using this guide

Day Trips to the Oregon Coast is organized differently than other books in this series, which typically send day-trippers out from a centrally located city. The Oregon Coast is 363 miles long, each section easily accessed from Oregon’s I-5 corridor, but not necessarily from a starting point of a single city. Most of the towns on the Oregon Coast sit along US 101, also called Highway 101, and often (especially by longtime Oregon residents) simply referred to as “the 101.” This guide is divided into three sections: Northern, Central, and Southern Oregon Coast. Directions are provided from the most appropriate large city on I-5 from which to access each destination.

Listings in the Where to Go, Where to Shop, Where to Eat, and Where to Stay sections are arranged in alphabetical order, unless otherwise specified. If several places in a given town offer similar opportunities, listing titles highlight broad categories (e.g., “antiques”) rather than the names of specific businesses or locations. Each stop on every day trip includes a Where to Go listing, but Where to Shop, Where to Eat, and Where to Stay are only included when there are appropriate listings worth visiting.

scheduling your day trip

Half the fun of day-tripping is planning. Many a workday can be endured by imagining what fun you’ll have come the weekend and an unencumbered day—just you and the open road, maybe a pal or two along for the ride, nowhere to go and all day to get there. As you fantasize about your next day trip, keep these things in mind:

The Oregon Coast is highly seasonal. The coast can get up to 80 inches of rain a year, most of it in winter and spring. Summers are much more likely to be sunny and clear, albeit wind is common all year long. That means that summers are very busy in terms of tourism; winters are very quiet. It’s going to be a lot easier to get a table or a room in February, but the weather may be wet and wild, and many destinations may not be open every day of the week.

Especially in the off-season, be aware that many tourist-dependent businesses in smaller towns choose to close shop midweek, often on Monday or Tuesday, to accommodate the majority of travelers and yet still have a break themselves. Sundays can be hit-and-miss too. Hours vary widely summer-to-winter on any day of the week.

Many Oregon Coast towns are small and rural, which is part of the charm but can mean inconsistency in services from place to place. If your heart is set on a certain destination, call in advance to check on hours and plan your trip accordingly. That said, winter is an increasingly popular time to visit the coast for spectacular storm watching, whale watching, and beating the crowds.

hours of operation

Many businesses change their hours frequently or seasonally. Hours of operation are sometimes included in these pages, but be aware that this information may change without notice. In many cases, hours of operation vary so widely over the course of the year that they’ve been omitted in these pages—call ahead before visiting. Phone numbers and, when possible, websites for each listing are included here so that you can access current information on your own. Also, small businesses can be known to change location or phone number at whim. If a phone number turns out to be out of service, call information or try a web search. Keep in mind, too, that many businesses close on major holidays, even though that information may not be indicated in these pages.

pricing key

The price codes for accommodations and restaurants are represented as a scale of one to three dollar signs ($). Most businesses take credit cards these days, but you can’t always be guaranteed of this convenience. Should a business require cash only, in most cases they can direct you to a nearby ATM to access cash, which will sometimes assess a small banking fee. You will only pay sales tax in Washington (the percentage varies by area), not Oregon, and some Washington attractions may have already factored sales tax into their pricing schema.

restaurants

The price code used here is based on the average price of dinner entrees for two, excluding drinks, appetizers, dessert, tax, and tip. (Oregon has no sales tax; Washington does and it varies by county and city.) You can typically expect to pay a little less for lunch and/or breakfast, where applicable. If the business only serves lunch and/or breakfast, the code has been applied to those meals.

$ Less than $25

$$ $25 to $40

$$$ More than $40

accommodations

This book is intended primarily for those who wish to venture to the coast for just a day or half day. However, overnight accommodations are included in many sections for those who wish to explore an area further. You wouldn’t be the first to find yourself at the beach and not ready to leave yet. Accommodations included here are almost all local hotels and bed-and-breakfasts. Large national chains are typically not included, though many of the larger cities in this book do have chain hotels. Other cities in this book are too small for a chain—some are too small for any other lodging. In that case the Where to Stay section has been omitted. Each day trip does not include accommodation listings for every stop, though typically at least one stop per day trip includes a suggested overnight lodging. With few exceptions, most towns in each trip aren’t more than 40 minutes apart, and many are much closer.

The following price code is used for accommodations throughout this book. It is based on the average price of a onenight stay in a standard, double-occupancy room, before taxes. This price does not include state and city hotel taxes, which vary but are typically around 8 percent. City taxes vary, and are typically lower in smaller towns. Keep in mind that lodging prices often change seasonally or between the weekend and midweek. Summer pricing is almost always higher, and weekends are very frequently more expensive as well.

$ Less than $125

$$ $125 to $225

$$$ More than $225

driving tips

In general, Oregon and Washington have good signage, and navigation between towns should be fairly straightforward. That said, especially in more-rural areas, signage is more intermittent and roads are narrower, more winding, and not as well lit. Drive cautiously and keep your eyes open for road changes and directional signage.

In the winter, many of the destinations included in this book can be subject to stormy weather. It is rare for the Oregon Coast itself to get snow, but you may encounter snow or ice in the Coast Range en route to the beach. Occasionally some of the roads in this book are closed due to weather conditions. The beach can be windy and incredibly rainy—make sure your windshield wipers are in good working order before heading to the coast.

For road closures and weather information, call the Oregon Department of Transportation Trip Check at (800) 977-ODOT or check it online at tripcheck.com.

A few trips in these pages will lead to Forest Service roads en route to hikes or waterfalls, but follow directions and always stay on marked roads. If you aren’t sure where you are or which way to go, ask for directions. It doesn’t hurt to carry water, blankets, and food when traveling in the Pacific Northwest in the winter. A cell phone is always handy—charge it up before you leave, and be aware that coverage is intermittent in rural, forested, and mountainous areas.

Oregon is one of the last states in the nation in which travelers are not allowed to pump their own gas, except in fairly rare locations. Wait for an attendant and ask him or her for the gas type and quantity you desire. In Washington, gas is pumpyourown. Oregonians might find this an uncomfortable practice—ask for help if you aren’t sure how to operate a gas pump.

Maximum highway speeds vary by state. Oregon’s I-5 tops out at 65 mph, while Washington’s I-5 allows speeds up to 70 mph. State highway top speeds vary too. In Oregon, you won’t see many allowed speeds over 55 mph on rural highways; Washington may allow higher speeds. The best practice is to stay alert, pay attention, and obey the posted signs.

Keep in mind that speed limits can change abruptly from one town or stretch of highway to the next. While it’s important to heed speed limits at all times when driving, be particularly cautious when passing through construction zones, where speeding ticket fines can be double the normal (already high) fine. Many smaller highways in these trips pass directly through small towns, necessitating a speed limit change on either end. Respect the residents of these towns, and slow down appropriately to avoid getting pulled over by a police officer.

Be prepared for a leisurely drive. US 101 as it runs north–south along the coastline is in many cases only a two-lane highway with winding curves and frequent pullouts for views and attractions. Traffic can be thick in the summer; weather can be intense in the winter. This is to say that US 101 is not a high-speed journey, ever. Fill up the gas tank, plan for enough time to get from place to place, enjoy the journey, and stop to smell the roses and take in the drop-dead gorgeous views.

Public transportation is intermittent at the still-small-and-rural coast. Uber and Lyft exist in a few of the region’s towns, but don’t count on it. Bicycle touring the Oregon Coast, on the other hand, is very popular. Many of the smaller more-rural roads and destinations in this book are simply perfect for road biking. Be safe and wear a helmet, please.

highway designations

For consistency’s sake, this book typically refers to state highways as “OR” or “WA” followed by the highway number (e.g., OR 20). In many cases, that number will be followed by a cardinal designation (e.g., OR 20 E). In other cases, the same highway may have more than one name. US 101, while often referred to verbally as Highway 101 or “the 101” by locals, is still listed at US 101 in the text in this book in order to be consistent with address listings. Another factor to take into consideration is that an address may be listed as N US 101 or S US 101 no matter its location on the greater Oregon Coast, but instead its cardinal direction within each particular town. As an example, in Lincoln City, you’ll find N US 101 and S US 101 addresses, based on which side of the D River each is located, the north or the south. This system is repeated in many of the cities in this book.

area codes

The northwest corner of Oregon uses the area code 503. This area extends south to Salem, southwest to Pacific City, east to Mount Hood, and southeast to Detroit. Beyond those parameters, in Oregon, the 541 area code is the most prevalent, though you will also see the area code 458. In Washington, the areas covered in this book almost all use 564. Cell phone prefixes, obviously, vary widely.

where to get more information

Day Trips to the Oregon Coast attempts to cover a variety of interests and destinations, but those looking for additional travel information can contact the following agencies by phone, mail, or the web. Keep in mind that online reviews can be contradictory, as everyone experiences places differently. Call directly or stick with advice from respected travel organizations.