Pair your epic day hikes with overnight stays that support the Coast.
Dramatic views await along every step of the Oregon Coast Trail — a remarkable combination of trails, paths and roads that traverses the state’s 363-mile public coastline. Those sites include rugged headlands and top-down views of coastal cities, up-close looks at the geological forces that shaped the region and quiet beaches at the base of towering cliffs.
To help inspire your next adventure, we’ve brought together three magical day hikes along the Oregon Coast Trail — along with suggestions for overnight stays. Each hotel or motel that we’ve highlighted supports local conservation causes, so your stay will help local nonprofits and their missions to make the Oregon Coast a better place for visitors, residents, landscapes and wildlife.
North Coast: Follow a New Trail to the Heights of Neahkahnie Mountain
For years hikers could gaze out over the community of Manzanita from the forested slopes of Neahkahnie Mountain but couldn’t walk between the sites. That all changed in 2020, when a stretch of trail made the Manzanita to Neahkahnie Mountain trail a reality. Today the 7-mile round-trip hike begins on Nehalem Road at the northern edge of Manzanita, crosses land managed by the Lower Nehalem Community Trust, passes groves of summertime foxglove blooms and ascends through stands of towering Sitka spruce. The south-facing Neahkahnie Mountain Viewpoint invites hikers to get a bird’s eye view on Manzanita, Nehalem Bay and Cape Lookout near the horizon.
The trek was made possible by Northwest Youth Corps and Trailkeepers of Oregon, a nonprofit that provides trail-stewardship services across the state and hosts regular trail parties, where the public is invited to help maintain and preserve hikes for future generations.
After your adventure, kick back with the waves at your feet at Manzanita’s Ocean Inn, part of the Kind Traveler’s Every Stay Gives Back program. The cozy complex comprises 10 spacious rooms, all of which come with full kitchens or kitchenettes and private patios or balconies. Most feature ocean views, and all are mere steps from the shore. A portion of your stay supports the North Coast Land Conservancy, which is working to conserve the state’s waterways and coastal lands.
Central Coast: Get Close to the Rugged Shore in Yachats
Through large stretches of shoreline in Yachats, the Pacific Ocean doesn’t crash into a soft, sandy beach but rather basalt outcroppings that formed up to 56 million years ago. See it all up close on the 1.4-mile round-trip 804 Trail, which starts from a trailhead at Smelt Sands State Recreation Site and hugs the coastline in the heart of town. Views along the flat, mostly paved or packed natural surface path alternate between the Pacific Ocean and coastal forests of Sitka spruce.
You don’t have to look far for an overnight getaway after your time on the trail. Overleaf Lodge & Spa and The Fireside Motel, both run by the same ownership group, sit alongside the 804 Trail in the heart of Yachats. Overleaf delivers a taste of luxury with in-room whirlpool tubs that overlook the Pacific Ocean, while the Fireside offers a cozy stay with locally crafted snacks and loaner DVDs — and both lodgings provide in-room fireplaces for maximum coziness. A portion of each stay benefits the Yachats-based nonprofit View the Future, which maintains the 804 Trail, or the Cape Perpetua Collaborative, a culture and stewardship organization.
Farther north in Newport, the luxurious Agate Beach Motel looks out over its namesake stretch of coastline. It has a handful of family-friendly suites that come with private decks and fully equipped kitchens or kitchenettes. It’s also part of the Kind Traveler program, and a portion of every stay is donated to the nearby Oregon Coast Aquarium.
South Coast: Descend to a Quiet Cove From the Heights of Cape Sebastian
The out-and-back Cape Sebastian Trail starts from a parking area atop Cape Sebastian State Scenic Corridor and descends gradually to a semi-secret beach below. In all, the 3.8-mile round-trip hike drops through a hall of salal and a forest of old-growth Sitka spruce before leveling out just above the coast. Numerous clearings offer wide-open ocean views — watch for harbor seals and sea lions playing in the surf — and a series of cables provide assistance for the final short, typically muddy descent to the base of Hunters Cove. Check local tide tables and avoid high tide, when Hunters Cove may be inaccessible.
Retire for the night to The Wildflower Inn, a chic boutique in Gold Beach also part of the Kind Traveler program. Each of the hotel’s five spa-like rooms comes outfitted with plush seating areas, vintage furniture and modern decor. The Wildflower Inn’s two spacious suites also include soaking tubs. A portion of each stay benefits the Elakha Alliance nonprofit, which brings together advocates, tribal leaders and conservationists to work to restore Oregon’s sea otter population.
Wherever you rest after a busy day of exploration, learn about how you can give back with every stay to benefit local nonprofits — and how you can visit the Oregon Coast like a local.
– By Matt Wastradowski
Top photo: Jeremy Burke