Cape Meares

  • Easy (to light and Octopus Tree)
  • 0.6 mile round trip
  • 100 feet elevation gain


  • Moderate (from beach to Big Spruce)
  • 3.6 miles round trip
  • 500 feet elevation gain

An 1890 lighthouse and an ancient spruce forest top this dramatic bluff. The headland’s name honors British Captain John Meares, who built a fur-trading fort in Nootka, Alaska and sailed south in 1788 questing for the great river of the Northwest. He overlooked the Columbia and turned back here. For a short stroll to the lighthouse, drive west from …

For a more substantial hike, drive back …

Long-distance Oregon Coast Trail trekkers will find …

This chapter taken from the book 100 Hikes/Travel Guide: Oregon Coast & Coast Range.