Most people think that to see hobbits they need to either fire up their Blu-Ray player or head to New Zealand, but for those fortunate enough to visit Oregon’s central coast, you can go on your own hobbit-seeking adventure. They’re quite elusive, so you may need to take solace in the name of the place and the scenic beauty found on this coastal hike.
How to Find The Hobbit Trails
As you may expect, finding the Hobbit Trails is just the beginning of your adventure. Located between Florence, Oregon and Yachats (pronounced Ya-hots), you’ll need to drive north from Florence past Heceta Head and The Devil’s Elbow. Highway 101 will go down a hill and start to straighten out, at this point slow down and look for a small parking area just off the shoulder on the right (east) side of the highway. If you get to Carl Washburn State Park, you’ve gone too far north. The trails will start on the west side of the road, so secure your belongings in your car and carefully cross the street. You should see a sign indicating the trailhead.
What To Expect
This is a typical Pacific Northwest coastal forest hike and can be a bit damp. As locals would say though, the rain is what makes it so green. Moss covers everything under the large trees. The name comes from the strange formations where the path is sunken below ground level and the trees have formed an arched canopy above the path. The perspective makes people seem smaller and the green color is reminiscent of the Shire.
You can literally just wander the intertwining paths throughout the entire area since on one side is the beach and Pacific Ocean and on the other is the highway, so it would take some real effort to get lost (for long) in this stretch of woods.
Explore the trails, play hide and seek with your kids, enjoy the beach, just have fun on this simple hike. There is only minor elevation change which should only be tricky in abnormally wet conditions.
If you make your way to the beach, a walk south to the giant rocks that jut out into the ocean can be entertaining since at low tide, there are a few small tide pools to explore.
Since this is the Oregon Coast, we recommend taking towels, rain jackets, and hats because it tends to be a bit damp.
Images via ~Mers, randomidea
