Find the top rated walking trails in Astoria, whether you're looking for an easy short walking trail or a long walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Castle Rock's popular Riverfront Trail originates at its main trailhead in Lion's Pride Park, which offers covered picnic areas. Following a dike north along the Cowlitz River from the park, the trail...
The Astoria Riverwalk, also known as the Astoria River Trail, stretches along part of the Astoria & Columbia River Railroad, providing a lively, nonmotorized tour of the city's waterfront. Along the...
The Warrenton Waterfront Trail runs for nearly 5 miles through the small city of Warrenton, located near where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Oregon. Portions...
The Kestrel Dune Trail is one of several multi-use pathways in the park that houses historic Fort Stevens, built at the mouth of the Columbia River near the end of the Civil War. The trail begins on...
As its name implies, the Seaside Promenade is a north-south route along the Pacific Ocean in the Oregon coastal community of Seaside. The Prom, as it's affectionately known, dates back to the 1920s...
The Coweeman River Trail follows the dike on the west side of the river for 4 miles, giving access to the riverfront and Tam O'Shanter Park. The setting on the northern section is residential, and the...
The Discovery Trail is one of the most scenic in the Pacific Northwest with outstanding views of the ocean, grassy dunes and forest groves. As it's named for Lewis and Clark’s explorative trek here...
The Cowlitz River Trail follows its namesake river along a dike on the east bank. The trail is asphalt and connects Kelso residents with the riverfront. The trail parallels the active BNSF line that...
An adventure awaits those who tackle all, or part, of the 56-mile-long Willapa Hills Trail in southwestern Washington. The former Northern Pacific Railway line rolls through remote farm and forestland...
The Banks-Vernonia State Trail stretches through the hills (east of the Coast Mountains) between its two namesake towns. The former railroad corridor—once part of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle...
The Coweeman River Trail follows the dike on the west side of the river for 4 miles, giving access to the riverfront and Tam O'Shanter Park. The setting on the northern section is residential, and the...
Castle Rock's popular Riverfront Trail originates at its main trailhead in Lion's Pride Park, which offers covered picnic areas. Following a dike north along the Cowlitz River from the park, the trail...
The Kestrel Dune Trail is one of several multi-use pathways in the park that houses historic Fort Stevens, built at the mouth of the Columbia River near the end of the Civil War. The trail begins on...
The Warrenton Waterfront Trail runs for nearly 5 miles through the small city of Warrenton, located near where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Oregon. Portions...
The Crown Zellerbach Trail, known locally as the CZ Trail, follows a former logging railroad through quiet and picturesque forests in northwest Oregon. Its east end begins at Multnomah Channel and,...
The Banks-Vernonia State Trail stretches through the hills (east of the Coast Mountains) between its two namesake towns. The former railroad corridor—once part of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle...
As its name implies, the Seaside Promenade is a north-south route along the Pacific Ocean in the Oregon coastal community of Seaside. The Prom, as it's affectionately known, dates back to the 1920s...
The Cowlitz River Trail follows its namesake river along a dike on the east bank. The trail is asphalt and connects Kelso residents with the riverfront. The trail parallels the active BNSF line that...
An adventure awaits those who tackle all, or part, of the 56-mile-long Willapa Hills Trail in southwestern Washington. The former Northern Pacific Railway line rolls through remote farm and forestland...
The Astoria Riverwalk, also known as the Astoria River Trail, stretches along part of the Astoria & Columbia River Railroad, providing a lively, nonmotorized tour of the city's waterfront. Along the...
The Discovery Trail is one of the most scenic in the Pacific Northwest with outstanding views of the ocean, grassy dunes and forest groves. As it's named for Lewis and Clark’s explorative trek here...
An adventure awaits those who tackle all, or part, of the 56-mile-long Willapa Hills Trail in southwestern Washington. The former Northern Pacific Railway line rolls through remote farm and forestland...
The Crown Zellerbach Trail, known locally as the CZ Trail, follows a former logging railroad through quiet and picturesque forests in northwest Oregon. Its east end begins at Multnomah Channel and,...
The Cowlitz River Trail follows its namesake river along a dike on the east bank. The trail is asphalt and connects Kelso residents with the riverfront. The trail parallels the active BNSF line that...
The Kestrel Dune Trail is one of several multi-use pathways in the park that houses historic Fort Stevens, built at the mouth of the Columbia River near the end of the Civil War. The trail begins on...
The Discovery Trail is one of the most scenic in the Pacific Northwest with outstanding views of the ocean, grassy dunes and forest groves. As it's named for Lewis and Clark’s explorative trek here...
Castle Rock's popular Riverfront Trail originates at its main trailhead in Lion's Pride Park, which offers covered picnic areas. Following a dike north along the Cowlitz River from the park, the trail...
The Banks-Vernonia State Trail stretches through the hills (east of the Coast Mountains) between its two namesake towns. The former railroad corridor—once part of the Spokane, Portland & Seattle...
As its name implies, the Seaside Promenade is a north-south route along the Pacific Ocean in the Oregon coastal community of Seaside. The Prom, as it's affectionately known, dates back to the 1920s...
The Warrenton Waterfront Trail runs for nearly 5 miles through the small city of Warrenton, located near where the mighty Columbia River empties into the Pacific Ocean in northwestern Oregon. Portions...
The Coweeman River Trail follows the dike on the west side of the river for 4 miles, giving access to the riverfront and Tam O'Shanter Park. The setting on the northern section is residential, and the...
The Astoria Riverwalk, also known as the Astoria River Trail, stretches along part of the Astoria & Columbia River Railroad, providing a lively, nonmotorized tour of the city's waterfront. Along the...
It has been a couple of years since I hit this trail with my road bike and I was pretty amazed and a little disappointed at the lack of maintenance. It is a beautiful trail with fairly easy grades and nice shade. I did the entire length of 42 miles from Banks to Vernonia and back, approximately 2 1/2 hours. The issue is the heaving of asphalt which on a road bike is jarring, to the point of being dangerous if you are in the shade and don't see it coming. On a fat tire bike, not so much. Again, it could be a great trail, but the state or whoever is responsible needs to spend a dime, i.e., our tax dollars, and get it in better shape. Thank you!
Did the entire trail in one ride starting in Banks on a hot day, so all the trees were nice. As mentioned the trail starts a steady incline at about 5 miles and continues for the next 7 or so. Pretty rough in a number of places. The bridges mentioned in the trail description are pretty much all a couple inches higher than the trail which means a pretty sizeable bump up/down. The bad spots are marked with orange paint but you need to pay attention. I found the Stubbs State Park to be pretty easy to miss, could be because you need to climb another hill to get up to it and I wasn't that motivated by that point. The downhill section on the return trip to banks was great, but with the rough trail and bridges pay attention. Overall I am not a big fan.
On Saturday 7/14 I rode from Pe Ell to South Bend. Then on Monday 7/16 my wife drove me from South Bend to Pe Ell and I rode from Pe Ell to Chehalis.
I love this trail! There are certain sections I would not recommend to the casual rider at this time.
Around Frances and through to Willapa there are several sections where the trail has mostly succumbed to blackberries. At times I picked my feet up on my crossbar and glided through. But other times I had to get out and walk, picking my way slowly and carefully through the thorns for a long, long time. There is at least 2,000 feet of trail like this (at least!).
In Lebam, at Robertson Road, it is incredibly easy to lose the trail. It picks up again right across the road but it is so overgrown that it is almost invisible. According to reports there is a bridge out and you have to take a detour (but alas the detour is not obvious at all). So, what you do is follow Robertson Road to the right of the trail for about 1/2 mile (guessing at the distance) and then take the first trail-like thing you see on your left into the woods. This should get you back on the trail. There are no signs! I biked around Lebam for about 5 miles before I found it. I also discovered later that if I zoomed wayyyy in on Google maps I could see the trail and the detour as well. I hope this saves other people some time and frustration.
Between Pe Ell and Frances there are several railroad trestles without decking. Don't try to ride across these as some of them have ties that are severely rotted and have mostly disintegrated. This bears repeating from the trail description. If I recall correctly the third or fourth trestle out of Pe Ell toward Frances was in the worst condition. The first couple of trestles out of Pe Ell were actually fine but very, very bumpy! The trestles are breathtaking for the natural beauty around them and for the fact that you are wayyy up above the ground on some of them.
I also rode through nettle patches and lots of long, long grass west of Frances.
In Raymond the trail closes and sent me off on a detour to the right. I went to the right then turned left crossing the street (Hwy 101). Once you cross Hwy 101, head back toward the trail you left off - but don't take the first trail to your right. It looks really nice but will lead you to a scenic dead end in a mile or two. Instead, bike along Hwy 101 and the trail will reappear before you.
With all that said, I can't express how beautiful this trail is. It was a great adventure and absolutely worth the effort. For a casual ride, I would recommend starting at Adna and heading west for about 10 miles. The trail is either paved or fairly smooth dirt & gravel for that part. As you get closer to Pe Ell in either direction the gravel gets deeper and wider tires are a big plus. On two-inch tires I found myself swimming around a bit on certain portions.
The first part of the trail was in great shape with well maintained bridges and nicely compacted gravel. Our gravel bikes handled the conditions nicely. Things changed dramatically once we passed Pe Ell, starting with the 1st of 3 ancient railroad bridges. There was no signage to warn cyclists that the bridges are not rideable & barely walkable, so I was on the first bridge before realizing its poor condition. I had no choice but to continue. It was terrifying! WALK your bike CAREFULLY across these bridges. Just west of Lebam, the trail suddenly appeared closed, with no signage to indicate a detour. Luckily a resident saw our puzzled faces and directed us to stay right on Robertson Rd and look for an unsigned path leading down to the left about a half a mile from the closure. After that, sections of the trail were so overgrown with grass and blackberries that it was difficult to see obstacles and we had to proceed slowly. Once we got past Frances, the conditions improved and we made it to Raymond, sore and tired.
After a great night's sleep in the Pitchwood Inn, we rode back to Chehalis, opting to bypass the middle section of the trail by taking Mill Creek Rd/Elk Creek Rd before rejoining the trail in Doty. Be forewarned, Mill Creek Rd turns into a gravel logging road with a much steeper grade than the trail.
Better signage, bridge improvements and overall maintenance on the middle section would make for a more enjoyable ride on the Willapa Trail, but all in all, it was a great adventure!
I rode the trail on Saturday, April 21st from east to west, using a Jamis Renegade with 700x40 tires. Some sections were slow going because the surface was not well compacted, but rideable.
Just to the west of Lebam, I detoured to the road, but was able to quickly jump back on the trail via what appeared to be a driveway, though ‘no trespassing’ signs don’t appear until you reach the trail and the private drive begins on the opposite side of the trail.
Around mile 44, I encountered lots of mud that was not rideable. This muddy section continued for a few miles.
A very small section is blocked off by concrete blocks around mile 48.75 because the river is eroding the hillside. I tip toed through on the trail, but you really have no idea if this is solid ground. Be smart and go around it.
All in all, it was a great ride but challenging in some areas. Well marked until you get to 101. Just remember to go left at that point. I missed that turn.
The CZ Trail does not go through at tunnel, but the old logging rail road did.
Details at this link,
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Nehalem_Divide_Railroad_Tunnel:_West_Portal
Or Google Nehalem Divide Tunnel
Near the West end the map shows the trail as veering North on the Columbia Forest Road. You can go this way, but the CZ Trail actually crosses the Scappoose-Vernonia Hwy about 16.7 miles from Scappoose. Google Maps shows it continuing on Pebble Creek Mnln (whatever Mnln means). Strava identifies the road as Crown Zellerbach Trail. Signage identifies Pebble Creek Mnln as the CZ Trail. Pebble Creek Mnln turns in to E Knott Street in Vernonia.
The trail is very lovely. Smooth packed gravel for the most part. Wet and a bit muddy in places when I road it on New Years Eve. If riding in winter use wide tires. I had 2.25" and was glad for it.
My wife and I rode this trail for the first time July 20 and 21, 2017 (a Thursday and Friday). Our plan was to ride Banks to Vernonia, stay overnight in Vernonia, and return the next day. On Thursday we drove from the Olympic Peninsula in Washington to Banks, arriving around noon. We were shocked to find that the State allows no overnight parking in the trail head parking lot. Besides that, the parking lot which holds about 30 vehicles (about half for compact cars) was full and there was only one compact space left which we could not use b/c we drive a minivan. We discovered a bicycle shop "Banks Bicycle Shop" 503-596-2433 adjacent to the trail head where we received some suggestions of where we could park from the very helpful staff which solved our problem. We have heard that the shop will actually come out on the trail to provide assistance. We also visited the Sheriffs office where we were told by the office staff that they thought we could park on the street for 48 hours without a problem. Our bikes are hybrids and we ride with a handlebar bag, trunk bag, and for an overnight ride, panniers. We noticed most of the bikes on the trail were road bikes with no gear at all, so their experience may be different than ours. The trail is black top all the way and scenery abounds. Yes, the trail has a number of root bumps, but most are well marked with paint stripes. Also, the beginning and ending of the bridges have significant bumps, but you just have to be aware of this. The first 4 or 5 miles are flat, or perhaps a very slight grade. However, the next 7 miles is a steady, unrelenting 5% grade and by the time we got to about the 12 mile point, we were very disappointed. About that time we met another biker who told us we were nearly at the top and we would soon begin the descent. Just before arriving in Vernonia there was a slight upgrade, but nothing much. We arrived at our B&B, "The Carpenter's House" and spent a very comfortable night. The next day we looked forward to "payback time". We rode the gentle incline to "Hilltop" and then had a magnificent ride back to Banks. Had we known the extent of the upgrade on the first day, it would have been easier because we would have known it would not extend all the way to Vernonia, but most of the reviews speak only of switchbacks and steep incline, which are very short and insignificant for us in comparison to the unrelenting upgrade for 7 miles. The bottom line is, it is a beautiful trail and a beautiful area and the answer to the question of whether we would do it again is "Yes!" because we would now be forearmed with knowledge of the trail layout.
We start at 12th Ave public parking area...walk 2.5 miles to the COVE...back to 12th Ave. Total is close to 5 miles...very stroller friendly on the prom...
Beautiful morning ride. We started at 26th N. The farthest point north. The hotel there provides complimentary parking. Spectacular baby rollercoaster ride for 6.35 miles to Beard's Hollow. Got a little confusing there because the trail was gravel and steep after the bridge. We went back and found the trail to the lighthouse. Very Nice. Got directions from the park volunteer. We went back to the road, turned right up the hill and found the asphalt trail to Ilwaco. It was wet and slippery from fallen leaves. Control your decent carefully! My wife fell hard on the wooden bridge just before the end near Ilwaco. The bridge has "SLIPPERY WHEN WET" sign. IT IS!!! We walked the bridge on the way back. The next day we rode the dunes section again because it's absolutely gorgeous and not crowded on Monday.
I have used this trail extensively the past 5 years in preparation for Ironman 70.3. Great training course and easy transition area for bike to run. Having a place like this with ready access and no vehicle traffic is a wonderful resource for this area.
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