ecola state park, oregon coast

[sadiejane]

had an opportunity to go with my niece for an overnighter at ecola state park on the oregon coast. she is an avid herbalist and wanted to collect some plants not found east of the coastal range. we had a nice hike from seaside to hikers camp. spent the night. hiked on to cannonbeach. spent the night in a beachside cottage and then hitched a ride back to seaside. lovely time o year on the oregon coast.
thought ya'll might enjoy some pix

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salal berries were a primary fruit of the tillamook. the berries are mostly done by now.

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plenty of sap to be harvested for firemaking later

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sitka spruce. these large horizontal branches make good nesting areas for seabirds. i believe the murrelet is one known to like these perches of ferns high above the forest floor

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the sitka spruce typically grow from old stumps when trees fall from winter winds.

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when the old stump rots it leaves cavelike "roots" sometimes there are huge ones along trails that you can walk thru.

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heres a young one just getting started

 

[sadiejane]

saw many living things along the way along with the giant trees

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[Toadkiller]

Awesome, Ecola is one of my favorite places here in oregon.

 

[sadiejane]

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horsehair fern, when boiled down makes a good decoction, applied externally to stop bleeding

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young tender shoots of thistle are edible

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and of course rose hips not only make a fine tea but have loads of vit c

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hikers camp is about 8 miles south of the trailhead. 4 nice little open air cabins, first come first serve. teh county provides some firewood for a minimal donation. which is helpful as its dry. nothing much else in these woods is. so a few slivered sticks of dry wood and any other wood collected dries enough to combust.

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we both just brought a wool blanket and a pad.

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remnants of another time
bunker being consumed by rainforerst

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just a short walk away from hikers camp is a nice lookout over the pacific and tillamook lighthouse

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[sadiejane]

over the hills and thru the woods....

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[Tim the Slugman]

Very cool pics. Thanks !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[sadiejane]

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this is one of the open meadows deliberately created by the tillamook. most coastal tribes did this. they would burn an area to keep trees from growing. thus berries and other edible/medicinal plants would thrive and of course wildlife like deer and elk would take advantage and offer themselves up for hunting.

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like many forest trails, this one was a native trail used for centuries. the above photo is indian beach. lewis and clark sent an expedition while wintering at fort clatsop over this trail to this beach, as there was rumor of a beached whale and they desperately needed the food and fuel.

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these two youngens had taken up at hikers camp, waiting for handouts.

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saw numerous of these guys over the two days hiking

 

[sadiejane]

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have to say, as much as i like woodstime whenever i can get it. sometimes a quiet place on the beach works too

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the puffins were gone to sea for the winter but the oyster catchers were still around

cheers

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[KuRUpTD]

Looks like a great place to visit and especially spend a night.

 

[Mack]

Looks like a great time in one of the most incredible places on earth.
Some people actually wonder why I choose to live on the Oregon Coast. I wonder why anyone would live anyplace else.
Thanks for sharing.

 

[dogboye]

Awesome!

 

[BOOMSTICK]

great pictures! I need to make it out to that park. I recently moved to astoria Or.

 

[mtnfolk mike]

awesome pics.. Oregon is such a beautiful state...:thumbup:

 

[s500yards]

Oregon and Washington have very similar forests. I just can't get enough of it. Thanks for sharing your trip

 

[lambertiana]

Very nice area. You have outstanding forest and rocky beaches in the same park, life is good.

 

[sadiejane]

Looks like a great time in one of the most incredible places on earth.
Some people actually wonder why I choose to live on the Oregon Coast. I wonder why anyone would live anyplace else.
Thanks for sharing.

couldnt say it better
portland is as close as i can get right now...

 

[sadiejane]

great pictures! I need to make it out to that park. I recently moved to astoria Or.

love astoria
wet dog brewery is one of my favs
their bitter bitch ipa is the best!

 

[Shotgun]

So where exactly is the hikers camp and trailhead? Is it an easy 8 miles or a rough 8 miles? Methinks I have my next camping spot.

Edit: Oh yeah, water and restrooms?

 

[Shotgun]

Sorry for bit of a hijack but how many of us live in the area? I count at least 5 in this thread alone. You guys ever make it to river-8's trees and quiet?

 

[sadiejane]

http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_188.php
you can start in either cannonbeach or seaside. i prefer the south route from seaside.
the state park area is day use only. so no overnite parking. but there is lots of parking closeby. this area is full of history, if you take to that sorta thing. seaside is larger and more "commercial" than cannonbeach. both have large municipal "visitor" parking lots that are free and allow overnite parking.
there is also a shuttle between the two towns if you dont feel like hitching a ride
http://www.cannon-beach.net/shuttle/cbshuttle.html
with the 4 adirondaks in hikers camp, no need to bring a tent/hammock(unless ya want to of course). my niece and i each brought a pad and a wool blanket. which in early sept temps was just fine. since we went in the middle of the week, there was no one else there. tho there were numerous hikers along the trail to the lookout. theres no reserving an adirondak. just show up and use any of the four if no one else is using them. there is a communal firepit and large covered area with picnic table. also bundles of dry firewood for a $5 donation(theres a metal box for $). nice as tho there is quite a bit of fallen wood to be gathered, it can be very damp. there is no access to drinking water. this time of yr with the chilly nites and frequent rain, not likely there would be any "tourists". unless its really wet, expect frequent hikers from the day use area outside cannonbeach. its a popular trail up from indian beach. its less than a two mile hike mostly up from the nearest parking area. about 4ish into cannonbeach(take the trail not the service road-much more interesting). you will likely be awakened by the sea lions at the tillamook rock lighthouse. amazing how loud they are from that far away. lovely bit of cliffs and woods along the coast. a must do if yr in the area. lots of literature available about the history, flora and fauna if you like, at the visitors centers in both seaside and cannon beach. 1st time i did this trail we left from seaside and returned the same way. didnt go to cannon beach at all. would of done the same this trip, but my niece wanted a day in cannon beach. if you do go to cannon beach i highly recommend bills tavern. they make their own beer and have good, fresh food. some of the best clam chowder ive had. inexpensive too. enjoy!