Ecola State Park is famous for its views, with cliffside trails overlooking the Oregon coast along the edge of Tillamook Head. But for nearly five years, one of those famous trails has been closed off to the public.
In October, the Indian Beach Trail finally reopened, allowing late fall and early winter hikers to be among the first to re-explore the beautiful walk along the coastal headland.
Those who hiked the trail before will notice that the trail looks a little different today. Instead of following the oceanside cliffs the whole way, it now meanders inland through an old-growth coastal forest, offering ocean views only at either end.
Ben Cox, Oregon state park manager for the north coast, said the re-route was necessary to reopen the trail. Heavy storms washed out the trail at the end of 2015, he said, forcing the park to close it at the start of 2016 until crews could rebuild the trail around a massive landslide.
“There wasn’t so much repair as there was trailblazing and construction,” Cox said of the effort. “It was a big undertaking.”
Financial and regulatory hurdles held up trail work for years, he said, and the pandemic delayed completion of the project even further. In the end, the trail cost just over $93,000, with work done by trail crews from Ptarmigan Ptrails and Trailkeepers of Oregon, as well as park rangers themselves.
Their work has transformed the cliffside trail into a richer, more diverse experience that allows visitors to see more than just the ocean. It also made the hike a little longer – a fact that’s not yet reflected in trail signs.
In January, old trail signs were still posted the said the Indian Beach Trail runs 1.5 miles each way. However, the re-route has changed that distance to about 2.1 miles, according to both park officials and a recent GPS track, adding more than a mile to an out-and-back hike.
And while the parks department has successfully re-routed the trail, landslides continue to plague Ecola State Park. On Jan. 13, the road between the Ecola Point and Indian Beach parking lots closed following heavy winter storms. The main entrance road into the park has also closed on and off for the last several years, as slides regularly wash portions of it away.
After the most recent closure of the entrance road in 2020, the state parks department said intermittent park closures will be likely as landslides continue for decades to come.
“The entire coast is a well-known slide zone and Ecola is no different,” state parks spokesman Chris Havel said at the time. “We still need to make a decision about shifting the road in the future, if we want to avoid having this problem over and over again.”
But as long as the entrance road remains open, hikers will have one more trail to explore at Ecola State Park this year.
The Indian Beach Trail is just one of several places to hike at Ecola – the popular Clatsop Loop Hike is another, as well as the more rugged trails accessed in Seaside and the Crescent Beach Trail on the southern end of the park – but taken alone, it still ranks among the very best trails on the north Oregon coast.
The landslide that washed out the original trail has created an opportunity for hikers to peel their gaze away from the ocean for a moment to discover the moss-covered forest that fills most of the park. It’s that combination of grand and quiet beauty that makes it special – a reminder that awe isn’t always found at the edge of a cliff.
INDIAN BEACH HIKE
Distance: 4.3 miles
Difficulty: Moderate (hills, mud, footing)
Amenities: Parking lot, restroom at trailhead
There is a trailhead on each end of the Indian Beach Trail, one at the Ecola Point parking lot and another at the Indian Beach parking lot. Hiking in from either way works, but as long as the road to Indian Beach remains closed, Ecola Point is your only option. Find a spot in the large parking lot and make sure you display your $5 day-use parking permit or annual state parks pass.
Find the trail on the north side of the parking lot, where it crosses a small footbridge over a trickling creek. After a quick uphill climb, you’ll soon reach a great viewpoint looking over the ocean before the trail turns east into the forest to skirt around the 2015 landslide.
We’ve rated this hike as moderate due to some of the steeper hills along the way, as well as the deep mud that covers the trail during the rainy season. Whether you’re stomping through the mud or trying in vain to get around it, it certainly makes the hike more difficult, especially for anyone with mobility issues.
Watch your footing and continue along the trail, which runs through a mossy old-growth forest, home to Sitka spruce trees and western hemlocks, the forest floor covered in a blanket of ferns. Seen in either the early morning or evening light, the forest may glow in a magical shade of green.
The trail runs about 2.1 miles each way, with no major junctions or side trails to speak of. The only signed junction is a short path to Indian Beach itself, which comes near the end of the trail. The small side trip is worth it for a chance to greet the ocean you’ve been seeing from above.
The Indian Beach parking lot marks the end of the trail, though you can keep hiking farther if you wish. You can cross the pavement to reach the Clatsop Loop Trail for an additional three miles round-trip, and can even continue another four miles to the Tillamook Head Trailhead in Seaside. Tack on the Crescent Beach Trail south of Ecola Point, and you can hike a whopping 17.3 miles across Ecola State Park.
If the Indian Beach Trail is your only destination, you can simply turn around at the Indian Beach parking lot and walk back the way you came.
To get to Ecola State Park, take U.S. 101 to City Center in Cannon Beach. On the north end of town, turn west onto East Fifth Street, then right onto Ecola State Park Road. Follow signs for the park. All cars are required to display an annual or day-use parking pass. Day passes are $5 and can be purchased at the park. For updates on park closures, visit stateparks.oregon.gov.
