View to Cape Lookout from Cape Kiwanda (bobcat)

View to the cove, Cape Kiwanda (bobcat)

• Hikes including this location:
  • Cape Kiwanda Hike   (TH | <—   —> | LOG)

• Weather forecast: NWS/NOAA
• Maps: Oregon Hikers Maps Google Maps
• Latitude, Longitude: 45.21862, -123.97711
• Elevation: 90 feet

Description

A new fenced trail, opened in 2021, leads out to the headland's scrubby toupée of salal and stunted Sitka spruce. From the end of this walk, you'll get good views south. Please do not cross the fence. Since 2009, there have been several deaths at Cape Kiwanda. These were people who had climbed the old barrier fence or crossed the new fence and then "explored" the forbidden area. The fragile sandstone formations here alter yearly, and human intrusion only adds to the destruction. That the beautiful orange and yellow layers of the headland have survived at all is because of Haystack Rock's protective shield - it stands directly in the path of the southwesterly winds that blow onto the coast at most times of the year. The new fence that guides you out along the headland should offer all the good views you need.

Recently a couple of large sinkholes have opened up on the headland and the fence line has been realigned for public safety.

A little farther west from the new headland trail is a sheltered cove with its own sea cave and blowhole. Look for black oystercatchers darting along the rocks. This is also a decent whale watching site in mid-winter and mid-spring, and solitary gray whales have been known to hang out off the cape in the summer.

Farther along the fence, you'll get a view towards Cape Lookout above a colorful contorted sandstone stack. At the end of the fence line, a sign warns but does not forbid exploring the back side of the Great Dune, and a foot trail leads up to the summit from here.

More Links

• Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area (Oregon State Parks)
• Oregon Coast Geology Fun Facts: Behind the Look of Cape Kiwanda (BeachConnection.net)
• “Sandstone & basalt pepper the coast with striking capes” (Oregon Coast Today)

Contributors

• bobcat (creator)