Cape Lookout Trail is a 5 mile roundtrip trek out to the tip of the cape. We are camping for a week at Cape Lookout Campground near Tillamook and did this hike one morning. The trail from the campground heading north up to the start of the Cape Trail is closed so we drove the few miles up the road to the beginning.
Right from the start you are in thick coastal forest, hiking through Sitka spruce and hemlocks, sword ferns, salmonberry, salal, huckleberry and a whole lot more. We saw impressive fern balls growing high up on some spruce trees and admired the big trees. From the cape on a clear day, you can see south 39 miles to Cape Foulweather and north 42 miles to Tillamook Head. It is a very dramatic coast with steep plummeting sides to the thrashing water below. I love it.
The trail gets very rooty and muddy in spots so hiking poles can help but it’s not very steep anywhere. We ate our sandwiches at the cape and turned around and hiked back. You never know what you’re in for weather wise in this area but we got pretty lucky. My raincoat hasn’t had a true test but it will get that opportunity in the Hoh Rainforest in Olympic National Park.
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