Sandy peninsulas—known as spits—separate each of Oregon’s coastal river bays from the sea. But only here, beside Siletz Bay, has the unstable dunescape been developed into a posh, private resort. Winter storms in 1972 and 1973 cut into the spit, destroying one partially built house and threatening others before bulldozers and truckloads of boulders stemmed the erosion. In the event of a major tsunami, of course, the spit would be swept clean.

In the meantime the spit’s pleasant beach is open to the public, and is almost always empty—except for shorebirds and the nearly 200 harbor seals that lounge at the peninsula’s tip. Perhaps the most fun part of the hike, though, is ogling the elaborate homes built by the well-to-do on a foundation of shifting sand.

If you are staying at the Salishan Spa & Golf Resort, or if you are a guest of a Salishan homeowner, you can start your hike at . . .

If you don’t have connections at Salishan . . .

This chapter is an excerpt from 100 Hikes : Oregon Coast