Hiking
Around Cape Perpetua By Pat Snider
On
one of those endless searches for a Northwest Passage, British Captain James Cook,
cruising along what is now Oregon's Central Coast, spotted a large, towering headland.
It was March 7, 1778, and he named this landmark Cape Perpetua, in honor of St.
Perptua's Day. On that same date in 203, this Christian martyr was thrown into
an arena in Carthage, North Africa; mauled by a mad cow; and beheaded. Not a good
day for her. Captain Cook didn't fare much better. Not only did he fail to find
the elusive water route across North America, but later in the voyage he was stabbed
to death by angry Hawaiian natives, abruptly ending his exploration career.
Today's
visitor, on the other hand, will have great success exploring Cape Perpetua. Begin
at the Visitor Center, two miles south of Yachats on Highway 101, where movies
and exhibits interpret the natural and cultural history of the area. From here,
26 miles of hiking trails fan out in all directions and offer an excellent cross-section
of coastal scenery and flora.
Cape
Perpetua Visitor Center
2400 Highway 101
Yachats, OR 97498
541-547-3289
Hours:
The Cape Perpetua Visitor Center is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with more limited hours other times of the
year. Trails are open year round. To view detailed hiking trail maps, call the
Visitor Center at 541-547-3289. | | The
Captain Cook Trail to the tide pools is certainly a must. Shortly beyond the Visitor
Center, the trail passes by the foundations of the Cape Creek Civilian Conservation
Corps (CCC) Camp. One of many such camps established during the Depression, Cape
Creek offered unemployed young men job opportunities and $30 a month. At one point,
there were 4 bunkhouses, mess hall, rec room, infirmary, and 200 men. These camp
residents constructed many of the local trails, bridges, campgrounds and roads,
including the one to the summit of Cape Perpetua. The trail continues through
a tunnel under the highway to the tide pools and Spouting Horn. In addition to
searching for sea stars, purple sea urchins, hermit crabs, and green anemones
in this rocky tidal zone, look for Indian shell middens. Middens are ancient landfills
and garbage heaps; a place where mussel-gathering natives threw their empty shells
as long as 6000 years ago. North of here is the Devil's Churn offering a close-up
view of the power of the ocean. During storms and rough seas, waves smash through
a narrow chasm in the volcanic rock creating huge plumes of sea water and foam.The
Giant Spruce Trail is an easy, one mile walk paralleling Cape Creek to a 500 year-old
Sitka spruce. The nearly fifteen foot thick tree began life as a sprout on a fallen
log. Over time, this nurse log rotted away leaving a large gaping hole at the
tree's base.
Cape Perpetua is the highest viewpoint accessible by car on
the Oregon Coast and offers a stunning view on clear days. The St. Perpetua Trail
to the overlook climbs 700 feet uphill from the Visitor Center by way of eleven
switchbacks. The easier option is to drive to the summit on Forest Service Roads
55 and 5553, on the east side of Highway 101. From the overlook parking lot, the
Whispering Spruce Trail makes an easy quarter mile loop around the top and includes
the West Shelter. Built by the CCC in the summer of 1933, this historic stone
lookout provides views of 150 miles of coastland from Cape Foulweather to Cape
Blanco and 20 miles out to sea on a clear day. It was used by the Army during
World War II to search for unfriendly ships and planes. Today, it is better used
as a lookout for migrating whales. For the more adventuresome, the Cook's Ridge
and Gwynn Creek Trails make a 6.5-mile loop from the Visitor Center through old-growth
forests of Douglas fir and Sitka Spruce.
Photo
provided by Pat
Snider
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