Measuring 9mi long and on average about .5mi wide, the 1,303-acre park encompasses a lush belt of old-growth rain forest and one of the most storied sections of Oregon coastline. Tales of its beauty go back to the winter of 1806, when William Clark, Sacajawea and other members of the Lewis and Clark expedition hiked through what is now the park in search of whale blubber-they were desperate to add anything to their monotonous diet. After gazing out at the sea from a 1,000ft cliff above Tillamook Head, Clark wrote in his journal: "I beheld the grandest and most pleasing prospect which my eyes ever surveyed." Visitors can see what elicited such superlatives by driving to Indian Beach, at the end of the park road (5mi north of entrance), and hiking north on the 6mi Tillamook Head Trail. In addition to providing spectacular coastal views, the trail winds through vaulting groves of massive Sitka spruce draped with moss and ferns. Only slightly less dramatic views can be savored at Ecola Point, 2mi north of the park entrance. Here, a .25mi trail from the parking lot leads out to the end of the headland.