Exploring Oregon's Coast- Cannon Beach

 
We made a quick trip to Oregon's Coast and absolutely loved it! We will definitely come back. 

Things you need to know: 

1. Yes it's a beach but it's not the beach. You're not going to want to swim here and you aren't likely to get a tan. The water is very cold and often it's pretty cloudy and rainy here. But that doesn't mean that you still can't have fun and appreciate its beauty. 

2. There are many points of access to the water up and down the coast. We found that we could drive to the outskirts of a town and there would be way less people on the beach and more fun for our toddler to run around and enjoy. 

3. I would recommend bringing boots- again the water and sand are typically cold even in summer. There is also alot of jellyfish hanging around that could potentially sting you. We wore rain boots and it was perfect we didn't have to worry about being wet and cold and could still have fun 

Things to do:

Astoria, OR

Astoria is a cool little town on the northern most tip of the Oregon coast. It is right on the water and has a fun downtown area with many shops and resturants to explore. 

 

Lewis and Clark National Historical Park 

This is a national historical park- not technically a national park- that commemorates Lewis and Clarks expedition. It is $10 a person- which I found to be a bit pricey for the national park service considering it's also not that big and other historical parks that I've been to before are free. We got in for free with our national parks pass. There are a few hiking trails. We decided to take a light stroll along the water and explore Fort Clatsop. 

 
Ecola State Park

This is a very popular state park slightly north of Cannon Beach. We came on a rare sunny day and it was absolutely beautiful. Right by the parking lot is a beautiful viewing area. It is $5 a vehicle to enter the park- unless you have an Oregon state parks pass. You can't access the beach from the viewing area but there is a 1.5 mile trail that gives you beach access. We decided not to take this trail- although the beach did look beautiful. It was very muddy and slippery and we were concerned about falling with kids. Instead after taking in the view we drove to downtown Cannon Beach and accessed the beach from there. 

Cannon Beach 

The town of Cannon Beach is a really cool town- there are many cute shops and resturants to explore in addition to public beach access. We were able to find free parking downtown and then we just walked straight onto the beach. This beach is very popular- there were a lot people out walking it. If you are looking for a beach with less people you should consider going north or south of Cannon Beach and accessing the beach from there. 

Hug Point Recreation Center 

This was such a cool find for us! This is just south of Cannon beach. There were way less people here and so much more to explore. Make sure you look up when low tide is and try to go around that time. There are many caves and beautiful rock formations. There is a set of steep stairs from the parking lot to the beach but it is relatively easy beach access. If you come during high tide many of the caves are flooded or inaccessible. We had so much fun walking and exploring the area. My toddler loved it!

Tillamook Creamery 

You can take this girl out of the midwest but you can't take the midwest out of this girl! We love Tillamook products- my toddler especially loves their cheese! So when I found out their creamery was nearby I knew we HAD to go. It is free to enter and you can learn about how cheese and other products are made and you can watch the cheese being made and packaged. They also have free cheese samples- yum! In addition to the tour they also have a restaurant and ice cream parlor. We planned dinner around this visit and it was delicious! 

We had a great time exploring the Oregon coast- we can't wait to come back and explore more. 

Looking for more Oregon ideas? Check out these posts on our trip to central Oregon including Newberry National Monument and Crater Lake National Park

Newberry: https://craftytravelgirl.blogspot.com/2023/12/guide-to-newberry-volcanic-national.html

Crater Lake: https://craftytravelgirl.blogspot.com/2023/11/guide-to-crater-lake-national-park.html