A Slow Route from Corvallis to Yachats

There are many benefits to slow travel. We see more. We relax more. We have more time to absorb our new experiences and integrate them into our understanding of the world. For example, almost everyone in Corvallis knows how to get to Yachats: You take either U.S. 20 to Newport or U.S. 34 to Waldport, then turn left and drive down the coast until you see the Adobe on your right and you realize you’re almost there. It doesn’t take very long. But now imagine traveling from Corvallis to Yachats by first walking from Corvallis to New York City, then traveling by ship around the Horn of Africa, past India, through Oceania and across the Pacific to the Port of San Francisco. You could then finish by hitchhiking up U.S. Highway 101 to Yachats. Now that would be an adventure. For most of us, however, it’s just not practical. Here’s a better way.

Take Hwy 34 to Alsea and turn left down the Alsea Deadwood Highway. When you see a small sign for Little Lobster Valley Road, ignore it. Instead, stay on the paved road and bear right only when you see the obvious sign for Lobster Valley. Stay on Lobster Valley Road for a few miles. It’s a quiet valley, so don’t drive fast. Stop at the Lone Fir Cemetery if you like. When presented with the option of turning left onto Preacher Creek Road, resist it. Stay on Lobster Valley Road for some more miles until it ends at Five Rivers Road. Turn left, over the bridge, and follow Five Rivers Road for about eight miles. Keep an eye out for a right turn onto the narrow Buck Creek bridge. If you come to a red covered bridge in the town of Fisher, that means that you have missed the Buck Creek turn and will have to go back. Keep a better eye out this time. (We know this strategy will work because we have used it ourselves.) Once you find and cross the Buck Creek bridge, immediately bear right onto East Buck Creek Road. Follow the road past all the houses and up into the forest. Up there, the road is also called Forest Road 3705. In its upper reaches, it’s a little rough, so go slow and watch for potholes. There are some nice views along the way, especially for the people on the passenger side. (Whoopee!) The road ends at a T-junction with Forest Road 58. Turn left onto 58 and then, after just half a mile or so, turn right onto a quite nice looking gravel road that leads downward. Stay determinedly on this road. After a few miles it will turn from gravel to pavement. Ten miles after that it will spit you out onto Hwy 101 in downtown Yachats. Takes about three hours. Return via Mumbai.