Disclaimer
This is the itinerary I made before the trip. We more or less hit all the spots, though we missed a few and added some extra hikes along the way.
It’s set up for one week and includes a lot of the coast. I would recommend spending only 4–5 days on the coast if you want to add more days do it inland. I didn’t include every hike we did but everything posted was on the itinerary, but I highly recommend looking for more trails while you’re there. Some of the best spots from our trip weren’t even on the original itinerary. Ask around, talk to locals, Park workers, or just explore that’s often how you find the hidden gems.
Accommodation
Stayed in state parks the whole way through. Just a tent and a lot of camping supplies. I brought my truck so we spent less time playing jenga every morning
Travel Dates/Advise
I went on this trip April 18-24. I wouldn’t recommend doing this trip in summer it gets very hot, the hiking can be tough in the heat, and many spots will be packed with people. We got lucky camping the whole time and only had two nights of rain. If you are deciding to do this trip I would go April or before May(September or off season) long as after it will be challenging to find spots and will need to book ahead instead of keeping a loose schedule, the viewpoint and hikes will also be packed
Trip Cost
The trip costed me around $1200 CAD between 3 people— Could be a lot cheaper (My truck also burns through 16.1L every 100km) but we did decide to buy a bit of stuff a long the way. The food was about the same price in Canada but in usd 24 usd for a meal (Burger/fries) at a bar but the beer was very cheap. State parks are $28-$38 per night. Gas was definitely the killer I spent roughly $600 usd in fuel. 100L tank in my 2011 silverado 4.8 so I didn’t constantly have to stop to fuel up. Try to fuel up completely before going into California, the gas prices out there pretty brutal sometimes.
ITINERARY
Day 1 (~6h 14m drive from starting point)
Astoria to Manzanita area. Two solid hikes near camp easy to drop one if tired (plenty of time on Day 2).
• Astoria: GOONIES HOUSE + the bridge is pretty cool
• Cannon Beach: Quick stop (overrated, but worth a peek for Haystack Rock if you haven’t seen it)
• South Neahkahnie Mountain Trail (1.5–2 hrs, ~5.6 km, 323m elevation). Great views
• Elk Flats Trail to Devil’s Cauldron Overlook (and optionally all the way to Short Sand Beach—note: it was longer with a lot more elevation gain than expected)
• Camp: Neahkahnie-Manzanita State Park
Tip: Both hikes are close to camp, so minimal backtracking if you choose just to do one of them.
Day 2 (~113 miles / 3h driving)
mess around, short hikes, scenic stops
• Start from Neahkahnie-Manzanita
• Cape Falcon Trail (Arch Cape, ~7.2 km, 173m gain, 2–2.5 hrs)
• Diamond Beach
• Cape Meares Lighthouse
• Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area
• Optional add-ons: Yaquina Head Lighthouse + nearby trails, or more beach time
• Camping options: Beverly Beach State Park or South Beach State Park
Day 3: Central Coast (~136 miles / 3h driving)
• Start from Beverly/South Beach area
• Quick stop/mess around in Newport if interested
• Yaquina Head Lighthouse (again if missed)
• Bandon Beach area: Devil’s Kitchen, China Creek, Coquille River Lighthouse, Bandon South Jetty
• Hike: Black Point (nice choice)
• Camp: Bullards Beach State Park
Day 4: Southern Oregon Coast (~98 miles / 2h driving)
Nice driving day with short walks
• Start from Bullards Beach
• Face Rock (short ~30 min hike)
• Cape Blanco area (several nearby hikes to explore)
• Needle Rock
• Battle Rock Arch (easy 30-min beach walk, bring a beer!)
• Mary D. Hume (historic shipwreck)
• Meyers Creek Pullout South
• Natural Bridges, Brookings (~30 min hike)
• Lone Ranch Beach
• Camp: Harris Beach State Park
Day 5: Redwoods transition (~130 miles / 3h 35m driving
• Start from Harris Beach
• Grove of Titans Trail (Jedediah Smith Redwoods area -1 hr walk)
• Fern Canyon Loop (short 1 hour)
• Camp: Florence Keller County Park (Crescent City redwood grove camping, convenient for the redwoods trails)
Note: Florence Keller is in Crescent City, right by Jedediah Smith Redwoods—perfect for these hikes
Day 6: Inland to Crater Lake (~574 km / ~7h driving)
• Early start from Florence Keller
• Crater Lake National Park — Check conditions/weather in advance (especially snow/ice gear needs). Rim Drive and some access can be limited or closed depending on season; west and south entrances are more reliable year-round, but plan for possible snow
• Toketee Falls (short ~1 hr hike)
• Camp: Bend area
Day 7: Return leg (~762 km / 8h driving)
• Bend, OR start
• Multnomah Falls (Columbia River Gorge—up to 2 hrs very popular, go early)
• Continue north to Canada (Langley)
