Sitka Sedge Natural Area, OR

Directions:

There is a pit toilet at the trailhead.
There is water at the trailhead all year.
No permit permits are needed to park.

Review: December 6, 2024
The trail starts on the right side of the parking area and heads off on a causeway crossing wetlands.

Trees, salal, ferns, and blackberries grow along the edges of the trail, providing shady walk on a sunny day.

A half mile reach the first sign post which has fairly confusing directions, but the map clearly shows that you were walking on the Beltz Dike trail and now you are turning right on the estuary view loop.

Turn right onto the needle, covered trail and walk along the path which has been carved through the under story of Brush. Trail becomes bumpy from the protruding roots of spruce trees.

Soon you’ll cross a boardwalk with a trail junction that has a shortcut for the loop but continue across and bear right climbing a gentle hill.
Wind your way over small dunes and tiny valleys on your way to the beach. You can hear the roaring surf in the background.

As you get closer to the beach, you will begin to see shore Pines mixed in with the Sitka spruce tree. It appears there are several game trails through different parts of the forest as well as a couple of user trails.

After another, about 0.5 miles you will come to an area reserve for snowy clovers where the old trail to the right has been closed. Continue south for 1/3 of a mile to the end of the snowy clover nest area where there is beach access.

From this junction, the trail is all sand instead of a layer of organic matter. I had about 1.4 miles from the trailhead you come to the junction for the beach access where you can turn to the right and go see the ocean.

This looks like a nice place to walk along a wide sandy beach. Take your shoes off and walk along the surf on the soft sandy beach.

At the next beach access sign leave the beach and walk into the scrubby forest where you take a left at the next junction. Hear the trail is once again covered by Pineneedles and seems to be good for walking, barefoot.

After walking about 0.1 mile you’ll reach another trail junction where you turn right on the Kinnikinnik Woods loop.

At about 2 1/2 miles from the trailhead, you will reach the junction for elk Knoll Trail, which is just a short little loop after the right. Walk along this gently winding sandy trail through the forest to views of the wetlands.

Return back on the same trail and then turn right to continue back towards the trailhead through the forest of Pines and spruces.

Once again, turn right at the next Trail Junction to head back to the trailhead and parking lot.