Neskowin & the Ghost Forest

Proposal Rock with the Ghost Forest in the foreground

People generally look at a calendar when it comes time to plan a vacation. I sometimes do as well. But, I am more likely to check the tide tables published by Oregon State Parks first. I scan upcoming days or weeks looking for exceptionally low or high tides that occur during daylight hours. The Oregon Coast offers some special treats during minus tides. The same is true for King tides, but I'll save that for another time.

Very low, or "minus" tides expose stretches of coastline usually under water, even at regular low tides. When I noticed an upcoming midweek opportunity, I thought of two things I wanted to see: the ship's boiler for which Boiler Bay is named, and the Neskowin Ghost Forest. I had a trip planned to Lincoln City, which is one bus stop from Neskowin, so the ghost forest won out.

Looking through the ghost forest to the ocean

There are two schools of thought regarding the origin of the Neskowin Ghost Forest. One is that there was some type of seismic event that resulted in a sudden drop in the coastline. The second is that encroaching dunes and sea level rise buried the trees. I personally believe it was a combination of both forces. Some of the Sitka spruce stumps are more than 2,000 years old, and once towered 150-200 feet in height. Severe winter storms in the late 1990s stripped enough sand from the beach to expose the Neskowin Ghost Forest.

I was going to be staying at Chinook Winds Casino Resort in Lincoln City. The transfer point between Lincoln County Transit and the Tillamook County Transportation District is the bus stop in the hotel's parking lot. It's large and covered and has always been clean when I've been there. There are a handful of ways to get to Lincoln City on the bus, which I'll save for a future post. To get to Neskowin from Lincoln City, catch route 4 to Tillamook. The fare is only a dollar, or, if you're old like me, it's just fifty cents. The route runs four round trips a day, every day but Sunday, between Tillamook and Lincoln City. There are four to five hours between each scheduled trip.

I planned to catch the 6:32 AM departure which would arrive in Neskowin at 6:50. It was just an 18-minute trip. My plan was to head to the ghost forest to make some pictures, then to head north along the beach for about four miles to Porter Point at the mouth of Nestucca Bay, and back. I'd get something to eat back in Neskowin, then catch the bus back to Lincoln City.

The bus stop at Neskowin

The bus stop at Neskowin is located in the parking lot for the Neskowin Beach State Recreation Site. It is covered, important when traveling the Oregon Coast on public transit. Rain gear is essential as well, but cannot quite measure up when the next bus might be in a few hours. The morning was gray and in a perpetual state of wanting to drizzle, never making it past a fine mist. After assembling a camera body and lens, I headed straight for the beach.

Neskowin Creek flowing around Proposal Rock to the sea

The path leads along Kiwanda Creek where it joins Neskowin Creek and then around Proposal Rock to the ocean. Proposal Rock dominates the beach here and cannot be missed. To get to the ghost forest, you have to cross the creek. I scouted for a spot that would be safest, and the least wet. Note: some map applications show South Beach Road which leads to beach access on the south side of the creek. This is a private development and there isn't any public beach access available. I got wet to a point a few inches below my knees.

It was worth it. The dreariness of the day lent itself well to the pictures I wanted to get, and it also kept the number of visitors down. The 7 AM time on an April Tuesday may have had something to do with that as well. A sunny day in the ghost forest might've been more comfortable, but I don't think I'd have liked the photography as much. 

Looking south in the ghost forest

Ghost forest stump

I've been asked which cameras, lenses and such I carry when I'm exploring. It varies depending on what the weather, the tides or celestial events suggest. Consistently though, it always seems to be too much gear. I had 4x5" film holders with a pinhole camera rig and tripod, as well as an infrared camera body and a zoom lens, in addition to the lens and body I assembled when first I arrived in Neskowin. I didn't use any of the additional gear. But I was prepared.

I took a last look over the ghost forest before crossing Neskowin Creek. I had already decided that I would not be making the hike north on this day. I just wasn't feeling it. And my shoes and socks were soaked through. I did walk north for maybe a half mile before turning back. This stretch of beach and on to the Nestucca at Porter Point would have to wait for another trip.

Neskowin Provisions

I checked the time and the bus schedule, and saw I had time to get something to eat before the next bus back south to Lincoln City. I had checked the menu of Neskowin Provisions ahead of time and had decided what I was going to order before I even entered the building, barring a daily special. I ordered the Neskorrito Burrito. It was a somewhat traditional breakfast burrito, with two notable differences: the hash browns were cooked through and crispy, not mushy like most breakfast burritos I've had; and it was huge.

I took my burrito to go and enjoyed it wandering back to the beach for a last little look. Then it was back to the bus stop for the 11:02 southbound. The buses along the coast never depart early. Sometimes late, but never early. My bus was right on time. While waiting for the bus, I happened to find a quarter on the ground behind the bus stop. I noted it amounted half the fare back to Lincoln City.

A pair of ghost stumps at Neskowin Beach