The Oregon Coast Trail (OCT) was envisioned by Oregon geographer Dr. Sam Dicken in the 1950s. Today a walking route runs the entire 362-mile length of the Oregon coast, from the Columbia River to the California border, including public and private lands along the way. The OCT traverses sandy beaches, forested trails, stunning headlands, seven counties, twenty-eight towns, and numerous rural communities, but some sections are disconnected, inconvenient, unsafe, or seasonally inaccessible. In 2017 the Oregon Legislature directed the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department to develop an action plan (HB 3149 legislation) to address gaps along the OCT.
Completion of an action plan for the trail will involve three phases of work: (1) needs assessment, stakeholder identification and organization (completed in 2018); (2) convening stakeholders, individual gap identification, prioritization of segments (2019); and (3) completion of an action plan and implementation.
Oregon Solutions is coordinating closely with Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, the Oregon Department of Transportation, Oregon Coast Visitors Association, and the Association of Oregon Counties/County Solutions.
Meeting Materials and Background
Additional Resources
Oregon Encyclopedia website entry for the Oregon Coast Trail
For more information see the Oregon Coast Trail Action Plan website.