The Neahkahnie Mountain hike is the one you do on your first full morning in Manzanita. The mountain sits right at the north end of town, rises about 1,680 feet nearly straight out of the ocean, and the summit view takes in the entire seven-mile beach, Nehalem Bay, and on a clear day, headlands stacked all the way south toward Tillamook. It's short enough for a morning and steep enough to feel like you earned lunch.
Two trailheads, two different hikes
South trailhead (the shorter one). From Manzanita, drive north on Highway 101 about two miles and look for a gravel road on the east side signed for Neahkahnie Mountain trailhead. The gravel spur climbs a short way to a small parking area. From there it's roughly 1.5 miles to the summit with about 900 feet of gain, on switchbacks through spruce and salal. Round trip around three miles. This is the one most people do.
North trailhead (the longer, prettier one). A little farther north on 101, a roadside pullout marks the north trail. It starts in open meadow with immediate ocean views, then enters old forest and climbs more gradually, about two miles to the summit. Round trip around four miles. Fewer people, better views on the way up.
The ambitious version is the traverse: up one, down the other, with a short road walk or a second car. About 3.5 miles point to point.
The summit
The top is a rocky knob with a couple of spots to sit. Look south and Manzanita is laid out below you like a map: the grid of the town, the long white beach, the sand spit at Nehalem Bay State Park, the bay behind it. Look north and you're staring down the cliffs to the Oswald West coastline. Give it twenty minutes. Bring a windbreaker; the summit catches everything.
The Neahkahnie legend, of Spanish treasure buried somewhere on the mountain by shipwrecked sailors, has drawn diggers for 150 years. Nobody's found it. Don't be the person with a shovel.
Dogs
Dogs are allowed on leash on both trails, and it's a good dog hike: shaded, no cliffs on the trail itself, plenty to sniff. The summit rocks drop off steeply, so leash tight at the top. Our Manzanita home, Puffin Lane, welcomes dogs and is a five-minute drive from the south trailhead, and the hot tub afterward is for humans only.
When to go
- Morning. Coastal fog often burns off by late morning in summer; if you start at 8, you may hike up in fog and arrive to a clearing view. Afternoons in summer bring wind.
- Fall. The best months for clear air and empty trails. September and October are frequently the sunniest at the coast.
- Winter. Doable between storms. The trail gets muddy and the gravel access road can be rough; take it slow in a regular car.
- Spring. Wildflowers in the north meadow, and whale season, so bring binoculars to the top.
What to bring
- Water. None on the trail.
- Shoes with grip; roots and mud are constant in the forest section.
- Layers. The parking lot can be ten degrees warmer than the summit.
- A downloaded map. Cell service is unreliable on the north side.
Making a day of it
Neahkahnie in the morning, then continue north a few minutes to Oswald West State Park for the short walk down to Short Sand Beach and lunch on the driftwood. Or head back to town for lunch on Laneda Avenue and a beach walk. The two-day Manzanita itinerary slots the hike into a full weekend, and our Manzanita things to do page covers the rest.
It's a small mountain by Oregon standards. It just happens to be standing in the right place.