Walking The Amanda Trail

We parked along the ocean front, just south of downtown Yachats.

Look beyond the beauty of today’s Oregon Coast and some ugly historical truths emerge. Our hike along the Amanda Trail served double duty, reminding us of our unfortunate past while offering a gorgeous walk today.

Passing by the bear statue assured us we are on the right path.

The beautiful 3.5 mile hike through evergreen forests eventually connects with Cape Perpetua where, on a clear day, the views are stunning.
However, a stop at the the 2 mile mark presents a disturbing reminder of Oregon’s less glorious history. Storyboards tell the tale of the forced relocation of Native Americans to reservation land after the Rogue River Indian War of 1856. A statue pays tribute to Amanda, an elderly, blind Indian woman who was discovered and endured a grueling march as she was led to the reservation.

We continued across a short bridge to our lunch destination – the Cape Perpetua lookout. Here, the trail climbs relentlessly uphill until dropping down and crossing a small creek before the final up and down path to the top.