Oregon Coast Photographer| Covering the Oregon Coast {Vol. 5} Neahkahnie Beach and Neahkahnie Mountain Hike

On our first Oregon coast trip of the year this January (you can see the Hug Point part of that trip HERE), we also stopped at Neahkahnie Beach. It was another one of those places we had never been but we saw the sign and followed it to explore a new place. Neahkahnie Beach is just north of Manzanita and the road to get there takes you through a little residential area. The parking for the beach is just along the side of the road with a grass-lined walkway to get to the beach itself. This beach is a bit less scenic and more residential than many of the other little beaches around it and no tide pooling to be found, but still beautiful. We had a good time tossing foam airplanes in the wind, finding reflections in the sand and water, and running in the open ocean.In August we returned to this area but it was my husband's idea to "go to the coast" this day. His idea of going to the coast and my idea of going to the coast are quite a bit different, but it's a good balance and we get to see even more of the areas we probably wouldn't otherwise. On this particular day we hiked Neahkahnie Mountain for incredible views of the beach below. The hike was not too steep with the help of switchbacks and the Oregon forests are always fun and interesting to explore. At the top of the mountain the hike was a bit more treacherous but still doable for our family including a 6-year-old and a 4-year-old. We walked to 2 different areas at the top and the views of Manzanita and the ocean below just couldn't be beat. Our feet never actually touched the sand this day, but it was so worth it. (Also, a disclaimer that some of these photos may look like our boys were nearly falling off a rocky cliff, but I assure you they were totally safe at all times.)Click to see more of our covering the coast series:{Vol. 1} Pacific City and Oceanside{Vol. 2} Cape Kiwanda{Vol. 3} Devil's Punchbowl{Vol. 4} Hug PointMany more Oregon coast posts to come!  Heidi Heaphy Photography is a Portland, Oregon based photographer specializing in weddings, seniors, and family sessions. Portrait sessions are available in the greater Portland area, the Oregon coast, and are also frequently available in western Montana. Contact me to schedule your own customized session.