Roads End Hike

Overview

The rather secluded beach between Logan Creek and Roads End Point at the north end of Lincoln City offers an easy stroll, some interesting tide pools at low tide and, also at low tide, a sneaky scramble around the first point on the headland to a hidden beach. At the north end of the parking area, take note of a couple of interpretive signs explaining local wildlife and the geology of tsunamis. Take a paved trail to Logan Creek, which you can cross on a driftwood pile. Then begin your amble up the beach. Rugged Roads End Point, part of the Salmon River Headland, looms ahead, with several basalt outcroppings forming rocky islets just offshore. The Thumb, a prominence above an eroded cove, gives a positive indication on the skyline (The Thumb can be reached via a separate loop hike through the woods and ridges at Roads End). Beach cottages string along the beach front on your right, protected by a solid wall of concrete blocks. You will cross a few streams on the way to the headland, all best negotiated close to the vegetation line. Pass the last homes and look up an eroded slope that is slowly sliding into the ocean. The Sitka spruce and shore pines at the crest are part of an extension of the Siuslaw National Forest. A narrow waterfall tumbles down the decline. Closer to the headland, soft sedimentary layers come into view. The basalt point has protected these somewhat, but they continue to slide onto the beach – do not attempt to ascend these slopes. As you approach the point, you can explore the rock pools at low tide. Chitons, sea stars, and anemones are the most common creatures living among the surfgrass, sea cabbage, sea moss, rockweed, and iridescent seaweed. Look out at the offshore rocks with binoculars to see if you can spot any basking sealions. If the tide is at its low point, you can scramble around the point to some sea caves and a pocket beach backed by the steep walls of the headland. Don’t tarry here long, though, as the window for making this passage is rather brief.

Trail Stats

Photos

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