The whole Corvallis-to-the-Sea, or C2C, trail has now officially reopened. Unofficially, hikers had options that weren’t fun before the reopening, but legally, we didn’t just tell you that. So, moving right along…
What happened was this: the trail originally opened in 2021 and has always relied on totally voluntary and admirably generous easements from private property owners. But, in 2025, a sudden change in private land ownership happened and the new owner chose to stop participating. The C2C bike route had been unaffected, but for hikers, it was different story.
There was an immediate closure from westbound trail mile 51 to mile 56. The only possible detour required hikers to use the westernmost 11-mile segment of the C2C bike route. Not fun for cyclists or hikers.
New path completes the trail, again
With final preparations completed on property owned by Coast Range Conifers, the 60-mile hiking trail is again complete. Detailed and newly updated trail navigation info is available at the C2C website. Updated maps and guidebooks will be available for purchase from select local merchants in September.
Volunteers and partner organizations finished the work during the week of August 17. And we’re talking a lot of work. Relocating a trail information kiosk from the closed property; check. Trail construction and clearing; check and check. And installing many new directional signposts along the reroute; yes, that too.
“To restore a dedicated hiking path to Ona Beach, C2C board members and dedicated volunteers scouted several potential options. They coincidentally selected a route that since 2003 had already been among some alternates under previous consideration,” according to release from the Corvallis-to-the-Sea Trail Partnership.
The release also offered up some thanks and praise to partner organizations and players that helped all this to happen. The U.S. Forest Service – C2C initiated a permit modification early in the response process to incorporate the revised route across federal lands. Campbell Global – after acquiring a key parcel from Weyerhaeuser, Campbell generously agreed to adopt the previous agreement and maintain continuous trail access. Manulife updated their agreement to reroute the trail along their northern boundary, enabling a seamless connection to adjacent timberlands. Starker Forests Inc. approved the critical tie-in, granted hiker access to a natural water refill location on their property, and served as lead negotiator to secure access through the Coast Range Conifers property under a new memorandum of understanding.
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