Since Val and I were already at the coast for Val’s work holiday party, we decided to go for a hike and maybe discover a new spot. She found a short description for this hike which sounded interesting and something we’d never done before. It’s a rather short hike but with a very nice reward. I did a bit of extra searching and found that there were two or three ways to get there. A loop sounded like the best option so that’s what we did. We started from a parking area that gives access to the beach at Roads End just north of Lincoln City. There’s no actual trailhead but from there, you can walk on side streets until you get to the actual trailhead. This is a better option as you do gain a bit of elevation before you hit the trail. The trail itself starts at the end of the road just behind a fence. Right before we got there, we noticed a deer walking in front of us that ended up showing us the way to the trail before taking a couple of jumps and disappearing in the forest. From that point on, the hike is straight forward as you go on an almost straight line that looks like a ATV track more than anything. The trail splits at some point but both routes lead to the same place atop a small ridge with open views to the south. The morning was cloudy and even foggy which made the views a constant change of grey colors all the way to the horizon. From there, we got into a meadow that quickly made us forget that we were right next to the ocean. We traversed grassy areas and open spaces with many views until we got to an almost invisible trail junction. WE turn left at that point and gained a bit more elevation going to a spot where the only thing you could see was the sky above. Upon reaching that point, the views opened again towards the ocean and the top of the Thumb came into view. It was clear that where we were going as we saw people enjoying the views. At that point the trail got more muddy and slippery than what we had done so far. That and the fact that is was bordering a precipice didn’t make it that much easier. We had to grab on to every little branch as we descended to a flatter area that would then start going up again to our destination. It was a short steep climb to the top where we stopped for some pictures and snacks. After enjoying and soaking in the views, we headed down but instead of going back to the ridge walk, we continued south in the opposite direction than most people were coming in. The hike back was a pleasant walk thru a coastal forest until we got back on the road and then the beach.
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