I’ve been told that Oregon has some wonderful beaches. As a proud Californian, I set the bar on beaches to be quite high. The warmer weather and sunny year-round conditions sometimes make it hard to compare. Of course it’s always worth checking out a beach no matter which state it’s in.
Ben and I made weekend plans to explore more of Oregon outside of the Portland area. We drove over to Cannon Beach as a day trip and was amazed at how beaches could be so warm in the Oregon winter! It was at least in the 70s and sunny when we arrived. Not a cloud in sight!
Cannon Beach is a small resort town on the northern coast of Oregon. The town is mostly composed of vacation rentals centered close to a small downtown area. The town is located one block from the beach, making the walk over very accessible. There are also some homes and one or two hotels beautifully lined along the sand. The town may be on the smaller side but is engulfed by nature all around.
Some sights to check out while here are the huge rock formations on the beach. During low tide, a lot of the sand gets exposed and you can easily walk up to the rocks and beyond. The most famous rock formation here is Haystack Rock, a giant 235 foot rock. It rests near downtown Cannon Beach and close to Tolovana Park. While walking closer to the rock, you can start to see that there are actually caves inside this rock as well as tide pools. Birds also nest on the rock so you can occasionally see puffins! Unfortunately I did not see any on my visit.
Beyond Haystack Rock, there is a small downtown area with shops and restaurants. If visiting Cannon Beach, make sure to check out a few of these cute boutique shops! Some of the restaurants also boast outside patio areas which are perfect for dining on a hot summer day. In the winter months it’s likely that everyone will be indoors since this beach town does get cold.
If you're looking to check out where the local Portlanders spend some of their weekends, Cannon Beach would be a great choice!
