Cape Sebastian Trail

Gold Beach Hiking: Cape Sebastian Trail

A short or all day hike. Just south of Gold Beach.

Enjoy this day hike on Cape Sebastian, which is located just 6 miles or so south of Gold Beach, Oregon. Drive south on Highway 101 from Gold Beach. Work your way up the grade to the top of Cape Sebastian. Turn right and continue up to the Cape Sebastian parking lots. Turn left and go to the south parking lot and park.

Cape Sebastian - Meyers Beach Gold Beach Oregon


Below you is Meyers Beach. You can hike to Meyers Beach from here if you want. If you decide to hike to Meyers Beach from the top of Cape Sebastian I suggest that you have a car waiting for you at the bottom. If you leave a car at the bottom be aware of the tides. You don’t want to hike down to a high tide. The beach needs to be hike able when you get to it.

If you have just one vehicle the best way to do this is to hike down from the top, always remembering that you need to hike back up to your car. Before you get tired, and before you start to run out of light consider turning around and working your way back up.

As you can see spectacular views can be had from the Cape Sebastian Trial. Geologists say that this headland used to be down by Los Angeles and that it has been working it’s way north for eons.

When you hike this trail be prepared to go further than you had planned. This trial wants to capture you…it wants you to walk on it…to explore…to overlook. Wear layers. Take water at the very least. Certainly a camera or binoculars.

For a really good time pack a lunch and plan to spend time on a rock overlooking the Pacific Ocean as it crashes into Cape Sebastian.

Excellent whale watching can be had from Cape Sebastian during whale migration season. I can remember sitting up on the trail one day and watching the dark shadow of a whale near Hunter Island. The whale was just slowly living it’s life. Eating. Breathing. Swimming. Diving. That’s a great memory that I will have with me always.

I also remember sitting on the Cape Sebastian trail and watching the surf just bash seaweed (I believe it is called Palm Seaweed) into the rocks. The surf would come in and bash the seaweed…then cover it. Then the water would run back off the rocks and the seaweed would take a deep breath and stand up straight…waiting for the next crashing wave. This continued the entire time I sat there. Bash, Breath. Stand up. Bash. Breath. Stand up.

And a final word of caution. Don’t treat this trail casually. It is a safe trail if you use common sense and are prepared. But if you are foolhardy or unprepared you could have a very bad experience.

Enjoy the Cape Sebastian Trail.

Cape Sebastian State Park - Gold Beach Oregon

Another great article about Hiking Cape Sebastian…!