Cooper Ridge-South Beach Loop Hike

Overview

Just south of the mouth of Yaquina Bay, South Beach State Park offers a large campground and trails through varied coastal habitats. For a loop around the park, begin on the Cooper Ridge Nature Trail, which undulates through salal, evergreen huckleberry, and rhododendron thickets before leading you out to connect with the South Jetty Trail. The latter takes you to the boat channel at the mouth of the bay where you can observe several species of seabirds. Walk back along the beach to complete the loop. Walk back up the entrance road and turn left on the paved road leading into the campground. Shore pine, willow, wax myrtle and Sitka spruce vegetate this area. At a junction before the campground entrance, pick up the Cooper Ridge Nature Trail heading east from the entrance road to the group camp area on the right. The trail leads up and along densely-vegetated sand dunes. In late May/early June, the rhododendrons here are in spectacular bloom. Many trails lead up from the campground, so keep right at all junctions. The first tie trail is labelled a tsunami evacuation route. There are numbered interpretive posts although it may be hard to find a brochure for the trail. Hike above the campground yurts in a thicket of spruce, pine, salal, wax myrtle, evergreen huckleberry and rhododendron. The path rises to the left and then you’re looking down on a marsh. Now drop down to the right. At a bench, keep right and do the same at the next junctions. The trail undulates over the old dunes. Cross over a use trail and wend down under a contorted spruce onto a flatland of spruce and shore pine woods. Pass another bench and then turn towards the coast. Pass along a grassy flat with shore pine and Scots broom blooming. In a sandy area, follow a hiker sign to go right and then head up in more spruce woods along an old dune crest. At another junction, keep straight (right leads down into a sandy gully). You might notice rabbits hopping off into the underbrush. Keep along the crest of the dune and make a sharp right at a junctio

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