William Clark crossed this Oregon headland in 1806 chasing a beached whale, and you can still hike his exact route
William Clark didn’t climb Tillamook Head for the scenery. In January 1806, he crossed it with twelve members of the Corps of Discovery because word had reached Fort Clatsop that a whale had washed up near present-day Cannon Beach, and blubber meant food for a crew that had spent a miserable winter half-starved on the coast.
You can walk his exact route today, and it’s still one of the tougher day hikes on the Oregon Coast.
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The whale hunt that named a state park
By the time Clark’s party crested the headland and reached NeCus’, a Tillamook village near the beach, locals had already stripped most of the meat and blubber off the whale. Clark still traded for what oil he could carry back to Fort Clatsop.
Along the way, he named a nearby creek “Ecola,” borrowed from the Chinook Wawa word for whale — the same name Ecola State Park carries today. Near the summit, he wrote that the view was “the grandest and most pleasing prospect” he’d seen on the entire expedition, and standing up there now, it’s hard to argue with him.
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What the hike actually involves
The full Tillamook Head Trail runs about six miles one-way between Seaside and Ecola State Park, climbing roughly 1,300 feet through Sitka spruce forest before dropping you at Indian Beach. Most people either shuttle it with two cars or turn it into a long out-and-back from one end.
Want the shorter version? A loop from the Indian Beach trailhead climbs to the site of an old WWII Army radar station near the summit in about 3.6 miles round trip and 900 feet of gain — steep in spots, but a fraction of the commitment.
Expect mud either way. This stretch of coast doesn’t dry out much, and it’s the one complaint that shows up in nearly every trip report regardless of the season.
Before you go
Ecola State Park charges a flat $10 day-use parking fee at the entrance. No forest pass or federal park pass covers it, since this is Oregon State Parks land, not national forest or Park Service land.
One more thing worth knowing: the Clatsop Loop Trail’s west section, a separate and much shorter loop near Indian Beach, has been closed since an April 2026 landslide. It doesn’t affect the Tillamook Head Trail itself, so Clark’s route is still fully open.
Want more of the area before or after the hike? Cannon Beach and Seaside both make good home bases, and our full Ecola State Park guide covers the rest of the park’s trails and viewpoints.
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, lock in a hotel before the good rooms are gone, or skip both and book a camper van instead.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.
Would you rather take on the full six miles, or the shorter climb to the old bunker site?
