11 min
Overview
A new trail in Yachats, built in cooperation with the Siuslaw National Forest, honors the native Alseas’ pronunciation of the locale: Ya’Xaik (YAH-hike); since the Alsea were mostly wiped out by European-transmitted diseases before anyone took much of an interest in their language, this is only an approximation. The trail runs from the rocky shoreline to connect with two other short trails: one to Starr Creek and the other down Mitchell Creek through the private Gerdemann Botanic Preserve. The preserve, which protects a lush assemblage of both native and exotic species, was opened to the public by landowners Jerry and Kathleen Sand in 2009. It is named after Jim and Janice Gerdemann, previous owners who used the forested site to test unusual plants from other parts of the world. Spring is a great time to view the various rhododendrons in bloom. Since the Ya’Xaik Trail connects with the Yachats 804 Trail, the two can be done together (see the Yachats 804 Trail Hike). Note, however, that dogs are not permitted in the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve. Walk out to a pocket beach at a memorial to two young men who were swept off a nearby rock and drowned by a sneaker wave in 2011. Go right on the Yachats 804 Trail and walk north above the rock shelf that defines the Yachats foreshore. Keep a sharp eye out for a natural arch over a cleft through which the waves explode during the incoming tide. Little black turnstones work the crannies here as well. Past a sign for the Village Gift Gallery, see a small trail post at the Yachats 804-Ya’Xaik Trail Junction. Turn up this path, which takes you to the parking lot of the Overleaf Lodge. Continue along the edge of the parking area to where the trail resumes in a spruce woodland with lots of crocosmia and false lily-of-the-valley crowding the tread. A Bigfoot scurries through the salal. Reach Overleaf Lodge Lane and walk out to your right, cutting across the parking area for the Overleaf Event Center to reach Highway 101. Cross the highway and walk up the sidewalk on Diversit
Trail Stats
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57 m
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Photos
400px-YaXaikGerdemannPreserveMap
400px-YaXaikGerdemannPreserveMap
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250px-Himalayan_rhododendrons%2C_Gerdemann_Botanic_Preserve
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250px-Descent_to_Mitchell_Creek%2C_Ya%27Xaik_Trail%2C_Yachats
250px-Rock_arch%2C_Yachats_804_Trail
250px-Rock_arch%2C_Yachats_804_Trail
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400px-Sitka_spruce%2C_Gerdemann_Botanic_Preserve