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Hiking on the Oregon Coast

Hiking on the Oregon coast offers plenty of opportunities for those looking for a fun family hike, a strenuous workout, or an overnight backpacking trip. The topography of the coast changes from north to south. In the northern portion, from Reedsport south to Coos Bay, the land is fairly flat and dominated by the Oregon Dunes. South of Coos Bay, the land becomes more mountainous, with fewer beaches and more scenic cliffs. The most dramatic sections are from just north of Port Orford, south through Gold Beach and onto Brookings. Finally, the section south of Brookings and onto Crescent City is once again mostly flat although not nearly as sandy as the dunes on the north.

Oregon Coast Trail

The jewel is the Oregon Coast Trail, which traverses the entire length of the coast and continues south as the California Coastal Trail. Access to this trail is easy, with ample parking at several points along US Route 101. This allows the casual visitor a chance to park the car and take the entire family out on a short hike to discover the beauty of the coast that one cannot see by car. For those who are up to more of a challenge, it is possible to park, then hike for several days and camp along the trail or stay at area motels. Portions of this trail that cross rivers or creeks can be very difficult during or immediately after the rainy season presenting serious challenges to dedicated hikers.

Rogue River and Siskiyou Mountains Hiking

A short distance to the east are the Siskiyou Mountains and the National Forest. These offer remote hiking and backpacking. There are also several wilderness areas including the Kalmiopsis Wilderness, Grassy Knob Wilderness, Copper Salmon Wilderness, Wild Rogue Wilderness, and the Siskiyou Wilderness in northern California. Yet the most popular hike into the interior is the Rogue River Trail. This trail is especially well maintained by the Forest Service and the BLM.

GPS Hiking and Google Earth

The availability of inexpensive GPS units has caused their popularity to explode. This website is making available downloadable GPX and KMZ (or KML) files for many of the hikes. GPX files are uploadable to your GPS units to display the path of the hike. KMZ or KML files are available for use with Google Earth to show the path of the hike as well as to playback a movie of the hike. Free maps for GPS units are available at Northwest Trails. The link to these files are located within the detailed description of each hike, typically towards the end.