Baker Beach Horse Camp and the Cape Mountain Trails, Oregon

After a wacky winter with weird weather and having to be stuck at home more than I would like, March has come and spring has sprung, at least for now. I thought I would start the camping season early this year.
Seeing that there were a few good days of weather in a row, I started planning a trip and my friend Beth agreed to come along. Our destination was Baker Beach, 7 miles north of Florence, on Baker Beach Rd.
We left home late morning, due to having to wait until the pass thawed and was safe enough for driving. Finally arriving at the beach, we got there just in time for low tide. We then proceeded to gallop along the sand like idiots... okay that was just me, Beth followed at a more sedate pace.

Baker Beach

Baker Beach.

Getting a little windblown.

We found some rocks and caves at the north end of the beach, and Beth took a video of me going to look into one of the caves. My horse's expression is priceless...she turns her head and looks all the way back at me like "are you nuts, we aren't going in there are we?"

Beth and Chief 

We also came across what appeared to be a dead whale that had obviously been there awhile.
After a couple hours of exploring we headed back to set up camp.

Dead whale on the beach.

Baker Beach has a day use area and then a camping area for horses. There are 5 spots although the fifth spot is tucked back in the trees and there isn't really a parking spot for it.
This place is low on amenities with no corrals, no water of any kind, and no manure bin.
There is a bathroom, and it is $12.00 per night or $6.00 if you have a
NW Forest Pass. It was pretty quiet, since the beach is about half a mile from camp and there weren't a lot of people coming and going.
Update: In 2017 I did a day ride here, the fee has gone up to $13.00, it does not appear that they are giving a half price break if you have a pass now, although you can still use it for day use. Also there is a camp host and a lot of non horse people using the camp.

Baker Beach Horse Camp

Nap time.

On our second day we decided to explore the Cape Mountain Trails that are up in the forest across the highway. Herman Peak Rd. heads straight uphill for 3 miles to the Dry Lake Trailhead/Horse Camp.
We rode up the road to the trails with some nice views along the way. It is paved for about the first mile, then turns to dirt.

The view from part way up Herman Peak Rd.

Dry Lake is pretty small and rustic with only two corrals and a bathroom. There is a large parking area, but the actual corrals are up a steep dirt incline that has been washed out. There is a little lake/swamp very close by for stock water. We followed the Nelson Ridge Trail and made a loop along the Wapiti Trail and the Lookout Trail.
We found a grassy field with a nice view of the ocean for our lunch spot. The people responsible for making these trails have put many hitching posts and benches in along the way.
There are maps at every trail junction, and also paper maps you can take along with you. Most of the trails are marked, which makes this a very easy place to explore the 17 miles of various loops.

Lunch on the Nelson Ridge Trail

Getting ready to head out back on the Nelson Ridge Trail

Maps of the trails at junctions.

Beth on the Nelson Ridge Trail

Near the end of our ride, Beth's horse was showing some signs of distress, it seemed his back was pretty sore. She was not sure if it had to do with a new saddle she had used, but in the morning she made the decision to not ride him anymore, so she drove home, but I stayed one more day.
I went back to the Cape Trails, this time driving to the trail head, and proceeding to do the areas we had not done the day before. At one point I came across a bench and a little memorial plaque

about a young girl who used to love to ride the trails there, her horse's name was Princess Tasha and the trail is named after her.

Playing peekaboo on the Princess Tasha Trail

This trail is mostly gravel which is nice for traction since as per usual you can have wet/ muddy conditions at the coast, and eventually it becomes the Scurvy Ridge Trail.

A reconstruction of a "hitsi" an indian shelter

There is one other horse camp in the area called Horse Creek, which is a nice big camp with corrals which does not seem to get much use. There is no water in the camp, but a sign leads to the trail system where eventually (it's not close) you will come to a spring fed water trough. Update: For info about the camp, check out my blog from 2021. Horse Creek Horse Camp

After a brief lunch break I also did the Blue Horizon Loop hoping for more views, but there were only a few glimpses of the ocean. I followed the Berry Creek Trail back, this is a steeper trail and by far the most slippery, it hadn't even rained for a few days but we were still doing some slip and slide maneuvers.

Horse Creek Horse Camp

On friday night it started to rain lightly, by morning it was coming down full force. I would have liked to have gone on another beach ride and checked out a couple of the smaller inland loops but I had to call it a day, (my tent was leaking) and drive home. Rina and I were drenched and ready to get back to our desert home. A good time was had by all. Can't wait for the next trip!


GPS COORDINATES TO BAKER