Once again I’m back with a quick overview of the stats and metrics for the things I encountered on my most recent thru-hike – the Oregon Coast Trail (aka the OCT). This end-to-end trail begins at the state’s northern border with Washington and runs down the entire Oregon coastline to the California border.

I completed the entire trail between June 9, 2021 and July 16, 2021, but I tackled this long-distance trek in a completely different manner than any other prior trail. I broke it down into three distinct segments: The Northern Coast, the Central Coast, and the Southern Coast.

Between each segment I went back home to Eugene, Oregon, to take care of some family and personal commitments before returning to the trail to pick up where I left off. Consequently, it took me a bit longer to hike the OCT than it would have if I’d hike continuously from one terminus to the other with just the occasional zero (rest day).

So without further ado, here’s a summary of my OCT thru-hike by the numbers.

OVERVIEW

• Official Length of the OCT:  380-425 miles – varies depending on how you approach water crossings
• Distance of my OCT thru-hike: 399.4 miles
• Permits required to hike the OCT:  0 
• Closest town to the northern terminus: Astoria, OR
• Closest town to the southern terminus: Brookings, OR
• Highest point on the OCT:  1,552′  (Oswald State Park near Neahkahnie Mountain)
• Lowest point on the OCT:  Sea level 

The Terrain

• Percentage of OCT I hiked on beaches/sand: 46% (183 miles)
• Percentage of OCT I hiked on dirt trails: 22% (85 miles)
• Percentage of OCT I walked on paved roads: 32% (128 miles)
• Sections of trail closed from storm damage in 2020: 3 (8.6 miles total)
• Major river and bay crossings required: 16
• Number of rivers I forded: 5
• Number of boat rides I took across: 1 – Nehalem River
• How I crossed most rivers/bays: Walked around to an existing bridge
• Longest roadwalk around a river: 12.5 miles – Umpqua River
• Longest bridge I walked across: 5, 305′ – McCullough Memorial Bridge over Coos Bay
• Mountain tunnels I had to walk through: 2
• Length of each tunnel: 1,228′ (~1/4 mile)
• Islands I walked across: 1 (Bolon Island in the middle of the Umpqua River)
• Number of hitches: 3 (around Tillamook Bay and through urban areas of N. Bend & Gold Beach)

How I Hiked the OCT

• Number of segments I broke the OCT down into: 3
• Segment 1: Northern Coast: 139.8 miles (Columbia River to Depoe Bay)
• Segment 2: Central Coast : 130.8 miles (Depoe Bay to N. Bend)
• Segment 3: Southern Coast: 128.8 miles (Coos Bay to CA border)
• Duration spent hiking each segment: 6 days each
• Total days spent actually hiking the OCT:  18 days
• Rest between each segment: About a week
• Total days start to finish: 37 days (including the breaks between segments)
• Overall average miles I hiked per day:  22.2 miles
• Longest distance day on the OCT:  28.1 miles 
• Shortest distance day on the OCT: 11.1 miles 

TRAIL HIGHLIGHTS

• Towns the OCT passes through: ~ 20
• State parks the OCT goes past: 19 (jumps to 21 if you take the detour out to Cape Arago)
• State recreation areas/sites along the route: 26
• National Recreation Areas or sites: 3
• Wildlife refuges or research preserves: 6
• Whale watching centers: 1
• State natural areas: 6
• Scenic corridors: 2
• Military battle sites: 2 (Fort Stevens & Battle Rock)
• Smallest navigable harbor in the world : 50′ (located at Depoe Bay, OR)

What I ate and Drank

• My longest water carry: 17 miles (Umpqua Lighthouse SP to Horsefall Beach)
• My longest food carry: 2 days
• Number of breweries the OCT passes: 23 + 1 cider mill
• Number of breweries I stopped at on my thru-hike: 8
• Times I carried a local beer out of town to enjoy in camp: 6
• Local coffee stands I stopped at: 4
• Wild things I ate: salmonberries and blackberries
• Best town food I enjoyed: Chile relleno burrito in Florence, OR
• Most overrated town food: Mo’s clam chowder

Where i slept

• Nights I actually spent camping on trail: 15
• Number of stealth camp spots: 3
• Number of nights sleeping in a rustic log shelter: 1 (Tillamook Head)
• Nights I stayed in Oregon State Park hiker-biker camps: 7
• Cost of hiker-biker camps: $7-8/night
• Nights spent at county campground: 2 (Barview Jetty & Boice Cope Park)
• Nights spent in private campground: 2 (Gold Beach)
• Best hiker-biker camps: Bullards Beach State Park & South Beach State Park

People on the OCT

• Fellow OCT thru-hikers I met: 1
• Day hikers: Dozens
• Busiest trail section of the OCT: Amanda Trail to Cape Perpetua
• Number of cyclists I met in the OCT’s hiker-biker camps: 16
• Number of foreign cyclists: 2 (German & Romanian)
• Longest distance anyone was riding down the coast: 1,000 miles (Seattle, WA to Santa Cruz, CA)
• Most paragliders I spotted at one time: 4 (near Cape Kiwanda)
• Most windersurfers I spotted on the ocean: 15-20
• Location with the most windsurfers: Floras Lake
• Jet skiers riding the waves near Sand Lake: 8
• ATVs/OHVs on the beach: Hundreds!
• ATV riders I hung out with and played dominoes with one evening: 3
• USDA employees I met out patrolling snowy plover nesting areas: 1
• Number of times I spotted Bigfoot: 0
• Life size statues of Smokey Bear: 1

WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS

• Bear sightings:  0 (though there were signs posted about 2 recent sightings)
• Bald eagles spotted: 8
• Boats in Whale Cove hoping to spot some whales: 4
• Largest seal sighting: 100+ seals on a sand bar in the Alsea River
• Most interesting sighting: a seal playing in the Sixes River only 10 feet from me
• Loudest wildlife: sea lions barking near Newport, OR
• Most annoying wildlife: Snowy plovers (because of their large nesting areas)
• Most colorful sea life spotted: Giant orange starfish and green sea anemones at low tide
• Species of crab spotted: 2 – Dungeness and Red Rock crabs
• Number of crabs or crab carcasses on the beach: Thousands!
• Snake encounters:  2 
• Times a wild turkey tried to attack me on Cape Sebastian: 3

The lighthouses:

• Number of lighthouses still standing along the OCT: 11
• Number that are privately owned: 2 (Cleft of the Rock & Pelican Bay)
• Most remote lighthouse: Tillamook Head Lighthouse (It’s perched on a rock a mile off the coast)
• Shortest lighthouse: 38′ – Cape Meares Lighthouse
• Tallest lighthouse: 93′ – Yaquina Head Lighthouse
• First lighthouse on Oregon Coast: 1857 – at the Umpqua River
• Longest continuously operating light: 151 years – Cape Blanco (1870-present)
• Most photographed lighthouse: Heceta Head Lighthouse

ODDS & ENDS

• Times I got off trail and decided to bushwhack:  2 – what a miserable experience!
• Massively, tall sand dunes I had to hike up: 1 (Cape Kiwanda)
• Days hiking with zero cell service anywhere on trail:  2
• Flattest stretch of the OCT: Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (~36 miles)
• Least maintained area of the OCT: the north side of Cape Sebastian
• Longest stretch of PUDs: 12 miles – Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor
• Coolest thing I found on the OCT: a green agate on the beach
• My favorite spots on the trail: Arizona Beach & Bandon Beach at low tide
• Number of sea caves I waded into at low tide: 1 (Sisters Rock)

WOULD I RECOMMEND THE OCT TO OTHER HIKERS? 

Absolutely! There are so many things that make this trail unique and varied. From the lighthouses and historic sites to the marine wildlife and sweeping views. It was such a unique experience, and I’m so grateful for everything I learned about my home state in the process of walking the length of it.

The biggest perk of this trail was the ease of resupplying. I loved going into the small coastal towns and grabbing a bite to eat, or a freshly brewed coffee, or a sitting down for a local craft beer. It reminded me a little of my first long distance hike on the Camino de Santiago in some aspects.

The biggest downside of this hike (in my opinion) is the roadwalking. No one likes to do it. Especially when you have a giant logging truck bearing down toward you at 55+ mph in the fog and rain! But, if there is an upside, much of the roadwalking also had good scenery because you are high up above the ocean with the ability to stare down the sights below.

I did the OCT as a solo hike, but I’d strongly recommend others consider taking a partner on this adventure. There were very few other thru-hikers to meet along the way and the solitude can feel overwhelming if you are used to hiking on busier trails or with a trail family. You might also want to consider staying as some of the hiker-biker camps along the way (like I did) just to get a good dose of social interaction to feed your soul.

One final word on timing. If you plan to hike the OCT as a traditional thru-hike, I’d recommend giving yourself 24-30 days to really enjoy this unique trail. That schedule keeps your mileage low, allows for a few days off, and gives you the flexibility to time the tides on the trail.

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE Oregon Coast TRAIL?

Check out my other OCT blog posts, including:

• My Day-by-Day Journal from my Oregon Coast Trail Thru-Hike
• 30 Things You Should Know Before Hiking the OCT
• My Complete OCT Packing List
• A Brew-Hike Thru-Hike? (listing out all the breweries and cider mills on the OCT)
• The Lighthouses of the Oregon Coast Trail