God’s Thumb Oregon Coast Hike Guide
God’s Thumb is a popular hike located on the Oregon Coast just north of Lincoln City. The hike has a few alternatives that all start in the lush forest near the rugged Oregon Coast and work up to the natural feature known as God’s Thumb. The “thumb” has amazing views of the ocean below and coastline to the north and south. This hike is family friendly and dog friendly but does have some minor exposure towards the very end of the hike and on top of the thumb itself.
God’s Thumb Quick Facts
Virtual Trail Guide: God’s Thumb
God’s Thumb Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5 Stars)
Distance: 5 Miles RT – Options to make it a shorter hike
Elevation Start: 165ft
Summit: 608ft
Total Elevation Gain: 1,322ft
Estimated Time to Complete: 3-5 Hours RT
Difficulty: Moderate What does this mean?
Class: Class 1 – What does this mean?
Season: Year Round – Expect some snow in the winter months
Directions to God’s Thumb
Trailhead: NE Devils Lake Blvd
Getting Here: There are a few different variations to hike God’s Thumb, all of which vary in distance. For this hike, I will be reviewing the longest and most common hike option. From highway 101 just North of Lincoln City, turn left on NE Logan Rd. Continue for a half mile then take a right/continue straight on NE Port Ln. Drive for a third of a mile and take a left on NE Voyage Rd. After a third of a mile, take another left onto NE Devils Lake Blvd where the road will end at a small parking area.
Parking: The parking area for God’s Thumb is extremely small (room for about 5-10 cars) with additional spots along the road if you can make it work. As of 2021, there are no bathrooms at the trailhead or anywhere along the hike.
Fee: There is no fee to hike God’s Thumb.
Summary
Dogs: God’s Thumb is a dog friendly hike.
Camping: There are no good camping options for God’s Thumb in the area.
Make it a Loop: Although it would involve some creativity, two cars or some neighborhood hiking, you could make the God’s Thumb hike a loop. Take a look at the map here to see how you could make that happen.
Trail X Factors: Cloud Coverage
Is there anything worse than hiking for hours and getting to the dramatic viewpoint just for it to be covered in clouds? Unfortunately, that is a real possibility on the hike to God’s Thumb. The Oregon Coast is known for its rainy and overcast days so be sure to check the weather before heading out. On a clear day, the views from God’s Thumb are truly unrivaled on any hike I have done in this area.
Hike Tip(s): Before heading out to the hike, be sure to have a map of the area. There are so many different trail junctions along the way and it can be very easy to get lost. Once you reach the ocean, be sure to take the same way back unless you have a good understanding as to where the other trailheads start.
Best Views: This hike has a lot of great spots to take in the views including a seamless endless supply of wildflowers during the Spring and Summer. The showstopper though is the views from God’s Thumb itself assuming that you have clear weather.
God’s Thumb Hike Route
Gear Needed
- Men’s Trail Runners
- Women’s Trail Runners
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Men’s)
- La Sportiva Trango Hiking Boots (Women’s)
- Backpack
- Food & Water
- Optional: Garmin inReach
- Optional: Hiking Poles
- Optional: Garmin Fenix Watch
- Optional: Camera and Lens
- Optional: GoPro, Joby Tripod
- *Links included in this description might be affiliate links. If you purchase a product or service with the links that I provide I may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you.
Our Trip to God’s Thumb: June 2021
Jackie and I were enjoying the food and sights of the Oregon Coast but needed to mix it up with a hike as well. Our original plan was to hike Cascade Head but after reading various reports of partial trail closures, we landed on God’s Thumb. We hit the trail around 8AM and were greeted with a deer peeing in the parking lot. I laughed out loud and Jackie thought it was gross.
The hike started with more wildlife as we almost stepped on this massive slug. Slugs turned out to be extremely common in Oregon but we don’t have them in Colorado so we thought they were very cool. The trail worked through the thick forests with trees 100+ ft tall covered in moss and old man’s beard. The hiking was easy for the first ½ of the hike but then the elevation came in with absolutely no warning. We went from nice rollers and flat trails to a steep incline for about a half mile. After topping out at this point, we lost elevation entering a series of fields.
We could sense the ocean was close at this point and shortly after were greeted with stunning views of the Pacific Ocean. The weather was perfect, giving us sunshine and clear visibility for miles. We kept hiking and could see the end of the hike, God’s Thumb right in front of us. We hiked down past an endless collection of wildflowers before making the final short climb to the top of the hike. Stunning views in all directions greeted us. In fact, we could even see our original plan, Cascade Head to the north and we were so glad that we had hiked God’s Thumb instead.
This hike was an A+ hike in our books and both Jackie and I would do this one again in a heartbeat.
