Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

Earlier this year, we asked readers to pick their favorite Oregon State Parks. Now, we're headed to the top 15 to check in, bringing back a comprehensive guide to each one.



Cape Lookout is a special place.



The state park on the northern Oregon coast falls squarely in the Goldilocks zone in a number of aspects – crowded but not cramped, sprawling but manageable, wild but well-maintained. You can hike yourself sore if you want, but the beautiful, quiet beach awaits just a short walk from the parking lot.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department began acquiring land around the stately headland as early as 1935. With help from the Civilian Conservation Corps, the parks department quickly developed a scenic picnic area. The Cape Lookout campground opened in 1954, and by the end of the decade it had already grown to its present size.



Conveniently located almost due west of Portland, Cape Lookout has long been a popular destination for day trippers and campers. You get the sense that this is a place where generations of families return, year after year. But unlike some of the other big state parks on the northern and central coast, Cape Lookout has retained a certain sense of intimacy.

In 2017, the park only saw about 142,000 day-use visitors, which ranks in the bottom half of all state parks on the coast. Nearly 127,000 people camped at Cape Lookout last year, making it the sixth most popular state park campground on the coast.

The 228-site campground can certainly feel crowded – the sites are typically small and grouped close together – but once you leave camp, the park can feel endless. At low tide, the sandy beach stretches for roughly six miles, allowing ample room to find your own slice of privacy by the ocean. Just south, many miles of trails take you out to and along the cape itself.

What’s particularly nice about Cape Lookout is the park’s design that allows for big group gatherings while maintaining pockets of peace and quiet. In some ways, the park is small and intimate, and in others it’s positively sprawling. But if you really want to see what makes Cape Lookout so special, head out to the beach at dusk or dawn, when the silhouette of the cape stands out beneath the dazzling stars, and the quiet ocean laps against the sand. It’s a feeling you won’t soon forget.

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CAPE TRAIL

You can explore Cape Lookout itself by hiking the beautiful Cape Trail, accessible from a parking lot just off Highway 101. The hike is 4.6 miles to get out to the tip of the cape and back, following a well-worn trail that is rocky, root-bound and muddy at different points. It is, however, fairly flat throughout, made difficult only by the many roots and rocks you’ll need to navigate on your way.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

DAY-USE AREA

The day-use area at Cape Lookout is one of the nicest on the Oregon coast. Dozens of picnic tables and barbecue grills dot grassy patches covered by a canopy of tall trees, all perched on the short sandstone cliff just above the beach. Trails run through the day-use area to the nearby campground and up onto the cape. Compared to other state parks it doesn’t see much traffic, drawing only 142,000 people last year.

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THE CAMPGROUND

The Cape Lookout campground is by no means the largest or most crowded on the coast, but with 228 sites and nearly 127,000 visitors, it is one of the busier overnight destinations. The vast majority of the campsites are tent sites, with only 38 full-hookup sites in the park. Still, RVs and trailers are quite common at the park. There are also 13 yurts and six deluxe cabins available to book.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

THE BEACH

The beach at the park is beautiful, set against the north side of Cape Lookout and stretching way out onto the Netarts Spit when the tide is low. Cape Meares and Three Arch Rocks are visible in the distance to the north.

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DELUXE CABINS

Cape Lookout is home to six deluxe cabins, which come with more space and amenities than the regular or "rustic" cabins – notably a refrigerator, private bathroom and TV. What makes the setup at this park unique are the cabins' placement away from the main campground in the day-use area, which allows for the possibility of a little more peace and quiet at night.

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NETARTS SPIT

When the tide is out, you can walk the length of the Netarts Spit, which runs for more than five miles from the Cape Lookout day-use area to its end at the mouth of Netarts Bay. From here you can get a great view of Three Arch Rocks just offshore.

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NORTH TRAIL/SOUTH TRAIL

There are two other trails at Cape Lookout which, while not as scenic as the Cape Trail, are important in their own rights. The North Trail links Cape Lookout itself with the day-use area, running 2.3 miles between the two. The South Trail breaks off from the Cape Trail near the parking lot, and runs 1.7 miles down to the beach on the south side of the headland.

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Jamie Hale/The Oregonian

OREGON'S BEST STATE PARKS

Oregonians' 12 favorite parks: We asked our readers for their favorite state parks, and they answered with a solid top 12.

Beverly Beach: With a nice beach, bridge and, yes, some crowds, Beverly Beach is a beautiful slice of the coast.

LaPine: The lovely Deschutes River winds its way through this quiet, high-desert state park.



--Jamie Hale | jhale@oregonian.com | @HaleJamesB

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