Hiking the Port Orford Heads Trail on the Oregon Coast
Distance: 1.3 miles / 2.1 km
The Port Orford Heads Trail in Port Orford Heads State Park is one of the quietest places to explore on the Oregon Coast—especially when compared to more popular destinations, like the God’s Thumb Trail and Cannon Beach.
For this reason, Port Orford Heads can be a great place to slow down, relax, and learn about the history of the state park and the U.S. Coast Guard Lifeboat Station, which operated prior to the park’s existence from 1934 to 1970.
All that being said, the Port Orford Heads Trail is truly an Oregon Coast hidden gem—especially for those who hike the trail at sunset!
Port Orford Heads Trailhead Parking
Parking for the Port Orford Heads Trail is located in a small parking lot for everything that’s available to the public within the state park.
Google Maps Directions: Port Orford Heads State Park
Hiking Checklist - Oregon Coast
Black bears can be found up and down the Oregon Coast, but hiking with or without bear spray is truly up to your own discretion and comfort level when adventuring in black bear territory.
Furthermore, here is a complete list of must-have things that you will want for any hike on the Oregon Coast.
Bear Spray & Holster - If you aren’t flying, don’t rent bear spray! It’s a waste of money. Prepare ahead of time by buying your own, as this may be one of the most important items on this list.
Osprey 3L Water Bladder - The Osprey 3L water bladder is the most universal hiking and backpacking water bladder on the market, and it’s my go-to because of the slide-off seal that allows it to be quickly filled from the top. Additionally, individual parts are easily replaceable, such as the bite valve.
Black Diamond Headlamp - Personally, I recommend the Black Diamond Storm because it is one of the brightest, lightest, and longest-lasting headlamps on the market—and trust me, the weight-to-battery-life ratio really does matter!
Hiking / Trail Running Shoes - Depending on the type of trail, I prefer to use either the Keen Targhee for longer, more rugged hiking or the HOKA Zinal Trail-Running Shoe for lighter, less intense trails. In either case, both have been amazing to me for many years across countless environments, and both can be found in men’s and women’s sizes. - (Men’s Keen / Women’s Keen) (Men’s HOKA / Women’s HOKA)
Blister / Heel Protectors - I swear by these cheap, amazing heel protectors to prevent blisters for nearly every kind of hiking and backpacking that I do!
Waterproof Rain Shell - You never know when it may rain, and I’ve learned over the years that a rain shell is far better than a rain jacket. By this, I mean that it’s best to have something that the water will roll right off of, which is why I recommend the Patagonia Torrentshell 3L available in both men’s and women’s sizes.
High SPF Sunscreen - Packing high-SPF sunscreen is a must for long days outside!
Hiking the Port Orford Heads Trail
The Port Orford Heads Trail is actually a collection of three different trails that form an outer loop around the coastline to see the best of what the park has to offer.
Port Orford Lifeboat Station Museum
While the loop can be hiked from either direction, I like starting the hike with the museum because it’s such a beautiful area to slow down and explore!
If you do nothing else in Port Orford Heads, I think stopping to eat lunch and hang out in this beautiful picnic area is worth the visit alone.
Nellies Cove Trail
From the museum, the Port Orford Heads Trail starts on the Cove Trail, which begins in the very back of the picnic area.
In my opinion, these first views of Nellis Cove, within a short distance of the trailhead, are some of the best views on the entire loop.
At the end of the Cove Trail on a clear day, you can see great views of Humbug Mountain to the south.
If you'd like to learn more about the hike up Humbug, check out my separate post below.
Read My Separate Post: Humbug Mountain Loop Trail
Tower Trail
The Port Orford Heads Trail follows the Tower Trail for only a short distance before splitting off to stay on the outer coastal loop around the park.
Go left at this split to stay along the coast.
Headlands Trail
The next split that the Port Orford Loop comes to is the Headlands Trail, where you can go left to reach the Agate Beach viewpoint or right to return back to the parking lot.
These are the photos out to the viewpoint that’s a little less than 0.25 miles (0.4 km) away.
Agate Beach Overlook
From the Agate Beach viewpoint, you can see as far as Cape Blanco to the north, and if you look down, you will likely see sea lions in the water and on the rocks!
Once back at the Headlands Trail split, go left to take the shortest path back to the beginning.
More Oregon Coast Adventures
If you’re interested in reading about some more amazing Oregon Coast adventures, check out my separate posts below!
Best Way to Find Places to Stay!
Wherever I travel, I love to start my search for places to stay on VRBO.
Even if I don’t end up booking through them, I think it’s one of the best ways to see what’s in the area!
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Best Way to Book Rental Cars!
I travel quite a bit, and I know firsthand that finding a good rental car deal can be a challenge, but that’s why I recommend comparing all of your options with Discover Cars.
In short, Discover Cars is a well-known, reputable business that allows you to search for the best deal across companies, and they have the best full-refund cancellation policy I’ve ever seen, valid up to 72, or sometimes even 48, hours prior to your reservation!
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Safety
Overall, the Oregon Coast has a fairly mild climate year-round, with beautiful summers and temperatures that seldom get below the upper 30s come winter.
That being said, there are a few things to know before venturing out on some of the many trails along the coast.
First, Pacific Poison-oak is found on trails up and down the Oregon Coast, which is why it’s important to learn how to identify it before hiking any trail.
Additionally, there are black bears on the Oregon Coast, and while hiking in black bear territory usually presents less danger compared to grizzlies, hiking with bear spray is never a bad idea. However, it’s really up to your own discretion and comfort level.
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