Discover Lincoln City Oregon

Northern Delights
Don’t miss hiking at spectacular Cascade Head Preserve
By Gretchen Ammerman • Photos by Luke Whittaker
Spot a rare silverspot butterfly, straddle
the roots of a Sitka spruce, or snap a selfie
with a stunning backdrop -- Cascade Head
Preserve is the peak location for outdoor
activity near Lincoln City.
More than just a place to hike, the 270-
acre preserve shoulders such weighty titles
as United Nations Biosphere Reserve,
Nature Conservancy preservation and
restoration area, and National Scenic
Research Area. 2016 marked Cascade
Head Preserve’s 50th birthday, making
it one of the oldest preserves in the state.
Saved from development by a group of
committed citizens, it is now managed
by The Nature Conservancy, who has
owned the land since the 1960s. Thanks
in large part to their management, native
wildlife and plant sightings are higher
than in surrounding areas, and recent
reintroduction of the Oregon silverspot
butterfly will soon make it one of only four
places in the world to catch sight of this
highly threatened species.
While hiking one of the trails in the
preserve, you might cross paths with elk,
deer, coyote, snowshoe hare, or the Pacific
giant salamander. You may be looked
down upon by a bald eagle, great horned
owl, northern harrier, red-tailed hawk,
or peregrine falcon. Or if you are the
one looking down, you might get to see
the endangered checkermallow or early
violet, the plant species that the silverspot
butterfly depends upon for survival.
Once you are done hiking, if your legs
are failing and your lungs are ailing, treat
yourself to a guilt free ale at the Pelican
Pub in Pacific City to the north. Proceeds
Page 14 – Discover Lincoln City 2020
from sales of Silverspot IPA, which can
also be found in select stores throughout
the county, go to the Woodland Park Zoo
in Seattle, where silverspots are raised
for release. As the (hopefully one day)
popular saying goes, “Drink a beer, save
a butterfly.”
Nature Conservancy Trail
Open year round, this 4.2-mile roundtrip
hike is considered intermediate,
but don’t let that fool you: you’ll gain
1,200 feet of elevation to reach the top.
Before you get there, you will pop out
from the forest into a meadow with
views across the Salmon River estuary,
where on a clear day you can see Cape
Foulweather and Devils Lake. The path
then steepens for the climb to the upper
view and turnaround point.
There is no parking at the trailhead;
instead, you are asked to park at Knight
Park, where, on the plus side, bathrooms
are available. To reach it, turn west off of
Hwy 101 just north of the Salmon River
onto Three Rocks Road and continue
until you see a large parking area and
boat ramp. There are good signs heading
from the lot to the official trail head, but
make sure to take a minute to remember
which way to turn on the way back, as
there is no sign at the foot of the official
trail pointing the way back to the path to
Knight Park.
Hart’s Cove Trail
Open from July 15 until December 31,
this very popular roughly 5.4 mile round
trip trail drops about 900 feet on the
way to the turnaround point. Although
part of the area has been logged, older
trees, some more than 250 years old,
become more plentiful as you approach
the coast. The end of the main trail opens
out to a large meadow, then circles back
to the south a bit to reach a great view
of Hart’s Cove, including a waterfall
created by Chitwood Creek cascading
into the Pacific Ocean. Continue, if you
dare, on the steep, rugged trail that ends
at a small area near the water.
To reach the Hart’s Cove trailhead
turn west off of Hwy 101 at Forest
Road 1861, just before the summit of
Cascade Head. Continue on this road,
bearing left when the road forks. After
about 3.3 miles, a guardrail on the left
marks the trailhead to an easy short
hike (about one mile) to the upper part
of the preserve. The Harts Cove parking
lot is at the end of the road.
Sorry Fido: dogs are strictly prohibited
in the entire preserve. But don’t let that
make your tail droop - there is a Forest
Service trail very close by that is more
challenging but definitely less crowded. It
doesn’t end with a view but but dogs are
allowed so you can enjoy the view of your
canine companion tackling the 7.4 mile
round trip distance, which includes about
1,300 feet of elevation gain. Parking is in
a small lot at the northwest junction of
Three Rocks Road and Hwy 101.
For more information on Cascade
Head, inlcuding information about
volunteering there, go to www.nature.
org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/
unitedstates/oregon/placesweprotect/
cascade-head.xml.