Neahkahnie is one of those places that has some interesting history. It’s a small peak along the Oregon Coast that offer magnificent views of Manzanita from its accessible summit. The name, as far as I know, comes from the Tillamook language meaning “The Place of the God”. Just with that, you can imagine there are some stories there. More recent stories though mention a treasure buried somewhere in the mountain. Artifacts have been found but no treasure. Being part of a state park prohibits excavations so no more treasure hunting unless you are looking for the view from the top. Hiking has several options. There are two trails that go to the summit, one from Hwy 101 on the west side and the other from the Neahkahnie trailhead road on the south side. Both are about the same distance but the first has the option of adding a trail on the 3eother side of the highway to get a bit more distance (it also is the better known approach for this hike). Starting from the day parking area in Oswald State Park, you head down towards the beach. IN the park, there are multiple trails that go different places which can be a bit disorienting at first. The easiest way is to head south until eventually you reach a hanging bridge over the Necarney Creek. At that point you are officially on the Oregon Coast trail. From there, the trail quickly gains elevation traversing a very lush forest with some pretty huge trees and fern covered grounds. After the first switchback, you find, at least for me, one of the interesting points of this hike. There’s a huge tree that from the distance looks like a Brachiosaurus crossing the trail.
The roots are so immense that look like legs while the trunk looks like the long neck that goes up to a head you can’t even see. As you get closer, you realize it’s in the middle of the trail so you get to pick whether you want to walk around the front of the “legs” or under its belly. Passing that, and taking the obligatory pictures, the trail continues up until it plateaus. The forest changes to something completely different. It’s still very shaded but no more tall trees. At points it’s kind of eerie and you feel like a deer will jump out of nowhere at any time. But then, you come to the last tree and come out to the open to find an open field that extends to a drop down to the ocean. You can recognize the spot even if you are not looking as the temperature rises several degrees as you walk out of the forest. At the other end of the meadow, you can see the Devil’s Cauldron viewpoint, a rock outcrop that overlooks the ocean and a small bay where waves crash into rocks. Along the trail there’s an unmarked junction to head to the view point. It’s worth taking the time to go there and check it out, it won’t disappoint. Once back on the trail you head east and end at a trailhead along Hwy 101. On the other side of the road a small trail sign marks the beginning of the Neahkahnie Mountain trail. So cross with care and start climbing. As you gain elevation you pass low vegetation and heat before entering into the forest. It’s usually hot up there. From about half way up, when you enter the forest though, views pretty much disappear until you are very near the top. You notice when you’re close as the bare rocks loom on your left. There are multiple footpaths that people take to scramble to the top from this side but the trail actually goes around and comes back up from the east side, a much easier approach and less damaging to the vegetation. Once there, the big reward. The views of Manzanita are just incredible. Returning is easy enough as you just retrace your steps all the way to the parking lot. There’s of course the option to make a quick stop at the beach though.
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