Hobbit Beach is a secluded strand located just north of Heceta Head, approximately 13 miles (21 km) north of Florence and 12.5 miles (20 km) south of Yachats, Oregon. The beach is accessible via the Hobbit Trail, which begins in a Sitka spruce forest and leads to the base of dramatic coastal cliffs. Near the beach, the trail passes through a tunnel of dense foliage and descends steps to the sandy shore. The leafy tunnel and the experience of emerging from the mossy woods to a wide-open beach inspired the trail’s name.

Heceta Head is a headland with an elevation of 1,000 feet (300 m), named after Bruno de Heceta y Dudagoitia, a Spanish Basque explorer of the Pacific Northwest. Born in Bilbao to an old Basque family, Heceta was sent by the Viceroy of New Spain, Antonio María Bucareli y Ursúa, to explore the area north of Alta California. This mission was in response to reports of Russian colonial settlements in the region. Heceta was given command of the Santiago, accompanied by the schooner Sonora. The expedition reached a latitude of 59° North on August 15, 1775, where they performed acts of sovereignty to formally claim the territory for Spain.

The Spanish claim to Alaska and the Pacific Northwest originated from a 1493 papal charter and the 1494 Treaty of Tordesillas. The first European expedition to reach the Pacific coast was led by Vasco Núñez de Balboa, who in 1513 claimed the Pacific Ocean and all adjoining lands for the Spanish Crown. Confident in their claims, the Spanish Empire did not explore or settle the northwest coast for 250 years after Balboa’s assertion. By the late 18th century, however, Spain became concerned about Russian and British activities along the Pacific Northwest and Alaskan coasts. This prompted them to investigate the extent of Russian and British encroachment in the region. Read more here and here. Explore more of Hobbit Beach and Heceta Head here: