16 // COASTWEEKEND.COM
Closing the gap in the Oregon Coast Trail
Goal is to get hikers off
busy highway shoulder
By DAN HAAG
FOR COAST WEEKEND
C
onnie Soper loves
the Oregon Coast
Trail. She has hiked
it numerous times, written
a book about it and shared
her experiences with fellow
hiking enthusiasts.
Now, she is spearhead-
ing a project to close a
gap in the trail between
Neahkahnie Mountain and
Manzanita. The goal is to
get hikers off the shoulder
of U.S. Highway 101 and
away from busy traffic, es-
pecially during the summer
season.
Soper’s first trek along
Th e
Illahee
Apartments
Downtown Astoria’s
Most Respected
Apartment Complex
Since 1969.
1046 Grand Avenue
Astoria, OR 97103
503-325-2280
the trail ran over a stretch
of three summers. As she
made notes and took pho-
tos, she formulated plans
for a detailed guide, which
would become the book
“Exploring The Oregon
Coast Trail,” published in
2015.
“When I got more seri-
ous about writing the book,
I realized I was going to
have to hike it again,” she
said.
The logistics of planning
to hike the trail played a
huge part in her decision to
parse the book into a series
of day trips rather than one
long trek.
Soper avoided about 10
PHOTO BY TRAV WILLIAMS
About 45 to 50 miles of the Oregon Coast Trail are unfinished
and force hikers along the shoulder of U.S. Highway 101.
percent of the trail, and that
was by design: There are
a few gaps in the trail that
wander onto narrow high-
way shoulders.
“This trail is 40 years
old, and there are about 45
to 50 miles out of almost
400 that are not finished and
require people to walk on
the highway,” she said.
Soper is adamant that
trying to enjoy the Oregon
Coast Trail while avoiding
log trucks and RVs is nei-
ther scenic nor safe.
“In its present state, peo-
ple have to decide whether
they are willing to walk
along the highway with
traffic flying by,” she said.
A perfect example is the
gap at the base of Neah-
kahnie Mountain where
hikers must walk along
Highway 101 for 1.25
miles.
Soper has put in years of
legwork talking to agencies
such as Oregon Department
of Transportation and
Oregon Parks Department
in an attempt to rectify this
issue.
After hours of meetings
and reams of grant applica-
tion materials, there is light
at the end of the tunnel.
The new trail connect-
ing Neahkahnie Mountain
to Manzanita will run on
the east side of Highway
101, and will likely cross at
Manzanita Avenue.
“It’s a link: the moun-
tain, to the town, to the
beach,” Soper said.
A designer for the trail
PHOTO BY TRAV WILLIAMS
Connie Soper, author of “Exploring the Oregon Coast Trail,” is
leading a project to close a gap between Nehakahnie Moun-
tain and Manzanita.
has been selected, and
Soper hopes design work
will commence in June.
“If everything falls right,
breaking ground on the trail
could begin this summer,”
she said.
Northwest Youth Corps
will be handling construc-
tion.
There are still a few
hurtles before the trail can
become a reality: The state
Department of Transporta-
tion has to issue a permit,
and there may be easement
issues with Tillamook Peo-
ple’s Utility District.
There is also the issue of
who will maintain the trail
once it is in use. Issues such
as keeping the trail clear of
brush and fixing erosion are
concerns.
For this, Soper has
reached out to Trailkeepers
of Oregon, a Portland-based
nonprofit, and is working
on a possible adopt-a-trail
program with local organi-
zations.
Still, after years of
dreaming and planning,
Soper is confident the piec-
es are falling into place.
“I’ll be the first to admit,
the little link we’re doing
here won’t be the most sce-
nic,” she said, “but it will
keep people safe.” CW