On our fourth day exploring the Oregon Coast, we headed south to the tunnel under Maxwell Point, explored the coast at Cape Meares Scenic Viewpoint, returned to Nehalem Bay to ride Horses on the beach, then jumped south to Cape Lookout State Park, and finished our day by getting a site at the Sandbeach Campground.
We packed up early and headed south in the car from our campsite at Nehalem Bay State Park. Yesterday afternoon, Vicki made a noon reservation for horseback riding on the beach with the stock outfit at the campground, so we knew that we would be back. But that wasn’t until later on. Meanwhile, we would explore the coast as far as we could, stopping anywhere that looked interesting, or beautiful, or fun.
One of the items we read about before this trip was the tunnel that someone had bored through Maxwell Point. This seemed like an odd thing to do, but we didn’t care. It was a way to explore the beach at moderate tide levels. As it turned out, we arrived at low tide, so we were able to hike through the tunnel and also go around the point. There were plenty of other tourists out there, too, as it was a popular spot.
The tunnel was fun, but I think that we liked the scenery north of Maxwell Point better. There were lots of sea stacks visible, with many of them accessible on foot due to the tide. Heading south around the point, we only had to pause to wait for a lull in the wave sets in order to pass by with dry shoes.
Heading further south, we stopped at Cape Meares Scenic Viewpoint, a high point along Highway 101. Unlike the coast further north, the beaches in this area were surrounded by steep cliffs. The Oregon Coast Trail stayed up high, not attempting to stay near the ocean with its dangerous rocky surf line.
After that, noon approached, so we headed back north to Nehalem Bay. We arrived in time for Vicki to join another group at Oregon Beach Rides, which offered horse rides along Nehalem Beach. No, I did not partake of this pleasure, not being much of an equestrian. But Vicki loves horses, so I didn’t mind waiting. I decided to fall back on my usual role of photographer and videographer while she had all the fun.
After some instruction from the wranglers, the group headed south along the beach. After they left, I walked up and over the primary dune and took a seat on a driftwood log. I could see them in the far distance. I got out my book and enjoyed the day, which had started with misty rain and now promised a bit of sunshine.
Eventually, the horses and riders returned. I did my job and took some photos. They walked in a sedate line along the beach, just above the surf. There was none of that romantic Hollywood-style galloping through the breaking waves, I’m sad to report. It would have made for a much more exciting video experience. But that didn’t matter to Vicki. She ended up very happy that she took this beach ride. Good times and good memories.
Then we drove south, re-seeing all the coast that we saw that morning. The tide had risen on Tillamook Bay, and a fruit stand was now open for business, so Vicki bought fresh cherries for a snack. The weather finally looked to be changing from the drab coastal cloudiness and mist into blue skies and sunshine. This was more like it!
Next stop: Cape Lookout. There were great views north from the point, as you might imagine from the name. We hung out there and ate some lunch, then headed for the south side of the cape, which had a long hiking trail that led out to the lookout itself. It travelled through lush forest. There were signs along the way that warned of deep mud just beyond the halfway point. We weren’t happy about this, and reports from returning hikers confirmed the muddiness. Sadly, the forest was so thick that we couldn’t see much to the south, but we decided to turn around anyway. Wet feet and muddy shoes in the car didn’t appeal to us.
Soon, we headed down the big hill and entered into the Suislaw National Forest. This forest made it all the way from the mountains to the beach! Specifically, we entered a subset of the forest: The Sand Lake National Recreation Area. This spot was extremely sandy, with dunes and beach areas seemingly made for OHV use. Non-street-legal vehicles were allowed to have fun there. And they did. Luckily, it wasn’t a weekend, so it wasn’t overcrowded with noisy revving quads and motocross bikes.
There was also a campground there, which we decided to use that night. There were plenty of spots available. Supposedly, there were quiet hours and muffler regulations, but we didn’t expect much in the way of compliance. As it turned out, our fears were largely baseless. Everyone was very nice, and we got a good night’s rest.
After paying for our spot, we decided to take a short dayhike along the Sand Lake Estuary. This entire area was totally made out of sand. An impressive amount, really. We wandered around the low-tide estuary and stretched our legs. It felt good after being in the car, and Vicki’s legs definitely liked it after the horseback ride.
Later on, we ate one of our typical car-camping dinners: Mac and Cheese with an added can of Chili. Simple yet filling.
That evening, every so often, we heard the OHV guys revving engines in the distance, but it never really got too loud. This looked to us like a great place to come for some sandy 4WD fun, much like the desert to the east of San Diego, our hometown. I had read that people could drive their cars on the beach in Oregon, unlike in California, and I was hoping to try a bit of it myself. But the sand we saw today was far too deep for my 4WD Rav4. Oh well. Maybe tomorrow, I thought, as we entered the car at sunset. There was plenty of Oregon Coast left to see.
For a topographic map of the hike see my CalTopo Page
For LOTS more photos of the trek see my Flickr Page
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