Cascade Head

You've no doubt heard a similar story at some point: a beautiful, natural place with trees, wildflowers and a great view is at risk of development, to profit a corporation or a few wealthy individuals. In the early 1960's Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast was such a place, but thanks to the efforts of local volunteers and The Nature Conservancy, the 270 acres along the coastal headlands are now protected. Whenever I come to a place like this, I relish the success of those original folks who had the foresight to invest their time and effort into such a great deed! Hats off to them!

September 2009

June 2015

The hiking trails in this preserve are on just about every coastal top 10 list. They offer dramatic views of the Pacific and the Salmon river. Some of the trails cross steep, open grasslands, while others wind through lush Sitka spruce forests. One is closed part of the year to improve habitat for the rare and local Silverspot butterfly. The preserve also is home to several rare and endangered plants.

We have hiked here several times before but it had been six years since our last visit. Naturally, on this visit, I was hoping to find some interesting plants along the way - and we did, but this visit had some unexpected twists as well!

To put some context around this post, here in western Oregon, we have just enjoyed/endured the warmest June on record. Our June was more like July or August. So as we baked daily, we looked for opportunities to get over to the coast where it is almost always cooler.

On this day, the inland valley weather was another hot one, with an expected high of 95 degrees. So we packed up and headed out for Cascade Head. Even on a weekday we arrived to a busy trailhead, but not crowded. The Nature Conservancy trail is reached by going through U.S. Forest service land and private land. The first mile or so is coastal forest with some elevation gain. It was sunny and no wind, probably about 60 degrees as we started out.

The next mile is out in open coastal headland grasses and we started to notice an off-shore breeze coming down the hill. As we made our way up the trail the off-shore breeze turned to wind and fog - an odd pattern indeed. The top was completely shrouded in blowing fog. Probably due to the confluence of the hot valley air and the cool ocean air at the Head. A short distance from the top, we decided to go back down since the wind was howling and visibility was limited to about 50 feet! As we descended, the fog broke up and by the time we got back to the lower trailhead around 4 P.M., only the very top was still foggy.

To get an idea of what the fog and wind was like, I recorded this video near the top trailhead:

On the way up the trail we saw blooming Lupines, Foxglove, and Mexican Hedge Nettle. The most notable flower sighting however was the Hairy Checkermallow (Sidalcea hirtipes), which mostly grows only at the Head (also called Bristly-stemmed Checkerbloom). I managed to get a few photos in the howling winds, so that was an accomplishment!

     

The other color splash of the day, were the Red Elderberries, lining most of the trail between the forest and the grasslands. This got me thinking about a nice berry pie...

     

The hike down was effortless and more scenic because the visibility was better. The foxgloves were blowing in the wind and the fog was backing away.

    

Back at the trailhead, the wind was gone, the air was warm, and we were ready for dinner! So we piled into the car and headed for the Pelican Pub, just up the road at Pacific City. I enjoyed their Silverspot IPA as homage to the hike!

Links:

More Hike Photos

Cascade Head Info

Cascade Head Forest

Pelican Pub and Brewery