Saddle Mountain State Natural Area, Oregon

Driving along the narrow, potholed 7 miles that lead you from Hwy 26 toward Saddle Mountain, you may think, I hope this is worth it. And then you arrive. This simple, rustic spot, tucked off the Oregon coastal highway, makes you remember that good things often wait behind veils of subtly. Saddle Mountain is most certainly a good thing. Being near the incredible design of this piece of land and the diverse fertility of her red alder, cedar and douglas fir filled woods, is a way to experience the thunderous well-being of time returned to nature. The activities here are simple--camp, walk and hike. Crest a summit that will drop your jaw and show you mountain, river, ocean madness from the sheerness of a rocky, emerald slope. Watch dusk transform the mountain into a silhouette and listen to the rustle of wings, hoots, crickets, and breezes bent around evening lullabies. After an expedition at Saddle Mountain, your heart rate calms, your blood sings and your breath deepens. Cap off your adventure by hopping from Hwy 26 onto Hwy 101 to indulge any river swimming, ocean frolicking cravings that were intensified by Saddle’s wondrous mountaintop view.