Outdoors
B1
Appeal Tribune, www.silvertonappeal.com
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
Take a hike!
Top 5 treks at
Oswald West
State Park
View of Neahkahnie from the trail leading to Cape Falcon.
hike, given all the beach walking,
but worthwhile.
Directions: From Manzanita,
drive south to Nehalem Bay State
Park. Start from the day use area.
ZACH URNESS
SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL
USA TODAY NETWORK
The first time I heard about
Manzanita, it was because a torna-
do had rolled in from the ocean and
torn through the small coastal
town.
On October 14, 2016, a cyclone
with wind speeds of 130 mph ripped
through the city’s downtown, dam-
aging 128 homes and causing $1mil-
lion of damage in just two minutes.
“There were pieces of down-
town all over downtown,” City
Manager Jerry Taylor told the
North Coast Citizen. “It was a total
surprise. I keep telling the story of
my cell phone going off saying ‘Tor-
nado! Tornado!’ and I said my
phone was busted because we don’t
have tornadoes here.”
One year later, the damage is
barely nforeable. There are a few
impacted buildings around town,
but beyond that, the main attrac-
tion has returned to the area’s natu-
ral beauty.
And there is a lot to be had.
Nestled between Neahkanie
Mountain to the north, and Neha-
lem Bay to the south, Manzanita is a
town on the doorstep of two state
parks.
While fishing, kayaking and
surfing are all popular here, hiking
is probably the area’s most com-
mon activity for visitors.
Here’s a breakdown of the area’s
best hikes, which travel to moun-
taintops, coastal beaches and old-
growth forest.
5) Manzanita Beach
3) Short Sand Beach
The most popular hike at Oswald
West State Park, just north of Man-
zanita, follows a short and easy trail
through old-growth forest to one of
Oregon’s more famous beaches.
It’s just a 1-mile round-trip to
reach this cliff-walled beach, after
beginning at a large and sometimes
crowded trailhead right off U.S.
Highway 101.
You’ll often find surfers here,
which makes for some entertain-
ment. And the hike, while short, is
beautiful, navigating ancient ce-
dars in temperate rainforest.
The trail follows Short Sand
Creek, crosses a bridge and
reaches the beach. If it’s a nice
weekend, you’ll want to start early,
because this area fills up quickly.
There's a host of side loops along
the trial, including Sitka Spruce
and Old Growth Forest trails.
There are lots of possible loops that
could extend the walk.
Directions: From Manzanita,
drive north on U.S. 101 for four
miles to the multiple large and ob-
vious trailheads along the highway.
2) Neahkanie Mountain
Top: A viewpoint overlooks Manzanita along the Oregon Coast. Bottom:
Neahkahnie Mountain Trail is home to one of the area’s best hikes.
PHOTOS BY ZACH URNESS / STATESMAN JOURNAL
Miles of sandy beach between
Neahkanie Mountain and Nehalem
Bay make for excellent hiking, fat
biking or just building sand castles.
It’s easy to stroll from downtown
Manzanita onto the beach and there
are multiple access points for park-
ing.
My favorite area is on the north
side of town, where the cliffs of
Neahkanie seem to rise straight
overhead and you can actually see
the rocky cliffs that mark the sum-
mit at 1,680 feet.
Directions: Drive to downtown
Manzanita and follow Laneda Ave-
nue toward the beach. More park-
ing can be found along Ocean Road.
4) Nehalem Bay State Park
This 5-mile loop includes the
beach and a forested trail, with the
highlight being the north jetty of
Nehalem Bay.
The trek begins and ends at Ne-
halem Bay State Park at the main
day-use and horse rental area.
Start by following the Spit Trail
for two miles, through coastal for-
est and occasional views of the bay,
until you reach the North Jetty.
Then, enjoy the mouth of the riv-
er while walking out onto the beach.
Follow the sandy beach back to
your car.
It’s a somewhat challenging
There is magic on this mountain.
The tallest peak on the northern
coast is the legendary home of gods
and buried treasure, as well as the
inspiration for movies and novels.
Today, it’s home to one of the
area’s best hikes with a 1,680-foot
summit of spectacular beauty.
The hike can be as short as 3
miles out-and-back, or a longer 3.5
miles one-way. The most common
climb up the mountain begins from
the South Neahkahnie Trailhead
and ascends 900 feet through shady
old-growth forest.
You’ll reach a beautiful view-
point along the trail at mile 1.5, but
See HIKES, Page 2B
Free entry, food at Oregon state parks on ‘Green Friday’
ZACH URNESS
SALEM STATESMAN JOURNAL
USA TODAY NETWORK
The Oregon Parks and Recreation De-
partment is looking to lure people from
the malls to the trails with free entry,
snacks and drinks at state parks the day
after Thanksgiving.
The agency declared Nov. 24 to be
"Green Friday," an outdoors-based holi-
day intended as the antithesis of shop-
ping-focused "Black Friday."
All parking fees will be waived at Ore-
gon's state parks, and drinks and snacks
will be offered at five of Oregon's most
popular parks, including Silver Falls.
"We started this tradition three years
ago to encourage people to opt outside,"
said OPRD director Lisa Sumption. "Why
not get some fresh air with your family
and create a new holiday tradition?"
The hot drinks and snacks will be of-
fered at Tryon Creek State Natural Area,
Fort Stevens State Park, Rooster Rock
State Park, Silver Falls State Park and
Cape Blanco State Park.
Refreshments — which were donated
by Starbucks Coffee, Nossa Familia Cof-
fee, Smith Tea, Stevens Cocoa and KIND
Bars — will be served to guests by volun-
teers.
Visitors hike the South Falls trail on “Green Friday” last year at Silver Falls State Park. Oregon's
state parks, including Silver Falls, were free on Black Friday as a way to encourage people to
get outdoors instead of spending the day shopping. DANIELLE PETERSON / STATESMAN JOURNAL