1 min
Overview
This hike takes you through three environments: beach, dune forest, and bayside tidal flats. You are sure to see some bird life and also the harbor seals that make this area their year-round home. This spit was also where many of the artifacts from the famous Beeswax Galleon shipwreck (c. 1650-1700) have been found although the wreck was soon followed by the tsunami from the last great Cascadia earthquake, around 1700, which redistributed galleon treasure over a much wider area than the spit itself; every so often something turns up although the galleon itself may have been buried by tsunami forces. NOTE: Nehalem Spit is a Western Snowy Plover Management Area. Between March 15th and September 15th hike the wet sand only. No dogs are permitted on the beach on the ocean side of the spit. On the bay side of the spit, dogs traveling the beach must be leashed. See Western Snowy Plover and the Oregon Coast (Oregon Parks & Recreation). Hike past the restrooms through shore/pine Sitka spruce thickets to the grassy dunes, from where you can get a view north to Manzanita Beach and Neahkahnie Mountain. As you walk south along the beach, little flocks of sanderlings will be foraging in the wash and gulls and sandpipers might be picking through the wrack line. In winter, look for jellyfish and the odd dead seabird that has washed up. The south end of the spit may be buried under a five-foot deep driftwood forest, transported out of the Coast Range on the high waters of the Nehalem and its North Fork during the wet season and piled there by stormy winter seas. At high tide, you may have to retreat to the dunes to reach the end of the spit. The Nehalem Bay Mouth itself is funneled by jetties. There are several options for completing a loop. Hike along the riprap and pass the jeep road that runs down the center of the spit to the day-use area. This is one option for a return loop, especially at high tide or during the wet season. Continuing to the end of the jetty, there’s a brackish lake to the left and a wide, flat beac
Trail Stats
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Photos
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