Backpacking Tillamook Head

On April 12^th 2008, Kim and I went backing from Seaside to Tillamook Head and then on to the hikers camp near Cannon Beach in Ecola State Park. The weather this weekend was great, in fact it was the best weather that we have had in some time. This was evident in the amount of traffic heading from Portland to the coast. Traffic aside; it is still a nice drive. After an hour and a half driving we finally arrived in Seaside, we drove up the road leading to the trailhead and when we arrived I was very surprised to see a sign that said “No overnight parking”. In all my preparation and reading for this trip I never read anything saying that we couldn’t park at the Seaside trailhead. So what to do, we decided to drive back down the road and see if there was another place we could park. I wasn’t about to get back on the 101 and drive to Cannon Beach. Luckily about ¼ miles down the road we found a spot to park. Wasting no time we pulled in, grabbed our stuff and started hiking up the road to the trailhead. The trailhead was nice enough; the trail is wide and had been cleared out from the winter storms. It wasn’t long after getting on the trail head that we started to gain elevation. Switchback after switchback we climbed the hill. After a while we got up to the top, looking back at where we had come from it was immediately obvious that the work was worth it. The scenery up here is great. If you don’t have a great view of the Pacific Ocean then you are looking at a lush green coastal forest full of life. Although the weather was great and the trail had been cleared, there was still a lot of mud which made progress a bit slow at times. No worries though, just trudge through it. About half way to the hiker’s camp we stopped for lunch. We sat with our legs hanging over a missive cliff overlooking the ocean. It was a great place for lunch. We finished eating and headed for the camp. Shortly thereafter we arrived at the camp and saw 8 tents setup. My first reaction was that the shelters were full and people were pitching their tents, a problem for us since we didn’t bother to bring our tent. However, when we looked around the shelters were empty. I guessed that the tents must have belonged to the large group of Boy Scouts that we saw at the trailhead. No matter, we unpacked, I rested and Kim wrote in the visitor’s book. About an hour later the Boy Scouts arrived. A bit annoying, sure, but they weren’t that bad. We all shared the picnic table and shelter while making our meals.

 

Later in the evening, after dinner, Kim and I headed out towards the lookout point to watch the sunset. We were only an hour early but this gave us time to talk and horse around. As time went on more and more of the Boy Scouts showed up to watch the sunset, I must admit that even though it was Kim’s idea to watch the sunset, I really enjoyed it as well. Having Terrible Tilly (an old lighthouse) in the background truly added to the whole experience. After sunset, we headed back to camp, sat around the fire and listened to stupid Boy Scout stories. Before too long we decided to go to bed.

The next morning when we woke up the Boy Scouts were gone and we essentially had the place to ourselves. We took our time in getting fed and packed up. The weather was not as nice today, but not all that bad for the Oregon coast. We headed out and back up the hill, when we reached the top we were in the middle of a very low and very thick marine layer. As the clouds drifted through the trees, the water could condense on the branches and large drops of rain would fall on us. This wasn’t all that unwelcome as I was hot hiking with all that gear on my back. I started to notice that the mud holes that we had walked through just the day before were now mostly covered with down branches. At first it wasn’t all that bad, but then it became excessive. On their way back up those Boy Scouts had covered all the mud holes with branches. While this might sound like a good idea, it isn’t, and any Boy Scout should know it. The branches are organic material, and therefore will break down and make the problem worse. Not to mention that having all these branches strewn across the trail poses it own set of hazards. At one point I was following Kim through one of these patches, when she stepped down a branch stuck up and stabbed me in the shin. When I finished cursing, I began to curse the Boy Scouts and there leaders for making such a damn mess of the trail. Hey, Boy Scouts, you are out hiking, if you don’t like a little mud stay home.

Boy Scouts aside, this was a great trip. The trail is nice, the scenery is fantastic and the wood shelters are fun to sleep in. You should note though that this is a very popular trail system. Even in the middle of April there were a lot of people coming through camp. If planning a visit in the summer bring a tent just in case.

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Trail Details
Length: 4.8 miles each way.
Elevation Change: ~1100 ft.

 

Maps
Google Earth

Photos
Click here to see the photo gallery

Other Sources
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_188.php
http://www.oregonstateparks.org/images/pdf/ecola-clatsop-map.pdf
http://www.oregon.com/hiking/tillamook_head.cfm

Getting There
Getting there is a snap. From Portland drive West on highway 26 all the way to Seaside. Here is a map that will get you all the way there.