Spring has sprung! Get outdoors and explore!

As guests walk about the grounds at Overleaf Lodge & Spa, the flurry of spring activity – thanks to birds chittering, warmer breezes blowing and flowers blooming, both wild and cultivated – they might feel the urge to explore. We encourage you to get out there and see the natural beauty the Yachats area has to offer. Here are some ideas to inspire you.

Trails to trek

Overleaf Lodge & Spa guests seeking to see the beauty of Oregon’s Central Coast in Yachats need not walk far. Just step outside and start walking north on the 804 Trail to see the iconic coastline, which ends at a long stretch of beach on which the truly adventurous can walk for miles at low tide.

For hiking fans who want to explore the coastal forest, the Ya’Xaik Trail is so close! Pick up the trailhead at the end of Diversity Drive, directly across the street from our sister property, The Fireside Motel. You’ll wind up in lush forest, with Sitka spruce trees rising like giants, and then wrap back down to the coastal highway in about a mile. From this trail, you can also access the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve & Garden foot path (see below).

Venturing farther south to the Cape Perpetua area? Trails vary in difficulty but provide an incredible diversity of coast and coastal forest environments. Stop by the visitor center for maps and other visitor information before you head out. Cape Perpetua Collaborative, stewards of the area, also encourages hikers to download the iNaturalist app and take pictures of plants and animals seen along the trail to help build their database of coastal species. As you get in your steps, know that for each night you stay at Overleaf Lodge & Spa, you donate $1 toward the collaborative’s environmental efforts!

Tide pool treasures

All you need is low tide to explore the many little pools left behind on the rocky shoreline and the creatures that live within. Low tide is also the best time to find agates, sea-smoothed stones, shells and driftwood. Pack a windbreaker and look for treasures! Check for low tide times before heading out.

Gardens and wildflowers

Throughout the grounds at Overleaf Lodge & Spa, cultivated flowers and shrubs provide wonderful color from spring through fall. Plenty of wildflowers abound in the Yachats area and along wooded trails, too. Be on the lookout for trillium, wild iris, wild rhododendrons, camas, bleeding heart, larkspur and lilies. Better yet, visit the Gerdemann Botanic Preserve & Garden, either as part of a trek on the Ya’Xaik Trail (see above) or a singular visit. It’s a true gem. Pick up the garden foot path that is open year round, dawn to dusk, behind the Earthworks Art Gallery, 2222 Highway 101 North, just a short jaunt to the north of Overleaf Lodge & Spa. Inside the preserve are collections of magnolias, camellias and rhododendrons, some of which hail from the southern hemisphere!

After exploring the garden, visit the art galleries – Earthworks Gallery, Wave Gallery and Touchstone Gallery – featuring amazing works of by local artists.

For insiders, the spa

Not up for outdoor exploration? We understand! Sometimes it’s enough to take in the beauty of the ocean from your room’s balcony window. Or take time out for you at Overleaf Spa. We’ve got warm soaking tubs with an ocean view, a sauna and steam room, and signature treatments and facials that will make you feel as revived as any adventure could.