My OCT Itinerary

I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t hike the Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) exactly the way I wanted. My itinerary was less than ideal!

In retrospect, I should have gone much, much slower. Eighteen days wasn’t nearly enough time to appreciate everything on this unique route. If I had all the knowledge about this adventure that I have now, I probably would have approached this trail at a much more relaxed pace. But, hindsight is always 20/20.

So, if you’re thinking about hiking the OCT anytime in the future, here’s the daily itinerary from my thru-hike. I’ve included my mileage, where I camped each night, the major water crossings and high tide obstacles I encountered, where you can to resupply (or just get some town food), and so on.

If you are looking for a more manageable itinerary, consider buying Bonnie Henderson’s new guideboook to the Oregon Coast Trail. It didn’t hit the shelves until October 1, 2021 (after my thru-hike was complete), but it has many more camping options that I didn’t even know about or consider.

Day 1

Mileage: 23.4 miles
Start Point: Northern Terminus (Ft. Stevens State Park)
End Point: Ecola State Park
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Gearhart/Seaside
Water Crossings: 1 – Nacanicum Estuary (3-mile detour to bridge)
Where I Camped: Hiker Camp on Tillamook Head (free camping and shelters)
Highlights on OCT: Wreck of the Peter Iredale; Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

Day 2

Mileage: 28.2 miles
Start Point: Ecola State Park / Tillamook Head
End Point: Nehalem Bay State Park
Potential Resupply Towns: 2 – Cannon Beach & Manzanita
High Tide Obstacles: 3 – Silver Point; Humbug Point; Hug Point
Trail Closures: 2 – Arch Cape Trail (2-mile detour on Hwy 101 including Arch Cape tunnel); Neakahnie Mountain (3-mile detour on Hwy 101)
Water Crossings: 0
Where I Camped: Hiker-biker camp at Nehalem Bay State Park ($8)
Highlights on OCT: Haystack Rock (Cannon Beach); Oswald West State Park

Day 3

Mileage: 11.1 miles
Start Point: Nehalem Bay State Park
End Point: Barview Jetty
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Rockaway Beach
Water Crossings: 1 – Nehalem River (boat shuttle across – $10)
Where I Camped: Barview Jetty County Campground (stayed with family at their $30 campsite)
Highlights on OCT: Boat ride across the Nehalem River

Day 4

Mileage: 24.7 miles
Start Point: Bayocean Peninsula Park
End Point: Sand Lake
Potential Resupply Towns: 2 – Tillamook & Netarts
Water Crossings: 2 – Tillamook Bay (Car ride around the bay to Bayocean Spit); Netarts Bay (7-mile paved detour around the bay)
Trail Closures: 1 – North Cape Lookout Trail (3-mile detour on Hwy 101)
Where I Camped: Stealth campsite north of Sand Lake
Highlights on OCT: Cape Meares Lighthouse; Octopus Tree; Cape Lookout

Day 5

Mileage: 27.3 miles
Start Point: Sand Lake
End Point: Cascade Head
Potential Resupply Towns: 2 – Pacific City & Neskowin
Water Crossings: 2 – Sand Lake (7-mile paved detour around lake); Nestucca River (7-mile paved detour around bay)
Trail Closures: 1 – North Cape Lookout Trail (3-mile detour on Hwy 101)
Where I Camped: Stealth campsite on Rainforest Trail
Highlights on OCT: Sitka Sedge Wildlife Area; Cape Kiwanda

Day 6

Mileage: 24.2 miles
Start Point: Cascade Head / Rainforest Trail
End Point: Depoe Bay
Potential Resupply Towns: 2 – Lincoln City & Depoe Bay
Water Crossings: 3 – Salmon River (bridge is park of 2-mile roadwalk on Hwy 101); D River (easily fordable on beach); Siletz Bay (5-mile paved detour around bay)
Where I Camped: Drove home to Eugene (end of first 140-mile section of OCT)
Highlights on OCT: Rainforest Trail; Boiler Bay; Depoe Bay

Day 7

Mileage: 18.8 miles
Start Point: Depoe Bay
End Point: Newport / South Beach
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Newport
High Tide Obstacles: Schooner Point
Water Crossings: 3 – Depoe Bay (bridge directly on OCT), Spencer Creek (easily fordable on beach), Yaquina Bay (bridge on OCT)
Where I Camped: Hiker-biker camp at South Beach State Park ($8)
Highlights: Whale Cove, Otter Crest Loop, Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

Day 8

Mileage: 18.3 miles
Start Point: South Beach State Park
End Point: Wakonda Beach
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Waldport
Water Crossings: 2 – Beaver Creek (fordable on beach); Alsea River (3-mile paved detour to bridge over bay)
Where I Camped: Hiker-biker camp at Beachside State Park ($8)
Highlights: Ona Beach, Seal Rock

Day 9

Mileage: 20.3
Start Point: Wakonda Beach
End Point: Washburn State Park
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Yachats
Water Crossings: 0
Where I Camped: Hiker-biker camp at Washburn State Park ($8)
Highlights: Amanda Trail; Cape Perpetua, Thor’s Well

Day 10

Mileage: 27.2 miles
Start Point: Washburn State Park
End Point: Siltcoos River
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Florence
Unusual Obstacles: 1 – Cape Creek Tunnel (1/4-mile long and no sidewalk or road shoulder)
Water Crossings: 1 – Siuslaw River (8-mile paved detour to bridge inland)
Where I Camped: Siltcoos II campground (Shared campsite with some ATV campers/$1 for shower)
Highlights: Hobbit Trail, Heceta Head Lighthouse, Sea Lion Caves, Oregon Dunes

Day 11

Mileage: 23.7 miles
Start Point: Siltcoos River
End Point: Umpqua River Lighthouse State Park
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Reedsport/Winchester Bay
Water Crossings: 3 – Siltcoos River (1.5-mile detour to bridge/Waxmyrtle Trail); Tahkenitch Creek (fordable on beach); Umpqua River (13.5-mile paved detour to bridge inland)
Where I Camped: Hiker-biker camp at Umpqua River Lighthouse State Park ($7)
Highlights: Oregon Dunes, Bolon Island, Smokey Bear Statue in Reedsport

Day 12

Mileage: 22.5 miles
Start Point: Umpqua River Lighthouse State Park
End Point: Simpson Park / North Bend
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – North Bend/Coos Bay
Water Crossings: 2 – Tenmile Creek (fordable on beach); Coos Bay (5-mile paved detour to bridge over bay)
Where I Camped: Drove home to Eugene (end of second 130-mile section of OCT)
Highlights: Umpqua Lighthouse, Wreck of Sujameco, McCullough Bridge

Day 13

Mileage: 20.7 miles
Start Point: Coos Head / Charleston
End Point: Bullards Beach State Park
Potential Resupply Towns: 0
Water Crossings: 0
High Tide Obstacles: 1 – Five Mile Point (4-mile detour to Whiskey Run)
Where I Camped: Hiker-biker camp at Bullards Beach State Park ($8)
Highlights: Tunnel in Coos Head, Seven Devils State Rec. Site

Day 14

Mileage: 21.3 miles
Start Point: Bullards Beach State Park
End Point: Floras Lake
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Bandon
Water Crossings: 2 – Coquille River (bridge on OCT); New River (fordable on beach at low- to mid-tide)
Where I camped: Campground at Boice Cope County Park ($16 after veteran discount)
Highlights: Bandon Beach; windsurfers at Floras Lake

Day 15

Mileage: 21. 6 miles
Start Point: Floras Lake
End Point: Humbug Mountain State Park
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Port Orford
Water Crossings: 2 – Sixes River (fordable on beach at low tide); Elk River (fordable on beach)
High Tide Obstacles: 1 – Rocky Point
Where I Camped: Hiker-biker camp at Humbug Mountain State Park ($8)
Highlights: Blacklock Point; Cape Blanco Lighthouse; Battle Rock

Day 16

Mileage: 24.8 miles
Start Point: Humbug Mountain State Park
End Point: Gold Beach
Potential Resupply Towns: 2 – Nesika Beach & Gold Beach
Water Crossings: 2 – Ophir Creek (bridge on OCT); Rogue River (2-mile paved detour to bridge inland)
High Tide Obstacles: Arizona Beach
Where I Camped: Turtle Rock RV Resort & Campground (stayed with family in their $33 campsite)
Highlights: Arizona Beach; Sisters Rocks

Day 17

Mileage: 22 miles
Start Point: Gold Beach / Turtle Rock
End Point: Indian Sands Trailhead / Sam Boardman Scenic Corridor
Potential Resupply Towns: 0
Water Crossings: 1 – Pistol River (normally fordable on beach, but no outlet during my hike); Thomas Creek (bridge directly on OCT and it’s the highest bridge in Oregon)
Where I Camped: Turtle Rock RV Resort & Campground in Gold Beach (stayed with family again)
Highlights: Hunters Cove; Arch Rock; Natural Bridges

Day 18

Mileage: 18.4 miles
Start Point: Indian Sands Trailhead / Sam Boardman Scenic Corridor
End Point: Southern Terminus (Crissy Field State Recreation Site)
Potential Resupply Towns: 1 – Brookings
Water Crossings: 1 – Winchuck River (fordable at low-tide, otherwise 1.5 mile detour to bridge on Hwy 101)
Highlights: Cape Ferrelo; Reaching the Southern Terminus of the OCT
Where I Camped: End of Trail

Summary

As you can see from this recap, I was hiking some pretty high mileage days throughout this entire hike. The biggest benefit of this strategy was it allowed me to go through a potential resupply town almost every day of my thru-hike and carry a lighter load.

However, there were several downsides to this ambitious itinerary, namely:

Longer detours for the tides. At the beginning of my hike, I had to add several miles of roadwalking to my journey because I repeatedly needed to detour around headlands that weren’t passible at high tide. I also had to add 7+ unenjoyable miles detouring around Sand Lake instead of crossing the narrow channel because of the tides. As I moved further south on this hike, I smartened up a bit, and I was able to align my mileage and with the tides so I could stay on the beach more.

Extra wear and tear on my body. Beginning a trail by hiking 25+ miles days will take a tremendous toll on your feet, joints, and back. And it didn’t help that I began the trail wearing trail runners, which didn’t have nearly enough cushion in the soles to protect my feet from the long, paved road walks I had to endure. The balls of my feet were so blistered and tender in the first 140 miles of the OCT that I quickly swapped them out for ordinary running shoes for the remaining 2/3 of my thru-hike.

Less exploring. There were several short side trips off the OCT I wished I’d taken. I was just so tired from hiking the big mileage days that I just couldn’t muster the energy to go explore. Once my thru-hike was complete, the regret was so high that I ended up taking several trips back out to the coast to see some of the locations my itinerary didn’t allow – like Cape Arago and Cascade Head. Many OCT hikers don’t live locally, and won’t have that same luxury after their hike. So, my advice is to slow down, and take in those sights during your journey.

Poor timing. If this is your first time on the Oregon Coast, you might want to explore the towns or some of the tourist-type sights along the way. If you are simply focused on the miles, you may arrive at one of these attractions (like a lighthouse, the Sea Lion Caves, or a brewery) too early/late in the day to visit. Missing out on a something you wanted to see just because your hiking schedule doesn’t coincide with their operating hours is a real bummer. So add a few days to your itinerary to appreciate the local attractions on the OCT.

Fewer companions. I hiked the OCT solo, and I didn’t see any other section or thru-hikers after the first day of my hike. Part of this could be due to how few people actually hike this trail. Another reason could be how early in the season I was hiking the OCT. But, if I’m being honest with myself, I know my bigger miles wouldn’t have exactly encouraged other hikers to join forces with me either. Most people aren’t out there to go on a forced death march. So, if you want a social hike where your partner(s) can keep pace, I’d definitely recommend a more relaxed itinerary.

All told, my biggest advice for prospective OCT hikers is to plan at least an extra week’s time to hike this trail. Give yourself 3.5 or 4 weeks for this adventure. By dialing back you’re mileage to something closer to the 16 to 18-mile range, you’ll get most of the same benefits of this itinerary without some of the worst drawbacks.

Happy Trails!