Park rangers warn visitors of dangers at Cape Kiwanda

PACIFIC CITY, Ore. (KOIN) — A popular spot along the Oregon coast is also one of the deadliest.

Six people have died at Cape Kiwanda in the last 9 months, and now the state is taking measures to prevent anyone else from falling to their deaths.

KOIN 6 News was with park ranger Lisa Stevenson at Thursday as she confronted visitors to warn them of the dangers at the spot.

“The sandstone we have… it’s not regular rock. It crumbles at your feet,” Stevenson said. “We’re really trying to spread the awareness and keep our visitors safe.”

There are signs posted along a fence that visitors are told not to cross. But even though the barrier is clearly marked, some people choose to go beyond it.

“One of the challenges I have in my contacts are returning visitors who feel kind of an ownership of certain spaces beyond the fence line,” Stevenson said.

A majority of the deaths at Cape Kiwanda involved hikers who ignored the fencing and signs. Most of them were killed when the ground gave way beneath their feet.

Barriers and warning signs have been up since 1996.

In 2009, the fence was extended by more than 1,200 feet following a fatal accident.

Stevenson said erosion regularly causes the dangerous spots to shift.