Neahkahnie Mountain from North Hike

Overview

NOTICE: The section of trail between the North Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead and the Neahkahnie Mountain Viewpoint has been closed since September 2020 due to considerable blowdown from a windstorm. You can still access the viewpoint from the South Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead. Check the Oswald West State Park webpage for updates. The Oregon Coast Trail crosses Neahkahnie Mountain and the summit is reachable from either side. The hike from the north requires a little more elevation gain, but it ascends through a more varied landscape, passing below the south summit of Neahkahnie, and gaining great views north in the process, to reach the Neahkahnie Mountain Viewpoint, which offers sublime views south to Nehalem Bay. NOTE: Parts of this trail are badly eroded with many exposed roots. Proper footwear is a must, especially when the trail is wet. From the North Neahkahnie Mountain Trailhead, cross the highway and start up the Oregon Coast Trail. The first section of the trail is cut through an otherwise impenetrable thicket of salal along a telephone line corridor. A wide variety of flowers bloom here each spring including Columbia wind flower, trailing blackberry, candy flower, coast fawn lily and, of course, the ever present salal. As the trail switchbacks higher in spruce/hemlock woodland, there are views of the ocean, including a look north to the stunning coastal cliffs at the Devils Cauldron and Cape Falcon. The trail enters the forest near the top of the meadow. You'll soon cross a small creek of iron colored water and then the trail slabs across the north face of the mountain through carpets of sorrel and trilliums in season. The trail continues to switchback higher. The north, higher summit of Neahkahnie Mountain is heavily timbered and not accessible by trail. The trail winds around the south side of the northern summit into a woodland of moss-covered spruce. Next, it ducks under a low log and enters a section of very dense, dark forest completely devoid of undergrowth. You'll drop into a saddle, an

Trail Stats

Photos

400px-NeahkahnieNorthMap

400px-NeahkahnieNorthMap

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250px-NthNeahkahnie2

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250px-Neahkahnie

400px-NeahkahnieVP1

400px-NeahkahnieVP1

TKO put tools to trail here.png

TKO put tools to trail here.png

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