Blanco that day instead.

The signage on this trip is lacking, to say the least. Of course, keeping the ocean to your right and beach to your left does the trick most of the time. As you pass Floras Lake there is a single post with a tiny placard reading “Oregon Coast Trail” which vaguely points 50 yards across a cove of sorts to a trail up the dune and into the woods. After following this blessed non-sand trail for a short while you’ll come to an unmarked fork. The trail continues straight which would take you to the airport, instead you’ll want to head down to the right which will get you toward Blacklock Point.

A few spur trails lead to views from the bluff down to the beach. These are the views I was hoping for and are the real highlights of the trip. But again, you can get here without walking 20 miles down a beach. Interestingly, there was a dead beached whale just south of Blacklock Point. Blacklock Point itself would make for a beautiful, if rather windy, campsite, though water is limited. I followed signs to Blacklock Point and then went down to the beach. There are other signs for the Oregon Coast Trail but I’m not sure where they actually lead.

From Blacklock Point I dropped down to the beach and made the 3 mile trip to Cape Blanco. The crossing over the Sixes River just got my shoes wet. Sometimes it doesn’t run at all at this time of year.

There is a trail at the very end of the beach that goes up to the parking lot to the Cape Blanco lighthouse. I took the road into the campground though I believe the trail from the parking lot would get you there as well. There is a hiker/biker camp in A5 for $5 a night. It was nice to have access to water, trash, a bathroom and most importantly solid ground. The camp hosts were wonderful and treated me to dinner and a beer when I checked in.

The next morning I followed the the road from the campground down to the beach to walk the final 5 miles to Paradise Point. The Elk River was my “biggest” river crossing with it being deep enough at the beach to go a little above my ankles.

I walked back on the road from Paradise Point into Port Orford about a mile to take the bus from Ray’s back to Bandon.

The Wallowas is by far the most beautiful part of Oregon there is. It is pretty much unheard of for someone to go there and think differently.

However, it is more of backpacking then hiking, mostly because of the nature of it's location. It is a little late in the season this point, but if you want to really explore Oregon, I can think of no better vacation then a week spent backpacking the Wallowas. Pretty much just go ahead and mark your calendar for next year.

Should note, it isn't super easy. About 2 notches harder than Eagle Creek in the gorge I'd say, but well worth it.

If you are serious about hiking Oregon, I'd suggest the book Backpacking Oregon: From Rugged Coastline to Mountain Meadow.
http://www.amazon.com/Backpacking-Oregon-Rugged-Coastline-Mountain/dp/0899974414/ref=pd_sim_b_2

This is a decent book about popular backpacking routes in Oregon:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0899974414/