Twin Rocks Beach Hike

Overview

The massive sea stacks of Twin Rocks are always within view on this beach hike: from certain perspectives, you'll be able to see that the nearest rock, known as Elephant Head, is actually a sea arch. To the south, you can also pick out the stacks of Three Arch Rocks and Pyramid Rock. Begin this hike at the Barview Jetty overlooking the treacherous Tillamook Bar. From here, it's a walk north to Rockaway Beach with one wet creek crossing along the way. From the parking area, find the sandy trail that drops down to parallel the jetty. Atop the jetty boulders are the remains of the rail trestle along which the boulder-carrying trains ran during the jetty construction around the year 1900. At high tide, the area where you will be walking will be flooded, so keep to its northern edge, but don’t stray into the wetland area. After about half a mile, you‘ll reach the restrooms, observation tower, and parking area at the Barview Jetty Trailhead. You can walk out along the jetty, which recently received a major reinforcement. Along the way, you will pass fishermen casting into the channel; look out also for surfacing seals and sea lions. Some of the surface of the jetty has been washed away, so this is not all smooth going, and you’ll have to do some boulder hopping. You’ll get views to Kincheloe Point at the tip of the Bayocean Peninsula, the South Jetty, Cape Meares, Pyramid Rock, and Three Arch Rocks. Turn around at a beacon near the jetty’s end, but do not venture out this far if there are high seas. Return and head down to the beach: you can do this by either scrambling down the jetty boulders or walking through the picnic area and descending the low dunes. Looking up the wide sand beach, Neahkahnie Mountain and Cape Falcon form the northern horizon, while to your right are low dunes. The profile of the offshore Twin Rocks seems like one structure from this vantage point. A Sitka spruce thicket lines the shore, but tree after individual tree is toppling onto the beach due to incremental erosion. Unseen behind this

Trail Stats

Photos

250px-TwinRocksBeachMap

250px-TwinRocksBeachMap

250px-ManhattanBeach1

250px-ManhattanBeach1

250px-Tidal_wetlands%2C_Barview_Jetty

250px-Tidal_wetlands%2C_Barview_Jetty

250px-Looking_back_to_the_bay%2C_Barview_Jetty

250px-Looking_back_to_the_bay%2C_Barview_Jetty

400px-Driftwood_shelter%2C_Twin_Rocks_Beach

400px-Driftwood_shelter%2C_Twin_Rocks_Beach

Tags