Oregon Coast Trail

June/July 2021

Oregon Coastline

– Southbound from Washington to California –

Miles

Days

Miles / Day

About the Oregon Coast TRAIL

The Oregon Coast Trail (or OCT) is a roughly 400ish-mile trek down the western coastline of the state of Oregon. It begins at the mouth of the Columbia River at the northern border with Washington and runs the entire length of the state down to California.

Thanks to the “choose-your-own-adventure” aspects of the OCT, there is no official distance for this trek. About 80% of the trail is on public beaches or on nearby wooded trails over the headlands and above steep cliffs. There is also quite a bit of roadwalking (often on nearby Highway 101) around the bays, estuaries, and river outlets. However, hikers also sometimes get local fishermen to ferry them across some of the bigger water obstacles instead of taking a multi-mile detour.

This hike was the ideal way to get to know my new home state of Oregon in the summer of 2021. I look forward to posting information about how to navigate the trail, the challenges of beach hiking, my gear, and  some of the lessons I learned along the way!

Trail Journal

Part I – The Northern Coast

 

Part II – The Central Coast

 

    Part III – The Southern Coast

     

      OTHER OCT POSTS

      My OCT Itinerary

      My OCT Itinerary

      Oct 1, 2021 | ,

      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...

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