Welcome to the Oregon Coast Trail Action Plan Online Newsletter. Over the next several years, Oregon Parks and Recreation Department (OPRD) will use this site to publish Action Plan updates, public open house information, and share other resources related to the development of the Oregon Coast Trail Action Plan. We encourage you to sign-up to receive email updates on the right hand side of this page to stay informed about the planning process.
We are planning the future of the Oregon Coast Trail, the iconic hiking route that stretches along the entire 362-mile Oregon coastline. The OCT traverses sandy beaches, forested trails, stunning headlands, and 28 coastal towns, but some sections are disconnected, inconvenient, unsafe, or seasonally inaccessible.
We are taking action to close the gaps
State agencies, local governments, and trail advocates are working together to identify steps to close these gaps. By the end of 2020, we will have an Action Plan that identifies every gap along the OCT and a corresponding near- and long-term solution. The Action Plan will also prioritize the coast-wide strategy for improving the most unsafe sections of trail first.
The first phase, Assessment and Scoping, focused on collecting information about the gap types. This includes gaps in hiking experience as well as route gaps. We have identified potential design concepts that will apply to future OCT segment planning. We are currently accepting public comment regarding this phase of the OCT Action Plan.
The second phase, Segment Alignment Alternatives, will start in February 2019, and will explore design alternatives for each identified gap. Regional work groups will hold work sessions to develop alternative solutions to each gap. These work groups and work sessions are your opportunity to get more involved (contact OPRD’s project manager). Draft results and recommendations will be shared in a series of public open houses in the fall of 2019.
The final phase, Final Recommendations, will culminate in 2020 with an Oregon Coast Trail Action Plan, our blueprint for how to move forward to close the gaps.
