Coastal Hiking Getaways in the Pacific Northwest
With a mix of sea stacks, lighthouses, towering capes, tide pools, and beaches, the Pacific Northwest’s coast offers classic adventure. Pick a hike and then pitch a tent nearby for the night, or string these suggestions together—they’re listed north to south—to hop your way down the coast on a hiking-camping trip. Driving time between successive campgrounds is typically between 1 and 3.5 hours.
Washington
Makah Indian Reservation, Neah Bay
Start your day with an easy walk to Cape Flattery, the northwesternmost point in the contiguous United States. Then make the longer hike to Point of Arches via Shi Shi Beach to catch sunset. Spend the night at Hobuck Beach Resort, an oceanside campground on Makah tribal land, conveniently situated between the trailheads.
Olympic National Park, Ozette
Two legs of the Ozette Triangle are boardwalks cutting through the forest to and from the middle leg, a walk on Washington’s wild coast. Nearby you can spend the night camping on the shore of Ozette Lake at Ozette Campground, and learn about the homesteads that once occupied this area.
Olympic National Park, Rialto Beach
Time your visit for low tide and examine tide pools as you stroll along Rialto Beach to the sea arch known as Hole-in-the-Wall. Spend a night sleeping in the forest less than 1.5 miles from the Pacific Ocean at nearby Mora Campground.
Olympic National Park, Kalaloch
Head about 30 miles inland from the coast to hike through rain forest on the Quinault Loop. Then head back to the coast for a night at Kalaloch Campground, one of the most popular campgrounds on the Olympic Peninsula; sites are close enough to hear the ocean surf.
Ilwaco
Spend a night near where the Lewis and Clark expedition camped at Cape Disappointment State Park and take a walk on the North Head Trail. After a short side trip to an old military battery, the trail leads through the forest to a lighthouse with sweeping views of the Pacific.
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Oregon
Cannon Beach
The tent sites at Saddle Mountain State Natural Area promise a quiet respite from some of the region’s more crowded campgrounds. Situated early along the Saddle Mountain Trail, you’ll appreciate the proximity after climbing nearly 1,500 feet up the mountain’s slopes.
Tillamook
Sitting on a sand spit between Netarts Bay and the Pacific Ocean, Cape Lookout State Park has a developed campground nestled in the heart of the Tillamook coast. Just a few miles south, you can hike to the tip of Cape Lookout, one of the best whale-watching spots on the entire Oregon Coast.
Yachats
The Cape Perpetua Campground makes a great base for exploring the area’s natural beauty. Thor’s Well, Spouting Horn, and “the best view on the Oregon Coast”—according to the U.S. Forest Service—are some of the many highlights along Cape Perpetua’s network of trails.
Florence
Embark on a magical hike to one of the coast’s most iconic lighthouses—plus a beach—on the Heceta Head to Hobbit Trail. Less than a 30-minute drive south on U.S. 101 brings you to the campground at Jessie M. Honeyman Memorial State Park, set amid the Oregon Dunes.
Brookings
You don’t have to go far to see one of the northernmost redwood groves on Earth—in fact, it’s a short walk from your campsite at Alfred A. Loeb State Park. On the River View Trail to Redwood Nature Trail, you’ll pass through a forest of Oregon myrtle before reaching the towering trees.
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