Angora Hiking Club

Angora Hiking Club The Angora Hiking Club was founded July 4, 1920 on the summit of Saddle Mountain.

Its purpose is to bring outdoor enthusiasts together to explore the beautiful north Oregon coastal region, and encourage good stewardship for the land.

05/31/2026

A reminder of the upcoming hike on Tuesday as well as the severity rating.

Regards,

David Gray
Chief Guide
[email protected]

This coming Tuesday, June 2nd, we will continue the 100-year tradition of an annual club hike to Saddle Mountain. This is a beautiful hike with a profusion of wildflowers and breathtaking views. It is also a very strenuous hike with precarious trail conditions, especially for the last several hundred yards of ascent to the summit. The trail length is about 5 miles (roundtrip) with 1650' of elevation gain. But don't be misled by the relatively short distance and modest elevation gain. This is easily the toughest Angora hike that I have been on since moving to Astoria. Using the chart suggested by Arline I would rate the Saddle Mt hike a 5D on the attached scale: https://angoras.club/Hikers.pdf. Despite a few years of trail restoration, there are some problematic spots that still present risks. Having said all of that, if you are an experienced hiker in good hiking condition, please join us. Because of the popularity of this hike we have scheduled it for a Tuesday. We will meet at the new Angora staging area in the NE corner of the Burger King parking lot at 9:00 AM to arrange carpools. It is a one-hour drive to the trailhead including a 7-mile bumpy blacktop road to the parking lot, which can fill up fast. We would like to keep the number of people hiking to the summit to about a dozen. If you feel that you are up to tackling this challenging hike, RSVP to Eric Wheeler at [email protected] or 608-797-7753.

There is a vault toilet at the trailhead, but no water and recent reports indicate the potential for muddy and buggy conditions, so prepare accordingly.
Long term forecast is for June 2nd looks good.

As Eric has noted this is a hike best undertaken by those in good physical condition - the rated scale is 5D.

05/27/2026

Hi Angoras,
This coming Tuesday, June 2nd, we will continue the 100-year tradition of an annual club hike to Saddle Mountain. This is a beautiful hike with a profusion of wildflowers and breathtaking views. It is also a very strenuous hike with precarious trail conditions, especially for the last several hundred yards of ascent to the summit. The trail length is about 5 miles (roundtrip) with 1650' of elevation gain. But don't be misled by the relatively short distance and modest elevation gain. This is easily the toughest Angora hike that I have been on since moving to Astoria. Using the chart suggested by Arline I would rate the Saddle Mt hike a 5D on the attached scale: https://angoras.club/Hikers.pdf. Despite a few years of trail restoration, there are some problematic spots that still present risks. Having said all of that, if you are an experienced hiker in good hiking condition, please join us. Because of the popularity of this hike we have scheduled it for a Tuesday. We will meet at the new Angora staging area in the NE corner of the Burger King parking lot at 9:00 AM to arrange carpools. It is a one-hour drive to the trailhead including a 7-mile bumpy blacktop road to the parking lot, which can fill up fast. We would like to keep the number of people hiking to the summit to about a dozen. If you feel that you are up to tackling this challenging hike, RSVP to Eric Wheeler at [email protected] or 608-797-7753.

There is a vault toilet at the trailhead, but no water and recent reports indicate the potential for muddy and buggy conditions, so prepare accordingly.
Long term forecast is for June 2nd looks good.

As Eric has noted this is a hike best undertaken by those in good physical condition - the rated scale is 5D.

Thank you,

David Gray
Chief Guide
[email protected]

05/12/2026

Hello Angoras,

I know the angoras.club site has the hike down for Wednesday, May 20th. Debbie and I have decided to push it up to Saturday.

This will be about a four mile walk on mostly flat terrain. We will start out at Gearhart City Hall at 9:30 and head north on the Ridge Path to Gearhart Street, walk up past McMenamins and hit the beach on 10th Street, then walk to Pacific Avenue where we can take a short break at the restroom facilities. The walk then proceeds out Ocean Ave to loop around by Little Beach, meet up with the southern part of the Ridge Path, and head back to City Hall.

We hope to see you there. If people want to car pool we can meet up at the east end of Burger King at 9:00 unless it is thought a different location would be better.

Please RSVP to [email protected]

Thank you,

David Gray
Chief Guide
[email protected]

04/21/2026

Saturday, April 25 at 9 a.m.
Walking the Haunts of Vampira
This 5k (3 miles) walk, starting at Suomi Hall, features sites relating to Maila Nurmi, better known as her alter-ego, TV's original horror host Vampira.

Start and finish point: Suomi Hall (244 W. Marine Dr. just west of Holiday Inn Express).

Hike Distance 5k (3 miles); 2 hours
Elevation gain: 100'
Trail type: Mostly sidewalks

Restrooms at Holiday Inn Express and Nordic Heritage Park

RSVP: Arline LaMear at 503-338-6883 or cliffandarline .com

David Gray
Chief Guide
[email protected]

04/13/2026

Saturday April 18, 10:00 a.m.
The Astor Court neighborhood on the west end/south slope of Astoria is the city's first and only true Streetcar neighborhood. Astor Court developed around a school, two grocery stores and a church that were served by the electric streetcar. This walk is a loop of about one mile on mostly level urban terrain. We'll have a look at some of the Craftsman era residences that give this area a distinctive feel. Meet at 10:00 AM in front of the Astor Court Market. Please RSVP: Eric Wheeler - [email protected] - 608-797-7753

David Gray
[email protected]

04/07/2026

Hike: Hollywood Comes to Astoria

Date: Saturday, April 11

Time: Meet at 9:00 a.m.at Holiday Inn Express, 204 W. Marine in Astoria. You can either park on Marine Dr. or in the Holiday Inn parking lot. If you park in the parking lot, please park as far away from the hotel as possible so that guests have adequate parking.

Start Point: Holiday Inn Express, 204 W. Marine Dr.

Hike Distance and Time: 10k (6.2 miles), approximately 2 ½ hours

Elevation gain: 100'

Trail type: Mostly paved path although there are some stairs

Trail rating: "Moderate" for longer distance and one set of stairs

Restrooms: About half-way at the Astoria Public Library; also at Safeway

RSVP: Arline LaMear (503-338-6883 or [email protected])
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Trail rating system:
(E) Easier: relatively flat ground (up to 5 miles distance and/or less than 500' elevation gain
(M) Moderate: Longer, more elevation gain (5 miles distance and/or over 500' elev. gain.
(S) Strenuous: Long and/or elevation gain (over 8 miles and/or 1200+ elevation gain.
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03/31/2026

Dear Angora Friends,
It is supposed to rain all day tomorrow, so I would like to postpone the Vampira Hike we have scheduled for April 1 to Saturday, April 25. The hike we had planned for April 25 is a "No-Go", so we need to have a different hike anyway. Hopefully, the weather will be better on the 25th and we'll have more fun exploring the "haunts" of Vampira without the rain.

Arline LaMear, President
Angora Hiking Club

03/25/2026

Changes to Angora April Calendar
Hi Angora friends,
We’ve made some changes to our April hiking schedule, so be sure you put these on the calendar. Details on the walks will follow closer to the dates.
Arline has laid out two walks relating to the movies made in Astoria. Both will start from the Holiday Inn Express (204 W. Marine Dr.) Park either in their lot in the lane closest to Marine Dr. or on Marine Dr. itself. You can also turn into the Holiday Inn Express and turn left in front of the building. There’s usually parking available near the small park just beyond the hotel.
April 1 – The Vampira Walk - Actress Maila Nurmi - better known as her alter-ego, TV’s original horror host Vampira – lived in Astoria from 1939-1941. This 5k walk will go by some of her “haunts”. We’ll also visit the newly renovated Astoria Public Library for a quick tour.
April 11 – Astoria Movie Sites - On this 10k, we’ll visit 9 different sites used in a variety of Astoria films including The Goonies, Kindergarten Cop, Short Circuit, and Free W***y.
April 18 – Urban walk led by Eric Wheeler
April 25 - Cathedral Tree Trail/Astoria Column, led by Rhonda Piasecki.

Arline LaMear, President
Angora Hiking Club

03/17/2026

Hello everyone,

The proposed Circle Creek walk at Seaside is not possible as it is closed for now. Eric has kindly come up with the following urban walk.

Hi Folks, I am going to lead a narrated history walk through downtown Astoria as a 'test run' for a tour that the Lower Columbia Preservation Society is offering this year starting in May. Let's meet at 10:00 AM by the big anchor in the plaza of the Columbia River Maritime Museum. This is an easy urban, point to point walk of about 10 blocks. Done no later than Noon. We'll postpone it if it is too wet for an enjoyable walk. Please RSVP:
Eric Wheeler - [email protected] - 608-797-7753

It might be a good idea for those who drive to use the parking lot that is to the east of the Barbey Center and walk to the plaza where we can meet up.

Regards,
David Gray
[email protected]

03/02/2026

South Bay Trail and Cranberry Museum Outing March 7 9a.m.

This outing involves a hike on the South Bay Trail which takes us to an outlook with wonderful views of Willapa Bay. We might see otters, kingfishers and hawks so bring your binoculars! We will be hiking about three miles on a nice trail with 60’-100’ elevation gain. After the hike, we will head to the nearby Pacific Coast Cranberry Museum to learn about cranberry production history and current practices. We will be able to take a walking tour of the farm.
We will meet at 9 am at the Burger King parking lot on Marine Drive in Astoria. For those who want to meet up in Washington, we will get to the trailhead on 95th Street off Sandridge Road at about 9:30. We should be back in Astoria by 1:00.
Please RSVP to Deborah Howe at 503-432-1255 (text) or [email protected].

Thank you,

David and Debbie Gray
[email protected]

Address

Astoria, OR
97103

Telephone

+15033254315

Website

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