While staying at the Shorewood RV park we have a couple days to explore the surrounding area. Nearby is Ecola State Park which has hiking and sightseeing. We are up for a nice hike so decide to do the Clatsop Loop trail which is supposed to offer nice views of the Tillamook Lighthouse which is perched on a rock far off-shore.
Tillamook Rock Lighthouse
The brochure warns that the park is extremely busy in summer, and also on nice days most of the year. It also state the road is not suitable for RV or trailers. They weren’t joking. The road in is winding and narrow with no place to turn around, and the parking area at the trailhead is not that large, so they must allow only a certain number of cars in during the summer.
The Clatsop trail is a 2.5 mile loop and is a segment of the Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail. The trail begins (or ends depending on your direction) with an easy wide path that ascends gradually to the top (797 ft.) where there is a Hikers Camp with 3 wooden shelters fitted each with 4 bunks. A short off shoot trail takes you to a lookout where you have clear views of the Tillamook Lighthouse (Terrible Tilly) 1.2 miles offshore. So named because of a series of unfortunate events while being built and while in operation. Looking at the lighthouse standing on a small rock outcrop surrounded by pounding waves makes you wonder “what in the world were they thinking?”
See that rock way out there with the lighthouse on it? It has quite a history…..
The trail loops gently downward back to the trailhead through the forest. This part of the trail is narrow and close, with one other viewing spot where you can once again see the lighthouse. Back at the parking lot we have a nice lunch sitting at a table overlooking the beach. There are stairs leading to the beach which is slightly sheltered by the surrounding cliffs.