The Trails
Walking Neahkahnie: The Best Half-Day on the Coast
Neahkahnie is the mountain you see from the beach — the dark, forested headland that falls into the sea at the south end of the strand. The hike to its shoulder is the finest half-day walk within reach of the front gate, and you can be on the trail fifteen minutes after breakfast.
Which trailhead
There are two ways up, and they are not equal. The south trailhead, off the highway, is the one to choose: roughly 2.8 miles round trip and about 865 feet of climb to the overlooks. The Manzanita-side trailhead is longer and steeper — closer to 7 miles and 1,600-plus feet — and worth it only if you want the workout. Most guests take the south route, and most are glad they did.
What it is like
The trail climbs through spruce and salal in a series of switchbacks, cool and green and smelling of the sea even before you can see it. Then the forest opens and the whole coast is suddenly below you: the seven-mile beach, the Nehalem spit, the bay behind it, and on a clear day the curve of the shore running south past Cape Falcon. It is the view that explains why people keep coming back to this particular stretch of the Pacific.
Bring a layer you don't think you'll need. The summit makes its own weather, and the wind off the water does not care what the village was doing when you left it.
If you have more time
The same state park — Oswald West — hides two more short, beautiful walks: the descent to Short Sand Beach through old-growth forest, and the Cape Falcon trail out to a long ocean overlook. String them together and you have a full, satisfying day, with the bath and a quiet dinner waiting at the end of it.
The honest details
Boots or trail shoes; it can be muddy year-round. Water and a snack. Start in the morning if you can — coastal fog tends to lift as the day warms. And tell us at breakfast that you're going; we'll point you to the trailhead and have you back well before dark.
— With warmth, from the garden.
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