Scenic Hike: Autumn Views from Rocky Cliff

Swapping out pavement for a rugged trail — and the occasional metal handrail — has a certain appeal. The video captures a moment where someone was hard at work climbing in a rugged landscape. A serpentine metal handrail accompanies the ascent on this cliff face. The sky above is blue, and the grips on the handrails are orange, contrasting sharply with the natural colors of the landscape. The handrails provide grip and reassurance for someone making their way up the steepest part of the climb. The autumnal foliage adds a splash of color. Vibrant leaves — the fiery reds, oranges, and yellows — cover the trees.

This is the Balconies Trail

The Balconies Trail, as one commenter calls it, is an offshoot of the trails at Cape Perpetua Scenic Area, a 500 acre region near Yachats, Oregon. This trail takes hikers — and handheld climbers — up to the top of the cape, and then emerges on the top of high cliffs. The cliffs are not just vertical cliffs, but they also include sharp drop-offs. The trail runs through several ecosystems: old growth forest, ridge lines, and the coastal cliffs. The trail, like this video, ends at a view that looks along the Oregon coast. This trail is a steep, rocky challenge punctuated by handrails at its most exposed points. Anywhere else in the world, this lookout would come with a fence. On the Balconies Trail, the handrails are a welcome intervention. There are few guardrails between the rocky cliff edge and the trail.

The handrail void offers danger, and a deeper experience

If hiking is about walking in nature, the Balconies Trail finds a very specific niche. The handrails offer a compromise between the safety of a boardwalk and the wildness of mountain climbing. But the lack of fencing also means you have to make a choice. Climb along, and decide whether you like the feeling of being exposed on a cliff over the ocean Like any place with a lack of safety features, adults must determine their limits, and pay attention. It may be steep, and it may require a high level of caution, but nothing compares to walking along a cliff more than a matchless view of the Oregon coast.

The handrails

The handrails are a convenient protocol for groups

The handrails are a natural bottleneck. Multiple railings emerge at the steepest parts of the trail, and each one is narrow enough to limit the number of people who can pass through at once, Taking a turn behind a group is more than a chance to catch your breath. Some parts of the trail are nothing but a ridge of red rock. It becomes an entirely different situation when you spot a family member behind you keeping pace at the same level of safety.

The handrails and your elevation

The handrails are a common feature along the trail. They are at their most common at a certain point: once you reach 200 feet of elevation gain. The rails continue at intervals as the elevation gain continues. At the 200 feet point, hikers identify this as the "Balconies."

The handrails compensate for a dangerous landscape

For decades, the risk associated with these cliffs and their lack of safety features have been disputed. The safety concerns are expressed by parents for children who may try to wander near the edge of the cliff. But other visitors -- who are not parents but are adults -- find the lack of safety features to be a positive aspect. They enjoy it as a reason to pay closer attention to their surroundings.

What this trail does to your day

A different viewpoint of the trail might offer an additional sense of elevation. Not every day does the terrain provide a cliff, a metal handrail, and an ocean view. Take the opportunity to appreciate the basic elements of a hike — the trail, the trees, the sea, and even the safety barriers. But the Balconies Trail — and handrails — are also a time to experiment with limits. No barriers make for a different sense of safety. The trail experience can be as high above the ground as the elevation gain allows.