Transportation OPTIONS

Transportation on the Oregon Coast

In total the Oregon Coast Trail stretches approximately 425 miles from the Columbia River to the California border. Currently a significant portion of the hiking route falls on road segments—roughly 160 miles—primarily along the thin and sometimes non-existent shoulder of Highway 101, as well as surface streets that navigate through towns. 

Due to the safety concerns of hiking on road sections—namely being struck by a vehicle—utilizing the assistance of transportation can be wise and is recommended for certain stretches (see each OCT Section Hiking Guide for details). Fortunately, regularly scheduled public bus transportation is available along the entire Oregon coastline with most buses having multiple stops along their respective route. If bus schedules do not fit your timing, or simply aren't of interest, taxis operators and app-based ride programs such as Uber and Lyft is available along much of the coast. In addition, there are three coastal bay or river crossings—Nehalem Bay, Tillamook Bay, and Umpqua River—with ferry/water taxi options available from spring through early fall. Scheduling a boat pick up in advance for crossing these three water bodies cuts off lengthy circuitous road sections and keeps hikers on a more direct north-south route along the coast. OCT hikers should utilize transportation as they see fit to stay safe and limit highway walking, speed up and/or bypass stretches that are of less interest, and/or for one-way day hiking and shuttling back to their lodging accomodation or town base camp, or vice-versa.

Below id a list of transportation providers, from north to south, that hikers may find useful when planning and hiking the Oregon Coast Trail:

Public Transportation

Note all bus lines have multiple stops along route. See specific route for details. In addition to visiting public transportation providers’ websites for route and schedule information, Google Transit is an incredibly helpful and easy to use public transportation resource that can help you in your planning. 

• Between Astoria and Cannon Beach  - Sunset Empire Transportation District routes.

• Between Cannon Beach and Tillamook - Tillamook Country Transportation District routes (also referred to as “The Wave”)

• Between Tillamook and Lincoln City - Tillamook County Transportation District routes and Lincoln Country Transit routes

• Between Lincoln City and Yachats - Lincoln County Transit routes

• Between Yachats and Florence, and around Florence  - Florence-Yachats Connector and Rhody Express.

• Between Florence and Coos Bay - Pacific Crest Bus Lines

• Between Coos Bay and Charleston, and around Coos Bay - Coos County Area Transit routes

• Between Coos Bay and Brookings/Smith River, CA - Curry Public Transit Coastal Express

Ferries

• Nehalem Bay ferry - Call Jetty Fishery, 503.368.5746, to arrange a boat ride across Nehalem Bay. Avoids road hiking around the bay. Recommended to call 48 hours ahead to time

• Tillamook Bay ferry - call Garibaldi Marina, 503.322.3312, from March 1 to November 30 to arrange a boat ride across Tillamook Bay between 7 a.m. and 1 2p.m. Avoids road hiking around the bay. Recommended to call 48 hours ahead of time. 

• Umpqua River/Winchester Bay ferry - Call Winchester Bay Charters, 541.361.0180, from May 1 to September 30 to arrange a boat ride across the Umpqua River near the mouth. Avoids road hiking around the bay through Reedsport. Recommended to call 48 hours ahead of time. 

Private Taxis/Shuttles

Many towns along the Oregon Coast have private taxi services easily found with a quick web search. In addition some of the larger towns have Uber and/or Lyft drivers available. 

Transportation TO the Oregon Coast

Portland has multiple public transit bus options that will take you to the Oregon Coast. Buses depart daily from Portland to Astoria, Seaside, Cannon Beach and Tillamook. Once you’ve arrived, you can connect with regional bus lines that can take you to additional coastal towns up and down the coast. Daily bus service is also available from Salem to Lincoln City. Visit NW Connector and the Point for information on routes, schedules and fares.

Pacific Crest Bus Lines runs a daily bus service between Coos Bay, Eugene and Bend. Visit Pacific Crest Bus Lines for information on schedule and fares.