An early morning drive from Portland to Tillamook took just under 2 hours. The weather was supposed to be sunny and mid-50’s which for December, isn’t too bad. We ran into 32 degree temps going over the Coast Range, but it warmed up quickly (61 degrees) by the end of our hike. A nice surprise!

Both Rick and I grew up in Oregon and as far as we can remember, neither of us had heard of the Bayocean community. More on that later! What we did know, however, was there was a spit of land across the Tillamook Bay that could be accessed via the Bayocean Dike Road. We packed our lunches and water, put on our winter jackets and gloves, and with the sun on our backs, headed down the trail.

A generous parking lot (with no amenities…) and 7.5 miles of trail and sunshine made for a beautiful day. To our surprise, less than a mile later, we saw a sign that suggested a town had previously been here. Townsite Trail – we headed in that direction which took us through scotch broom, small pine trees and sand dunes.

We could hear the roar of the Pacific ocean and once on top of the dunes, there it was, stretching for miles. Absolutely gorgeous!

We enjoyed walking along the beach, trying to stay in the wet sand (easier walking), but the tide was slowly coming in. There were shells everywhere, a variety of clams, cockles, and crabs in various stages of decomposition. Rick was hoping to grab some fresh cockles but that’s a low tide activity. Maybe another time.

We walked along the sandy beach for maybe 3 miles, and ended at the North Jetty where we ate our lunch.

We then took the path to the bay side of the peninsula for the remainder of the hike and enjoyed bay views, boaters out crabbing and birds enjoying the light winds.

I couldn’t decide if I should keep my winter jacket on or off, and I had it both ways multiple times. It was just once of those days!

All in all, this hike was a beautiful one, easy because it is virtually flat (95 feet of elevation gain), and although its fairly long, there were multiple pathways between the loop (bay and ocean side) so anyone could make the trip shorter.

The cautionary tale of Climate/Mother Nature…

Now for a short recap of the history. I refer to an article from OPB.org titled “Bayocean: The lost resort town that Oregon forgot” written January 16, 2020.

Beginning in 1906 when the idea first started to blossom, plans were drawn up to include a grand hotel, a swimming pool and a boardwalk. The idea was to sell vacation lots and as the town grew, so would the amenities. Eventually, a grand boulevard, employee housing, amusement arcade, a store and a bowling alley. Even a natatorium, with a heated saltwater swimming pool and a wave machine. By 1914 there were 1,600 sites sold and homes were going up. That must have been something to see!

Fast forward to 1926 – the ocean was dragging the sand under the natatorium away and people started to worry. Homes were quickly (and I’m sure quietly) sold or moved. It only got worse from that point on and by the mid 30’s the natatorium was a pile of rubble, the hotel annex was stripped bare of anything usable and the beaches were littered with ruined concrete foundation. The last building fell into the ocean in 1971 which tells me it took a long time to finally come to complete ruin. I can only imagine the hard work it took to clear out all of the debris and bring the peninsula back to nature.

According to historical experts, if the builder had spoken with tribal members living in the area, he might have known what could happen. I doubt he would have listened to what they had to say, but knowledge can be power. Sometimes nature is simply to be enjoyed and not altered to our desire.

#codidgetaway