Hi guys, a friend and I are planning a road trip from OH for the beginning of April and are wanting to end up in Oregon to do some backpacking along the Oregon Coast Trail--ideally a 3-5 night hike. Is this possible given the weather during that time of year? If so, any recommendations for good sections? Thanks!

What would be the best 1 week section to do on the trial with minimal road walking?

It seems doubtful based on what I can gather, but wondering if there are regular trees along the OCT? I generally find stealth camping in a hammock much easier than a tent since it doesn’t require flat ground. I have a tarp and a short uberlight neoair in case I have to go to ground (this worked well for me on the AZT last year). Not sure about the state park camp sites and stuff though. Advice welcome!

Was wondering if there were any low-key places to camp or if anyone offers a yard to put your tent up. Would probably be getting in after dark and out by dawn

Hey y’all, I just wanted to pop on here and note that a reflective vest to hang off the back of my pack was worth the 4 oz to make the road walking a fraction of a bit less sketchy. It has dual function as an extra layer. Also, before a road walk, check Google Maps to see if there are any side roads. I found a few sections where I was able to avoid the highway on the “official route” by just taking a side road or walking through neighborhoods back to the beach. Sorry for y’all that are detouring the PCT due to fires. Stay safe, but more importantly— Have fun!

In early September I'll start from Harris State Park just north of Brookings.

The FarOut app says there are no water sources until Gold Beach, and to avoid filtering from streams. There *was* water 1-2 days later at Whaleshead Beach Resort... but it looks like last week their only store permanently closed, and the building's spigot maybe shut off soon (source: FarOut comments).

I can carry 5-7L of water until I hit Gold's, but I'd rather not :)

I was also hoping to pass through the occasional small town (Coffee! Bacon!) but I don't see anything until 3-4 days in at Port Orford.

What's been your experience?

Hello!! I’m headed out on the oct in a few days and I have found no good options for camping on night one between fort Steven’s state park and tillamook hikers camp. Anyone have any recs for camping near sea side or gearhart or any cheap hostels etc? Feel like I may be running out of options here!!

Thanks in advance

Hello community! I’m hoping to do a small backpacking trip somewhere along the OCT south of Florence over the Fourth of July weekend.

Does anyone here have recommendations for a three mile (give or take) section with a spot to set up camp for a couple of days near a filterable water source? + where to park and enter the oct. (Bonus points for a solid land trail instead of sand!)

I’ve been looking at the maps on stateparks.oregon.gov which are awesome but I can’t find info about fillterable water (aside from the bigger rivers/creeks which I think are too salty that close to the ocean?). Also can’t find info about where the trail is on dirt vs sand. Does anyone know of other resources have this level of detail?

A little background: I’m very new to backpacking and can only handle about 3 miles in a day comfortably. Really hoping to get out more this summer in cooler climates so I can do longer stints closer to home in the less blazing months.

thanks in advance!!

Hey all! What is the sleeping like between these two towns? I know the rule about 1/4 mile out of any town or rec area, but there has to be somewhere to sleep between them.

6.5 days is my guess 💚 man is a monster

I am considering bringing either my melly, my OR super strand puffy, or both. I'm planning on also bringing my bd stretch rain jacket and am trying to figure out what is best. I also am considering just bringing my OR helium rain jacket and my umbrella instead of the BD stretch rain jacket. My thru is gonna be in mid june start to mid July. TIA!

Finished my thru hike a few days ago. Left Warrenton May 1st and got to Crissey Field May 27th.

Here's some notes. It's mostly cautions, with a few nice notes, so don't be scared off - the trip was absolutely phenomenal. Minus the first weekend I had killer weather. The vistas are unparalleled and the pelicans were so numerous. Saw seals frequently, a handful of whales on the north coast, saw some snowy plovers south of Bandon, bald eagles and osprey plentiful. So much beauty. So much hiking and camping. So many sunsets and forest morning walks.

May 1: Warrenton to Fort Stevens HB Camp

Took the bus from PDX to Warrenton, $20 and got dropped off by the Fred Meyers in Warrenton about 11:40. Hiked up through Hammond and the historic Fort Stevens area to the Jetty Road, up the Jetty Road to the Jetty, down the beach, then inland to the HB camp. If you leave from Warrenton, the Warrenton waterfront trail is a nice way to get close to the Columbia and avoid a good chunk of the road to Fort Stevens.

May 2: Fort Stevens HB to Tillamook Head

Long, smooth beach section. They were closing the beach by Camp Rilea later in the morning for firing drills, I made it through and reached the end just as the soldier in the truck was driving up the beach. Water up at Seltzer Park if you plan on staying at the Ecola shelters. There is a stream down the hill from the shelters but I didn't need to use it. Trails over Clarks Mtn/Tillamook Head were largely good and mud-free, I got there before the rainstorm at the beginning of the month. Watch out for side trails off the main trail that can be misleading.

May 3: Tillamook Head to Nehalem Bay.

I do not recommend doing this in one day. Watch the tides and go around the points (Silver, Humbug, Hug) at a minus tide if you can. There's an area just above the bridge across Arch Cape Creek that makes a good bivouac. I reached that around 1pm and decided to keep going - big mistake especially with the inclement weather starting to hit. The wind and rain absolutely sucked. I got to Nehalem Bay after dark, nearly chilled through. Fortunately Nehalem Bay has a great HB area and plenty of hot water in the showers. Oswald West was fine, north side of the trail going into Cape Falcon is very brushy. I skipped Neahkahnie mountain because of the weather and the time.

May 4: Nehalem Bay to Barview Jetty

NOTE: Old Mill RV Resort in Garibaldi is no longer taking tent campers, at all. They're renovating the tent area into more RV parking.

Jetty Fishery ferry is running as usual, it's a great place. This is the only water crossing I took. The seals on the side of the bay were less enthusiastic about the boat coming across than I was. Non eventful approach to Barview Jetty minus wind and rain. Barview Jetty HB area is nice and I'd love to visit it again under better weather.

May 5: Barview Jetty to Cape Lookout:

NOTE: Boat shuttles will be tricky this year. There is construction on the Tillamook Bay South Jetty that has Bayocean Dike Road closed through a good portion of the north end. The folks at the marina said they'd run boats after memorial day, tide dependent, but that folks taking the boat shuttle might have to prepare for a long wade (quarter mile) due to the how shallow the area available for drop off is.

I took the tracks from Garibaldi into Tillamook, then 131 out to Cape Lookout. It was nice skipping the road, railroad ballast is pretty horrible for walking on and watch out for the rail trestles if it's wet. The tracks were obviously disused due to several small slides that covered them. Be aware you may encounter homeless camping.

May 6: Cape Lookout to Sandbeach

NOTE: Cape Lookout north trail is closed due to washouts and trees on bridges. Have to hike the highway to the top and then you can take the south trail to the beach. Saw a bear cub in the clearcut across from the park entrance - park rangers said he roams alone most of the time and sometimes comes into the park to eat salal. They're monitoring it. South trail was good. Don’t expect to cross Sand Lake Estuary without a pretty low tide.

May 7: Sandbeach to Webb County CG.

Crossed the estuary bright and early with a <1ft tide. Nice morning hike down the beach to Cape Kiwanda and into Pacific City. Made my first grocery visit here for a refill on some blister care and food items. Chester's is good but is a mile away from Webb. I'd given myself some good blisters with the wet feet, railroad ballast walking, and overly long days where I was trying to speed hike road sections. After this point my feet toughened up pretty fast though. Grab a beer at Pelican and watch the sunset if you can and are inclined. Shoutout to the lovely Canadian retirees in their RV who invited me over for some hot cocoa the next morning.

May 8: Webb County to Neskowin Creek RV Resort:

Great day. The road section from Pacific City to 101 isn't bad. The rhododendrons were spectacular. There's a really cute farm stand where HWY 130 forks east from 101. Support them. Winema Road to Winema beach was great. The road walk from Neskowin beach access to Neskowin Creek RV resort was great.

NOTE: If you want to stay at Neskowin Creek RV resort, CALL AHEAD and make a reservation. You can do same day but they'll need a nonrefundable deposit if you're not a member of their parent organization. But it's nice, the showers and laundry were good, the meadow camping was a bit dewy in the morning but comfortable sleeping. It's back from the highway and pretty quiet.

May 9: Neskowin to Devils Lake (Gleneden Beach).

Standout day. Hit the north Rainforest Trail over Cascade Head by 9am and had a cool, beautiful, shady forest climb. South side was much warmer and the salmonberries overgrowing the lower portions of the trail were annoying. Heard rumors about a washout but I think I either missed it or it's been fixed enough. The highway section through Neotsu from the 101-18 junction into Lincoln City suuuucks. Take it slow, walk towards oncoming, and be prepared to step into the ditch frequently.

NOTE: Beverly Beach is closed through end of June. From Devils Lake to the next campground where you can tent camp, South Beach SP, is 30miles. I had time afternoon of May 9, so I hopped the bus to Gleneden Beach and hiked north back to Devils Lake. That knocked out 8 miles, so the next day I got the bus early to Gleneden Beach and hiked south to South Beach. Recommend using the bus to break this section up however best suits you. It's cheap ($2) per ride.

May 10: Gleneden Beach to South Beach

Bus to Gleneden Beach. A few road sections, the powerline trails between Fogarty Creek and Whale Cove are very helpful.

Taking the stairs from Devils Punchbowl to Beverly and Moolack beaches is the way to go. I hit Schooner Point at mid-tide - feet got wet but I was able to get around. Be cautious and shoot for low tides. No highway walking needed through Newport. The mini market right before Lighthouse Drive is really nice. Walking across the Yaquina Bay bridge was a bucket list item for me- so cool. Saw an osprey nest on one of the towers below the bridge. Grab a Dead Guy from Rogue before hiking to South Beach if you're inclined.

May 11: South Beach to Beachside:

Nice beach walk minus short sections through Seal Rock and Waldport. And a short highway section in Seal Rock. There was a locked gate at the end of the beach climbout into Seal Rock - it should have been reopened but not sure. Fish and Chips at Luna Sea are great. Low afternoon tide meant I could hit the beach right away as soon as it started in Waldport. Beachside SP had some lowlying flooded areas and wasn't my favorite HB site but the HB area was dry and sheltered. Close to highway.

May 12: Beachside to Perpetua:

Beautiful walk down into Yachats. Trail walk up to Cape Perpetua after crossing the Yachats River. Caffeinate well at Green Salmon before going up Perpetua - you'll need the boost. Great day. Perpetua CG has a HB site - 29A - find the camp host. I think it was $10. It's a nice site with creek access.

May 13: Perpetua to Carl Washburne

The forest trail to Cummins Creek is great. The road walking between Cummins Creek and Rock Creek CG can do unspeakable things to itself. There are sections where there is neither road shoulder nor a flat surface outside the guardrail. I made it through with much anxiety, cursing, and some slipping on the surface outside the guardrail. The beach section from Rock Creek to Carl Washburne was nice, Rock Creek and Big Creek are kind of rocky and swift but not too deep. Washburne is a nice HB CG, very handy to showers, no power station so charge in bathrooms. There's a resident coyote at Carl Washburne, so just be cautious.

May 14: Carl Washburne to Honeyman

Hobbit trail to Heceta is phenomenal, such a view point if weather is clear. Heceta Tunnel. Walked it. Probably shouldn't have. Roads past it are OK shoulder wise. Baker Beach into Florence very windy. Construction on Rhododendron Drive in Florence - check closures and detours. Highway from Florence to Honeyman wasn't bad. Honeyman HB sites are good, didn't like the sharp pea gravel they surfaced with but it was fine. Find a big rock to drive stakes, or meet a cyclist with a hammer.

May 15: Honeyman to Threemile Lake

Mostly uneventful, hiked under grey skies, not many OHV but then again it was a Wednesday. Beautiful crushed shell beaches. Tahkenitch creek crossing at midtide was sketchy, recommend timing for low tide. Should probably have stopped at Carter Lake or Waxmyrtle. Dune walking is hard. Threemile lake has not many sites by the lake but is pretty.

May 16: Threemile Lake to Umpqua LH

Sparrow Park Road is alright. Watch out for the puddles - you'd think the gravel surface would be hard but no, it's very soft and you'll sink over your ankles. Took a halfmile detour to Sugar Shack in Reedsport before hitting the laundromat (nice laundromat) and safeway. Highway stretch into Winchester Bay isn't bad.

May 17: Rest Day at Umpqua LH.

Destroyed a pizza at Bedrocks and went on a tour of the lighthouse. Watched the pelicans diving into the bay at sunset.

May 18: Umpqua to Horsfall Beach.

Lots of OHV in this area unsurprisingly but the beach walk was nice and could mostly ignore the OHV. I was thinking of camping at Bluebill but when I got to the beach exit I decided to head south a short ways and camp just off the beach. Worth it. Especially when I went past Bluebill next day and found out it was closed.

May 19: Horsfall to Sunset Bay.

As soon as I left the beach the bugs were after me. The road past the campgrounds was flooded over about 6" deep for several hundred feet in one section. Bluebill CG was closed (as mentioned) and I could see the entire area was basically still a swamp and hadn't dried out yet for the year. Hiking road through North Bend/Coos Bay was uneventful. Mom's Kitchen was a great breakfast, even if the folks there seemed a little unsure about "person with backpack." It's tiny and tight quarters so if they had been full, I wouldn't have tried to squeeze myself in. Don't miss the Walmart or Big 5 if you need something. Most of the road walk to Charleston is on a nice bike path off the main road.

Sunset Bay is one of the nicest campgrounds, and the beach/bay can't be beat for beauty.

May 20: Sunset Bay to Bullards.

I took the Cape Arago route, I think I missed the easy crossover from the pack trail to the logging road because I had to bushwhack. I don't recommend bushwhacking. Find the easy crossover that I missed. The PCT hikers that were visiting the OCT said they found the easy crossover. Passed a Caterpillar trimming brush on the logging road, operator didn't seem happy to see me, the PCT hikers reported that he lectured them about being there. I couldn't find clear information from the Weyerhauser Recreation site afterwards. Seven Devils Road is steep and gravelly and I grumbled a lot through it.

May 21: Bullards to Floras Lake.

The bridge into Bandon didn't feel too sketchy. Try to get to the beach at low tide. I'd have loved to have primitive camped in the New River area, but didn't have water. I checked out the river but it looked brown and sluggish, with goose droppings all over the bank and cow pasture upstream, so I had zero interest in filtering. Beach south of New River access is steep and soft, wear gaiters if you have them. I didn't. New River crossing at a 2.5' low tide were just above knee deep but I'm 6'2" so factor accordingly. There's a very shallow crossing just past Bandon and a main crossing a couple miles north of Floras Lake. Floras Lake CG has a small laundry facility and pay showers.

May 22: Floras Lake to Cape Blanco.

Blacklock Point is amazing, take the scenic detours. The Sixes River … you can cross it at a 3' low tide but it won't be fun. I think I crossed it around a 4' tide. It was up to my armpits (again, 6'2"). This was after waiting an hour and a half, I arrived when it was uncrossable. I'd shoot for a tide of 1' or less but I made it with my pack dry by holding it above my shoulders. The seals on the other side laughed at my initial attempts to cross and then left after I kept trying. Cape Blanco has another really nice HB camp.

May 23: Cape Blanco to Humbug Mountain.

Elk River was knee deep a bit after low tide, but it was a minus tide. Could be waist deep or more at a 1-2ft tide. Easy beach walk into Port Orford, a short highway section between Port Orford and the old 101 section. Lots of pelican flights, and saw Bonaparte Gulls on the beach by Port Orford which was cool. Along the old 101 section, I started seeing foxgloves in addition to the wild irises and lupines I'd been going by. There were some good viewpoints off this trail as well. Humbug Mtn HB is kinda rocky and hard to drive stakes but is also tucked away and private feeling. The highway noise was real - bring earplugs.

May 24: Humbug Mtn to dunes camp south of Gold Beach.

Highway section not too bad, but watch out for the areas where the highway has slid and there's been some recent construction. Go to Arizona Beach, shoot for low tide so you can exit out past Sisters Rocks. Otherwise you will not be able to make it all the way down Arizona Beach. Ophir to Nesika a nice beach walk. Nesika past Geisel monument and over another old 101 section was pretty. Otter point to Gold Beach was uneventful. There are some good spots between BA 179 and Cape Sebastian to dunes camp.

May 25: Dunes s of Gold Beach to Boardman Corridor.

Cape Sebastian was great, the viewpoints north are spectacular and the shore pines south are so pretty. Watch for poison oak. Meyers Beach North was OK, I didn't enjoy the south section past Pistol River, very windy with driving sand.

Carry water, be prepared to filter. I filtered from the creek below Lola Lake at the end of Meyers Beach. Plan to flag stop a bus or have someone shuttle you. It's too far and too difficult of a hike to go from Pistol River to Harris Beach in a day.

May 26: Boardman Corridor to Harris Beach.

Only toilets are at Arch Rock wayside. Have a water filter handy.

Most of the trails through the Corridor are pretty good. Exceptions: the exit off the south end of Whaleshead Beach is tough. The first several hundred feet are less like a path and more like a super uneven deer path, if that. Right next to the creek, it's basically just little toeholds chipped into the side of the hill. There is still a washout further up the hill, it's not awful, but had to grab the trees around it to steady myself across that area.

May 27: Harris Beach to Crissey Field:

Uneventful. Low tide made it easy to go from McVay Rock to California on the beach. The Winchuck River was an easy crossing at low tide. It was pretty exciting to hit the border and then check into the visitor center!

Overall: a grand time. I'd love to do it again over 40 days or so, with some intentional rests built in and breaking up the longer days. Example: lodgings in seaside (International Hostel?) would have broken up the Fort Stevens to Tillamook/Ecola day nicely, splitting Ecola to Nehalem is just the smart choice, and Garibaldi to Cape Lookout should be 2 days as well.

Hope this helps! Feel free to ask questions about specific sections or the hike in general.

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I unfortunately only have 2 weeks off and I don’t think I can hike 30 miles a day. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas on what might be the best 150-200 mile stretch of the trail

Im planning a thru hike for june and im wondering what my total water capacity should be for this trail? Ill be carrying a katadyn befree with a small 500ML flask. Then I was thinking a three 1L smart waterbottles and another 700 ML bottle. Is 4 L total capacity enough? Generally I go through 1L per 4 to 5 miles depending on the heat and intensity. I could switch the katadyn with a sawyer and a cnoc for another 2L of water. Or keep the katadyn and add a hydrapak 2L bag

Hi everyone! I was planning on going for a thru-hike this summer on the OCT but can’t seem to find any info on how much the trail costs on average, including stays at hotels along the trail and restaurant meals. How much should I budget? Any insight would be amazing!

Planning to hike section 1 with my son in July. Our plan is to drive to Ft. Stevens State park from Spokane, camp there one night, and start the following morning.

Does anyone know if Ft. Stevens has long term parking available (1 week)? Or possibly another place to park nearby? I can't seem to find any info on this anywhere.

So happy someone created this sub!

I'm planning the OCT from late-May to late-June (and maybe the 100-mile CA section too) but can't seem to find the FarOut map on my phone. It appears on their website, just not on Android. Anyone else running into this?

Is now available. Woot!

I'm hiking the OCT in June/July and I want a friend to hike with. If anyone wants a buddy to hike with pm me! I would love to hangout on trail.

#EDIT: Look at the SUB'S SIDEBAR for a much better list of resources.

For the curious who have found their way to this sub, here are some quick reference links to learn more about the Oregon Coast Trail:

Oregon Coast Trail Foundation

• https://www.oregoncoasttrail.org/

Maps

• https://stateparks.oregon.gov/index.cfm?do=v.page&id=95

• https://www.oregoncoasttrail.org/maps

General Resource Website for the OCT

• https://hikingtheoct.com

The Oregon Coast Trail is a long distance hiking trail that spans the length of Oregon's 363 mile coastline.

This sub is still new and the community here is fairly small. To reach more people with a post, feel free to crosspost anything that is on-topic here to r/thruhiking.