Into the Mist: Hiking Cape Lookout Trail Along the Oregon Coast

Why Hike Cape Lookout Trail

With some much to do and see on the north coast are of Oregon, we had to make sure the hike we chose would be as memorable as our other coastal adventures. Not to give the surprise away early, but we chose wisely! The Cape Lookout Trail is arguably one of the most picturesque of Oregon’s northern coast hikes. It has everything you would want and expect: new growth forest, old growth forest, massive Sitka spruce trees, towering hemlocks, cliff-edge trails, and panoramic views.

Hike Distance: 5.8 miles

Elevation Gain: 1,490 feet

Prominence: 2,150 feet

TrailsNH Hiking Difficulty Calculator: 131 – Moderately Strenuous

Click here to navigate to the TrailsNH website for a description of the hiking difficulty calculator

Let's Start Hiking

Fog surrounded us from the moment we arrived at the trailhead parking lot. Advection fog occurs along the coast when warmer moist air moves over colder surfaces inland. The air cool from below causing water vapor to condense into tiny droplets, creating fog. Fog is something we'd gotten used to and have embraced during this trip. Of course the night before this hike I did research how to take 'good' pictures in foggy conditions.

From the parking lot, there are three trails: the Cape Trail, which we took; the South Trail, leading to a secluded beach; and the North Trail, which meanders along the bluffs. In September 2020, a severe windstorm struck this entire coastal area, causing significant damage to the trails. Thankfully, the Cape Lookout Trail reopened seven months later. Restoring trail access involves using helicopters to remove fallen and hazardous trees within 200 feet on either side of the trails. After clearing the trees and debris, ground crews work on rebuilding the path, a process that can take months or even years, depending on the extent of the damage.

The clearly defined trail started out with a gradual descent through a new growth forest.

The dense cover of ferns on the forest floor provides shade and protection for smaller plants and holds moisture in the soil. The life and death of ferns and the plants nurtured under their broad leaves enrich the soil and help sustain the roots of the spruce and hemlocks.

Moss clings to nearly every surface. The cool, cloudy, wet weather along the coast is ideal for the growth of these plants.

Old Growth Sitka Spruce and Hemlock Forests

After a short distance we entered a dense lush forest of Sitka spruce and hemlock trees. I can't distinguish between the trees along the trail, but regardless of whether they were hemlock or spruce, they were remarkable.

Together, Sitka spruce and western hemlock dominate the coastal forest of the Pacific Northwest. These maritime conifers grow only in a narrow strip on the Pacific Coast from Alaska to southern Oregon in the cool, moist maritime climate and are rarely found more than 50 miles inland.

The relationship between these two trees and their presence in this forest is like the story of the tortoise and the hare. Spruce grow quickly and need considerable sunshine while hemlocks grow slowly and are shade tolerant.

The Sitka spruce is the largest of the spruce species and the fifth largest tree in the world after the Sequoias, coastal redwood, Douglas fir and Noble fir. They average 125-180 feet tall and three to five feet in diameter. Mature hemlock are not much smaller averaging four feet in diameter.

On August 1, 1943, during World War II, a B-17 bomber was conducting a routine patrol flight north along the coast. Due to heavy cloud cover, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of just 50-150 feet above the ocean. Assessing the high risk, the crew decided to ascend back into the clouds. Tragically, the plane collided with the side of Cape Lookout at an elevation of approximately 900 feet. A bronze plaque honoring the crew is mounted on a boulder about 0.6 miles from the trailhead.

Even though the trail was cleared following the wind storm in September 2020, numerous uprooted trees remained. Sitka spruce possess shallow root systems with long lateral roots, which makes them prone to being knocked over during storms.

Boardwalks were strategically placed to deal with the worst of the muddy sections on the trail.

For most of the hike, the trail hugs the south side of the Cape but after 1.5 miles it switches to the northern side where an opening provides views toward Cape Meares. Unfortunately with the lingering fog, visibility was limited.

Directly below us was the steep-sided Wells Cove that cuts deeply into the terrain leaving only a narrow finger of land along the southern side.

We needed to navigate over or around massive roots balls that lie tangled on the floor of the trail. Stepping around and over these eroded sections was a little tricky with the muddy conditions.

Cliff Plunging into the Pacific Ocean

As the trail weaved back to the south, we were briefly greeted by the spectacular expanse of the Pacific and the near 400-foot drop to the ocean.

After this small opening, the trail turned back into the forest. It was tremendously overgrown but still easy to follow.

We found a nice Sitka 'bench' to relax on for a few minutes.

Less than a half mile later, the trail emerged onto a cabled-off cliff area. Damn, it was a long drop straight into the ocean from here.

This last section of the trail made plodding through the ankle-deep muddy sections worth it. Just off to our left the land dropped 400 feet to the ocean and to our right there were 100-foot tall Sitka spruce. It’s easy to see why this is such a popular hike.

Cable fencing lined the final uneven rocky section of trail. The fog lifted just enough to give us views of the sandy beaches to the south.

We were expecting panoramic views at the lookout but trees and fog obstructed our views to the north, east, and west. But what a feeling being at the end of the promontory even under low visibility conditions. Due to the conditions, we probably encountered less than 20 people on the trail that day

There were only two other people at the outlook when we arrived but a sparrow joined us later to snack on the berries.

Fog Blows in During the Return Hike

Typically, I don't take many photos on the return leg of an out-and-back trail, but today was an exception. After we left the outlook, the weather took a turn for the worst.. The wind intensified, pushing heavy fog inland, and intermittent rain began to fall. This created opportunities for some unique photos.

The Cape Lookout Trail is definitely one of the hikes to consider if you are short on time and need to get the biggest bang for the buck. Here's a great aerial shot of Cape Lookout.