Guided Adventures

At Headlands the outdoors comes with a guide. The lodge’s Adventure Coaches are local explorers who help each guest plan a day on the North Coast, and many experiences are included with a stay: daily hikes, self-guided fat tire biking, new moon stargazing, beach cleanups, and seasonal outings for tide pools, King Tides, and whale watching. Paid excursions add kayaking on the Nestucca, Salmon, and Netarts waterways, guided hikes up the Cape Kiwanda Dune, clamming, crab shaking, oyster shucking, and plein air painting. The Adventure Center lends the gear as well, from Linus and fat tire bikes to Nocs binoculars, trekking poles, and beach wagons. Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area sits right beside the property, so the trailhead is a short walk from your room.

Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area is next door, which puts the sandstone headland, the Great Dune and the tide pools at the base of the cape within a walk of your room. Pacific City is known for its Dory Fleet, the flat-bottomed fishing boats that launch straight off the beach, and for its own Haystack Rock offshore, a different sea stack from the one at Cannon Beach. Bob Straub State Park, Sitka Sedge State Natural Area, the Nestucca River and the Three Capes scenic route are all a short drive away.

Yes. Adventure Coaches tailor every outing to comfort and fitness level, from a gentle nature walk or a tide pool session through to a dune hike or a paddle. Guided hikes come in two-hour and four-hour lengths. The King Tides Dune Hike follows a set route to the top of the Cape Kiwanda Dune with hot chocolate at the top and is included for registered guests. On the Night Tide Pool Exploration a coach uses ultraviolet lights to show sea stars, tunicates and sculpins while explaining how the pools formed and how the moon moves them.

Yes, and it costs nothing. Linus cruiser bikes, fat tire bikes and e-bikes come with helmets and local maps from the Welcome Desk or the Adventure Center. Self-guided fat tire biking is included for registered guests for three hours, and a coach will map the route, whether that is Bob Straub State Park, the Great Dune across to McPhillips Beach and Tierra Del Mar, or Pacific City’s network of bike trails. Also on loan: Nocs binoculars, Malo’o backpack coolers, surf ponchos and lounge wagons, beach chairs, trekking poles, umbrellas and trail maps.

Yes. The Salmon River excursion paddles upstream into Cascade Head’s Biosphere Reserve and through the river’s restored estuary, with binoculars along for bald eagles, osprey, kingfishers, cormorants, egrets and herons; allow four to five hours. There is also a Nestucca River excursion, a Netarts paddle and Netarts kayak crabbing. These are paid add-ons open to registered guests, and times and pricing come from the Adventure Center. Reserve through the adventure form on this page or ask a coach when you arrive.

Included outings for registered guests cover daily hikes, weekly yoga and meditation, seasonal tide pool, King Tides, whale watching and solstice outings, self-guided fat tire biking for three hours, new moon stargazing, beach cleanup and PC Pathways. Paid add-ons cover everything from a sunset beach bonfire to guided hikes and foraging. The Adventure Center is where a stay at Headlands gets planned. Adventure Coaches are trained local guides who build a North Coast itinerary around what you want to do, and the program treats guided outdoor experiences as part of the stay rather than an upsell. The gear is lent either way.

• Paid add-ons: sunset bonfire on the beach; Salmon River kayak excursion; Nestucca River excursion; Netarts paddle and Netarts kayak crabbing; two-hour and four-hour guided hikes; mushroom foraging; clamming at Netarts Bay; crab
  shaking; oyster shucking; agate expedition; plein air painting and coastal watercolors; signature mixology
• Gear on loan: Linus cruiser, fat tire and e-bikes with helmets and maps; Nocs binoculars; Malo’o backpack coolers, surf ponchos and lounge wagons; beach chairs; trekking poles; umbrellas; trail maps
• Next door: Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area, Bob Straub State Park, Sitka Sedge State Natural Area, and the Pacific City Dory Fleet beach

Reserve through the adventure form on this page, or at the Adventure Center on arrival.