Your visit to Tillamook Head retraces the steps of Lewis and Clark, who boldly ventured from Illinois to the Pacific coast. Upon arrival, Clark said, “I beheld the grandest and most pleasing prospect which my eyes ever surveyed.” Share the sentiment as you view craggy capes and rocky islands from the headland, which stands 1,000 feet (300 meters) above the ocean.
Follow an 8-mile (13-kilometer) section of the Oregon Coast Trail in Ecola State Park, running through Tillamook Head from Seaside to Cannon Beach. Other choices include a popular trail from the Ecola Point picnic area north to Indian Beach. Follow the path past three excellent viewpoints. Then descend on the trail to the left to Indian Beach before returning.
A longer hike starts from the Indian Beach picnic area, following a graded roadbed through old-growth forest. Backpack and stay overnight in one of the rustic shelters. Along the path, look for a concrete bunker that once housed a World War II-era radar installation. The tip of Tillamook Head is not far beyond the bunker.
Look out toward the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, nicknamed “Terrible Tilly” for the storms that routinely ravaged the rugged setting. An even better viewpoint is Bird Point, previously known as Clark’s Point of View, where the explorer made his proclamation of the area’s astounding beauty.
Be sure to spend time at secluded, sandy Indian Beach, a favorite of tide poolers, beachcombers, surfers and picnickers. Lie back in the sand and gaze upward for soaring eagles. Study the horizon for migrating gray whales in the winter and spring.
To get to Tillamook Head, travel by car northwest for about 1.5 hours from Portland until you reach the Oregon coast. Turn south on the coastal highway and then take the exit at Cannon Beach. Follow the signs for Ecola State Park. After passing the park’s entrance booth, stop at the Indian Beach picnic area and parking lot. The park charges a day-use parking fee. It is open year round.
