Boiler Bay Beacon
LINCOLN CITY (Ore.) — The best view at the Oregon coast is a 57-story, two-mile climb to the top of The Knoll, Lincoln City’s most astonishing outdoors attraction. In other words, the perfect Spring Break adventure!
With 992 square miles of outdoor adventure, thousands of students and families from Idaho, Oregon and Washington are headed to Lincoln County for Spring Break 2026, staggered to occur from March 16 to April 16.
“I love The Knoll,” reflected Dick Anderson, a former mayor (and now state senator) who headed city efforts to buy the geographic wonder, describing it like an Alpine ascent. “It has different degrees of difficulty to climb and different trails to the top. But when you get up there, it’s just a gorgeous vista, and it shows the diversity.”
On the way to the 500-ft. summit hikers traverse a rainforest of mossy spruce, alder meadows and wildflowers. ‘Elk highways’ — shoulder-wide tunnels through the brush — interdict the hiking path, once a main road to a long-failed, 1960’s subdivision. Bear scat and mountain lion tracks are common. Old-timers say there are secret trails here that lead to charming waterfalls and a moss-covered road that was never used.
“It gets real steep, fast,” commented Jim Jameson, a dory fisherman who has been exploring the remote woods beyond Roads End since 1980, adding that some turn back when their heels no longer touch the trail. “The area is remote as you can get and still be inside city limits. But the payoff is incredible — the city’s own Space Needle, but taller by a hundred feet.”
‘The Knoll’ is a heart-pounding testament to leg strength but is considered by expert hikers to be moderate enough for most ages.
Difficult rescues sometimes ensue when people trip on ancient roots, slip in mud, fall or get lost in the rainforest. North Lincoln Fire and Rescue (9-1-1) recommends a full emergency hiking kit, including a charged cell phone, water, jacket and flashlight. But that’s all part of the mystique, and a great story to tell when you get home from Spring Break.
The City of Lincoln City urges hikers to ‘Leave No Trace’, and to be respectful to nearby private landowners. To get to the trailhead, take N.E. Devils Lake Road to the very end, where a map on a sign shows the main trail.
