Yachats: Coastal Trails, Views and History

Yachats offers a variety of coastal and forest landscapes, as well as trails with clearly defined features. When planning your outings, you can choose between viewpoints, tide pools, the beach and hiking trails. Some destinations focus on views and activities on the water, while others feature forested trails or a trail’s historical significance. This makes it easy to plan your trip around the landscape, trail route and your interests.

Coastal Views, Tide Pools and Beach

The 804 Trail runs from Yachats State Park to a sandy beach 1.7 miles to the north. The trail offers sweeping ocean views, as well as access to tide pools and pebble-covered coves. Parts of the 804 Trail are wheelchair accessible. If you rely on wheelchair access, check the details again before your trip.

Smelt Sands State Recreation Site is a viewpoint for whale watching and photography, and is also known for tide pooling. At Yachats Ocean Road State Natural Site, the loop is one mile long and offers especially scenic coastal views. Parking along the loop is limited. The site provides access to a wide stretch of beach that’s suitable for building sandcastles and playing Frisbee. The Yachats River flows into the ocean here; anglers can fish from the rocks at the river mouth.

Forest Trails and Different Routes

The public Gerdemann footpath crosses a forested slope facing the Pacific Ocean, bordered by Siuslaw National Forest. The Ya’Xaik Trail winds through a lush second-growth forest and connects to the public footpath at Gerdemann Botanic Preserve. Its name comes from the Ya’Xaik, a group of the Alsea Tribe. These trails therefore focus on forest landscapes and Indigenous connections, while other Yachats destinations are described primarily in terms of coastal views and beaches.

The distance, direction and destination of the Amanda Trail also help with navigation. Its northern trailhead is at the southern end of Yachats Ocean Road. From there, a moderately strenuous hike of about 1.0 mile leads to the Amanda statue. The Amanda Trail also runs 2.2 miles south in a challenging climb to the Cape Perpetua viewpoint. Check trail conditions and difficulty before hiking.

A Historical Connection on the Amanda Trail

The Amanda Trail is dedicated to the memory of Amanda, a blind Coos woman who suffered injustice during the reservation years in the 1860s. This dedication gives the route historical significance in addition to its trail route. When considering different destinations for your trip, you can therefore take into account not only the coastal and forest landscapes, but also each place’s background.

The trail details answer different planning questions: Ocean Road is described as a loop with coastal views; for the Amanda Trail, difficulty, direction and destination are also specified. The 804 Trail’s partial wheelchair accessibility is another consideration. Comparing the trails therefore involves more than mileage: trail type, difficulty and scenery also matter. When planning, take local conditions on the 804 Trail into account and check the accessibility details there.

Discover more destinations: Forfar, Newport, Depoe Bay, Neotsu, Waldport, Lincoln Beach, Lincoln City, Otter Rock.

Go to the main travel overview: Lincoln.