Spring Lake to Devils Lake Hike

Overview

Spring Lake is a 25-acre open space in Lincoln City between the coast and Devils Lake: in the long sliver of development, this is a very tranquil spot. The park is composed of secondary forest with Sitka spruce and western hemlock; there are regenerating clearcuts at the north and east ends of the open space. The shallow lake has its own population of rough-skinned newts. The woods here are offer some rewards for birdwatchers, especially for passerines such as warblers in the spring and fall, and black-tailed deer often wander through. From this forested haven, you can walk to Regatta Grounds Park on Devils Lake, where you can admire some large Sitka spruce before descending to the shore of this three-mile long body of water. Note: The Spring Lake Open Space is laced with paths going off every few yards, so the directions below could be confusing. The trails here can also be muddy and uneven, so it's best just to roam at will, trying to keep to the perimeter of the park so you make the most of it. A rooty trail leads down from the parking area through hemlock/spruce woods and joins the trail that goes around Spring Lake. Go right along the lakeshore and reach 14th Street. Go left and walk past the sign for Spring Lake Open Space and, heading uphill, meet a wide, duff trail leading into the woods. This is lush hemlock/Sitka spruce forest. A loop spur leads down to the lake and a bench. Retrace steps back up to the main trail and keep along it, continuing uphill under salmonberry and alders. Go right and then right again in this maze of trails and keep steeply up on a muddy track. The trail winds up under salal and alders and then comes to a junction in a Sitka spruce grove. Here, go left (right leads to a house) in a salal thicket and keep along the edge of a clearcut. Make a right into the salal and then keep left under ivy-draped Sitka spruce. Keep right at a four-way trail junction and follow the ridgeline down on a trail that bends left along a slope to descend to 14th Street. Go left on 14th Street, an

Trail Stats

Photos

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