Cascade Head Preserve

Trail Access Update

Cascade Head is now open to the public. However, due to a landslide, the road to the Upper Nature Conservancy Trail trailhead is currently closed. The Lower Nature Conservancy Trail, which is accessible from the parking lot at Knight County Park, is open at this time.

Each year more than 20,000 visitors hike Cascade Head Preserve to enjoy the views, wildflowers and wildlife. On weekends and holidays from May-September, Volunteer Naturalists are present on the trail to answer questions from visitors. 

TNC's goals for the Preserve are primarily to protect and manage its natural ecosystems. TNC allows public access to connect people to nature in a manner that maintains the unique environment of the Preserve. As a visitor to the Preserve, please respect its fragile habitats and honor the restrictions in place to protect the site for future generations of people, plants and animals. 

Please observe the following visitor use rules:

• Stay on the trail to protect fragile prairie habitat. Please don’t disturb wildlife or collect plants. Remember – a picked flower cannot reproduce or be enjoyed by other hikers. 

• No pets are allowed. Ground-nesting birds and other wildlife such as deer are extremely sensitive to disturbance. Even the scent of a well-behaved dog on leash disrupts wildlife.

• The taking off or landing of an unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or “drones”) is prohibited on the preserve. 

• No bicycles, horses or motorized vehicles. 

• No hunting.

• No camping or campfires.

• No smoking.

• For groups of 10 or more, please split up into smaller groups and stagger your timing in consideration of other hikers. The trail is narrow and large groups make it difficult for other hikers to pass and share the trail. 

• Leave no trace. Even better, please bring a bag and carry out any trash you find.

• Please report to us any problems you observe (e.g., camping, plant removal, hunting, bicycles, etc).

What to See: Animals 

In the spring and summer, hikers are likely to hear Pacific wrens, Swainson’s thrushes and Wilson’s warblers singing in the woods and Anna’s hummingbirds flitting among the fuchsia-colored salmonberry flowers. Out on the grassland are savannah sparrows, red-tailed hawks, Northern harriers, several species of swallows and the occasional bald eagle or peregrine falcon. Both black-tailed deer and Roosevelt elk are also common sights. And if you look out at the ocean, gray whales are commonly seen off the coast during spring and fall migrations. 

What to See: Plants

The lower portions of the trail climb through a mature Sitka spruce and western hemlock rainforest. Some species you may observe in the forests include carpets of candy flowers, sword ferns, Oregon wood-sorrel, youth-on-age, red huckleberry, salmonberry, red elderberry and red alder. 

In the open coastal prairie, wildflower displays can include goldenrod, early blue violet, streambank lupine, edible thistle, Oregon sunshine and coast paintbrush. Rare wildflowers include hairy checkermallow and the Cascade Head catchfly, with 99% of the catchfly's world population found only here. 

Please do not venture off trail to find or pick wildflowers. Plants grow by the inch and die by the foot.

What to See: The Views

From the headland, visitors appreciate breathtaking views of the ocean, Salmon River Estuary and Lincoln City. This beauty includes several important conservation areas connected to the preserve. 

The branching channels of the Salmon River Estuary fill and empty freely with the tides thanks to restoration conducted by the Forest Service and Salmon Drift Creek Watershed Council from 1978-2014. Researchers studying the effects of removing dikes and restoring hydrology learned much here about the importance of estuaries for salmon. 

From the beaches and rocky shores out to 3 nautical miles offshore, the state-managed ocean off Cascade Head is protected in the Cascade Head Marine Reserve and Marine Protected Areas. Within the Marine Reserve, no harvesting of fish, shellfish or seaweeds is allowed. Within marine protected areas, harvests are restricted. ODFW leads scientific monitoring here and at 4 other Oregon Marine Reserves.

Trail Access Update

Cascade Head is now open to the public. However, due to a landslide, the road to the Upper Nature Conservancy Trail trailhead is currently closed. The Lower Nature Conservancy Trail, which is accessible from the parking lot at Knight County Park, is open at this time.

Trails

Lower Nature Conservancy Trail: Approximately 2.5 miles to Lower Viewpoint.

The first 0.25 mile of trail runs parallel to a road and crosses it a number of times. When the trail leaves the road, it climbs a series of steep steps. The trail also passes through private property at times and U.S. Forest Service land. Please stay on the trail and respect private property. Most of the trail takes you through a forest of Sitka spruce and western hemlock. Once on the grassland, the trail continues another 0.6 miles to a lower viewpoint. From there, the trail gains elevation for the next 0.5 miles to an upper viewpoint. The trail then continues for another mile to the upper trailhead.

Upper Nature Conservancy Trail (closed by the U.S. Forest Service from January 1 to July 15): Approx. 1 mile to Upper Viewpoint.

The first 0.75 mile of trail passes through U.S. Forest Service land. Once on the preserve, the trail continues another 0.25 mile to an upper viewpoint. From there the trail loses elevation for the next 0.5 miles to the lower viewpoint, where it connects with the Lower Nature Conservancy Trail. Please stay on the trail to protect fragile prairie habitat.

Trail Accessibility

• Caution: Trails are steep and may be slippery in places. In addition, there are steep cliffs on the preserve. Use caution when crossing roads.
• Notice: There are no restroom facilities (other than at the beginning of the Lower trail at Knight Park) or drinking water available on the preserve.