Florence – Day 2
Getting Out
By now, we were getting pretty restless, the drive to Florence was an all day event and the first day was pretty much regrouping. The morning was bright and sunny, so we decided a good hike was in order and some ocean views should be a part of that.
Heceta Head
Haceta Head Lighthouse is a favorite stop on the Oregon Coast for us. The historic lightkeeper’s grounds are set up as a B&B now with tours available from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The small gift shop is in what was the chicken house in the day of the lightkeeper. The lighthouse itself is now automated of course, but still operates.
There is a $5.00 parking fee at Heceta Head Lighthouse, as found at most attractions on the coast. We need to look into a pass that covers these stops as we will be frequenting them and it adds up quickly!
The hike we did was from Heceta Head Lighthouse to Hobbit Beach. This hike is a great coastal hike with great views of the ocean and beaches as well as some nice additional views of the lighthouse. The trail is well shaded with the typical coastal rain forest feel. It has a fair amount of elevation, and the ‘Hobbit Trail’ section approaching the beach is
Darlingtonia
New word of the day, Darlingtonia! I have been coming to the Oregon Coast for as long as I can remember, vacationing with my parents as a child, (Thanks Mom!) and I have never heard about these insect eating plants! Liz found the Darlingtonia State Natural Site in her searches for things to do in the Florence area, so we stopped to check it out. These plants are pretty interesting to say the least, this attraction is definitely worth a stop.