Oregon Coast Trail
Shipwreck Beach Section
OCT SB01 Peter Iredale
Peter Iredale at anchor, circa 1900 - Wilhelm Hester (Public
Domain)
This cache is part of a series of hiking caches along northern sections of the
Oregon Coast Trail. This is the first cache in the Shipwreck Beach section, which
follows a trail through the beach dunes for a distance of two miles, from the
Peter Iredale parking area of Fort Stevens to Delaura Beach Lane.
Each of the 19 caches of the series commemorates a shipwreck that occurred on
Oregon's North Coast, one of the most dangerous parts of the world for all types
of seagoing vessels:
The Graveyard of the Pacific.
This first cache of the series is the closest physical cache to the remains of
the Peter Iredale and features a great view of the ship. See the Virtual
cache,
The Wreck of the Peter Iredale
for more information.
You can hike in either direction. If starting from the north, the Peter
Iredale ("Shipwreck") parking area is best. There is now a parking
fee if you park here, or use your Oregon State Parks pass. If
hiking south to north, parking is at the end of Delaura Beach Lane.
Accessing the beach from here during the winter may be difficult due to
frequent flooding.
The hike is almost entirely flat on sandy and grassy surfaces. Mountain or
gravel bikes would work well. If you are hiking out-and-back, there are at
least three options to make a fantastic loop hike: the beach, the Delaura
Dune Trail or Burma Road (a dirt road with no traffic).
The caches along
this section are placed just outside the coastal forest and generally free of
mosquitoes. The beach is likely your best bet in the summer if you are
looking for an alternate return route and want to avoid dealing with them.
To reach the cache,
take the trail up the hill starting in the northwest corner of the parking lot.
If you are continuing to the next cache in the series, head to the southeast
corner of the parking lot and follow the "Beach Access" road heading south.
Enjoy your
beautiful Coastal hiking experience!