It started on the wrong foot right off the bat. While driving over Government Camp pass,
my brakes went out on my truck, ( later I learned it was the trailer brakes that were the actual problem, causing my truck to have to handle the trailer weight all on it's own, ) and I had to spend over six hours, with my horse, in the parking lot of Les Schwab. Rina takes most things in stride, and was a good girl, but it was still a long day for both of us.
When I finally arrived at Nehalem Bay State Park, it was almost completely dark. It took awhile to get set up, without any daylight, and I learned that some of the corrals had a lot of standing water in them, so I pulled in to one site first, but then ended up having to move to a different one.
This was also my first trip with my "new to me" LQ trailer so I was trying everything out,
enjoying my new found luxury, but also realizing it had a lot of glitches I needed to figure out.
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| Nehalem Bay beach at low tide. |
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| Nehalem Bay. |
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| Beach discovery. |
The horse camp is in Loop F and you have to drive through the other campgrounds to get to it.
There are 17 sites with two log horse corrals, a manure bin area with wheelbarrows, and water spigots that are close by each site that you can attach a hose to. There is no bathroom at all in the horse camp, but since the other campgrounds are so close, you can just use those bathrooms, which have showers. Site #s 4, 8, 9, 11, and 13 are pull throughs. It's very busy in the summer, so it's best to get a reservation, but I've been there twice now in the off season, and have not had a problem getting a spot.
Update: As of my most recent visit, in 2021, prices have gone up, from $17.00 to $21.00 a night. Seven of the spots have new pipe corrals, as well as gravel has been added to some areas, which helps with the mud and standing water problem.
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| Nehalem Bay Horse Camp, Site #12. |
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| New pipe corrals have been added, in recent years. |
Besides the wide beach, which I happened to hit at low tide, and which is great for galloping, there are also some inland trails.
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| Inland trails at Nehalem Bay. |
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| An arena in the day use area. |
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| Major logging going on. |
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| The sign at the beach to find your way back. |
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| A glorious sunset. |
On the third day I drove over to the Mt. Hebo Trailhead, which is up a fairly steep, narrow, two lane paved road. There is a large parking area, and I was hoping to be able to overnight there, but camping is not allowed.
The Pioneer Indian Trail leaves from there and is 8 miles one way. You can ride it the whole way,
or as long as you want, and there is an option to do a partial loop by taking a different route on the way back, along a dirt road. Once atop the mountain, the views are great, then it switchbacks downhill quite steeply to two lakes. The trail is nice, not very slippery, and there are areas where you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere, at least for awhile.
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| The Mt. Hebo trailhead. |
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| Pioneer Indian Trail. |
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| The view from the top of Mt. Hebo. |
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| The top of Mt. Hebo. |
After a few more problems, mishaps, and issues, such as my horse not liking the coastal water and not drinking enough, I started driving in the direction of home. I wanted to stop at another camp on my way back, but it was not open yet for the season, and I didn't find that out until I was already at the locked gate, so I had to back my rig down a narrow dirt road in the dark for several miles.
At this point I got the hint that it was maybe time to just cut the trip short. My horse ended up being fine, but she did get pretty dehydrated, and after talking to a friend who mentioned her horse didn't like the water there either, I put two and two together. So if you have a picky type of horse, keep that in mind. I had a similar problem last fall at a different coastal camp, so I bring my own water now, just in case.
GPS COORDINATES TO NEHALEM BAY STATE PARK
GPS COORDINATES TO MT. HEBO TH
