Haystack Rock
CAPE MEARES STATE SCENIC VIEWPOINT
Ecola State Park.
Look for S to find recommended sights, activities, dining, and lodging.
S Columbia River Maritime Museum: One of Oregon’s top museums tells the story of seafaring on the Columbia River (click here).
S Fort Clatsop National Memorial: This replica of Lewis and Clark’s 1805-1806 winter camp offers a fascinating glimpse into frontier life (click here).
S Haystack Rock: This soaring sea stack on Cannon Beach is home to thousands of seabirds (click here).
S Saddle Mountain State Natural Area: This knobby mountain rises high above the northern coast, with a hiking trail leading through unusual plantlife on the way to an eye-popping vista (click here).
S Cape Lookout Hikes: Go for the great views of rocks and surf, the chance of seeing a whale, or to totally immerse yourself in the foggy coastal atmosphere (click here).
The enchanting north coast—from the mouth of the Columbia River south to Lincoln City—is little more than an hour’s drive from the Portland metro area. It’s the most popular part of Oregon’s Pacific shoreline. Still, apart from the weekend crush at Cannon Beach and Seaside, there’s more than enough elbow room for everyone.
Overlooking the Columbia River as it flows into the Pacific, the former shipping and fishing center of Astoria is fast rediscovering its own potential, with a lively arts scene, adventurous cuisine, and fine hotels and B&Bs hosting overnighters. Its long-idle waterfront is busy again with tourist attractions—most notably the Columbia River Maritime Museum, one of the best museums in Oregon.
West of Astoria, at Oregon’s far northwestern tip, where the mighty Columbia River meets the Pacific, visitors to Fort Stevens State Park can inspect the skeleton of a century-old shipwreck and a military fort active from the Civil War to World War II, as well as revel in miles of sandy beaches. Fort Clatsop National Memorial, part of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, includes a re-creation of the Corps of Discovery’s winter 1805-1806 quarters—a must-stop for Lewis and Clark buffs.
Cannon Beach and Seaside are two extremely popular resort towns that are polar opposites of one another. Cannon Beach, an enclave of tastefully weathered cedar-shingled architecture, is chockablock with art galleries, boutiques, and upscale lodgings and restaurants. A few miles north, Seaside is Oregon’s quintessential family-friendly beach resort, with a long boardwalk, candy and gift shops, and noisy game arcades.
Just south of Cannon Beach, Oswald West State Park is a gem protecting old-growth forest and handsome little pocket beaches—as well as, some believe, a Spanish pirate treasure buried on Neahkahnie Mountain. Beyond Neahkahnie’s cliff-top viewpoints along U.S. 101, the Nehalem Bay area attracts anglers, crabbers, and kayakers, as well as discriminating diners who come from far and wide to enjoy surprisingly sophisticated cuisine.
Tillamook County, home to more cows than people, is synonymous with delicious dairy products—cheese and ice cream in particular. It’s no surprise that Tillamook’s biggest visitor attraction is cheese-related. More than a million people a year come to the Tillamook Cheese Factory to view the cheese-making operations and sample the excellent results. The Tillamook Air Museum is another popular diversion, housing an outstanding collection of vintage and modern aircraft in gargantuan Hangar B, the largest wooden structure in the world. Tillamook Bay, fed by five rivers, yields oysters and crabs, while the active Garibaldi charter fleet targets salmon, halibut, and tuna in the offshore waters.
South of Tillamook, the Coast Highway wends inland through lush pastureland to Neskowin. It’s a pleasant enough stretch, but the Three Capes Scenic Loop, a 35-mile scenic coastal detour, is a more attractive, if time-consuming, option. The spectacular views and bird-watching from Capes Meares and Lookout are the highlights of this beautiful drive. At Pacific City, at the southern end of the Three Capes Loop, commercial anglers launch their dories right off the sandy beach and through the surf in the lee of Cape Kiwanda and mammoth Haystack Rock—a sight not seen anywhere else on the West Coast. Just north of Lincoln City, Cascade Head beckons hikers to explore its rare prairie headlands ecosystem.
Although most Oregonians have a favorite beach town that they’ll visit for weekends and summer vacations, if this is your grand tour of the Oregon coast, plan to spend a few days exploring the northern coast’s beaches and towns. If you’re interested in history, architecture, or ship-watching, spend a night in Astoria—it’s one of our favorite coastal cities, even though it’s several miles from the Pacific Ocean. If you can’t wait to walk on Pacific beaches, head to Cannon Beach (for a more upscale stay) or Seaside (which the kids will love) and begin your trip there. By driving from north to south, you’ll be able to pull off the highway more easily into beach access areas. Campers might want to reserve a space at Nehalem Bay State Park, near the small laid-back town of Manzanita, a few miles south of Cannon Beach; Manzanita is also a good place to rent a beach house for a weekend. Aside from the near-mandatory stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory, you’ll probably want to skip the town of Tillamook and head to the Three Capes Loop, where a night in Pacific City offers easy access to Cape Kiwanda as well as comfy lodgings and a good brewpub. On your way south to the central coast, or to the Highway 18 route back through the Willamette Valley wine country to Portland, do stop for a hike at Cascade Head.
The mouth of the mighty Columbia River, with its abundance of natural resources, was long a home for Native Americans; artifacts found in the area suggest that people have been living along the river for at least 8,000 years. Early European explorers and settlers also found the river and its bays to be propitious as a trading and fishing center. Astoria’s dramatic location and deep history continue to attract new settlers and travelers drawn to the area’s potent allure.
Astoria (pop. about 10,000) is the oldest permanent U.S. settlement west of the Rockies, and its glory days are preserved by museums, historical exhibits, and pastel-colored Victorian homes weathered by the sea air. Hollywood has chosen Astoria’s picturesque neighborhoods to simulate an idealized all-American town, most notably in the cult classic The Goonies.
What sets Astoria apart from other destinations on the northern Oregon coast is that it’s a real city, not a waterfront town made over into a resort. While the decline in the logging and fishing industries dealt the city many economic blows in the late 20th century, there’s plenty of pluck left in this old dowager, and her best years may be yet to come as a thriving haven for artists and free spirits.
Astoria has many charms: Colorful Victorian mansions and historic buildings downtown are undergoing restoration, cruise ships are calling, fine restaurants are multiplying, a lively arts scene is booming, and there’s new life along the waterfront, anchored by the excellent Columbia River Maritime Museum.
The Clatsop people, a Chinook-speaking group, lived in this area for thousands of years before Astoria’s written history began. When Lewis and Clark arrived in 1805, the Clatsops numbered about 400 people, living in three villages on the south side of the Columbia River, but their steady decline began soon after contact with whites.
The region was first chronicled by Don Bruno de Heceta, a Spanish explorer who sailed near the Columbia’s mouth in August 1775. He named it the Bay of the Assumption of Our Lady, but the strong current prevented his ship from entering. American presence on the Columbia began with Captain Robert Gray’s discovery of the river in May 1792, which he named after his fur-trading ship, Columbia Rediviva.
Thereafter, Lewis and Clark’s famous expedition of 1803-1806, with its winter encampment at Fort Clatsop, south of present-day Astoria, helped incorporate the Pacific Northwest as part of a new nation. In 1811, John Jacob Astor’s agents built Fort Astoria on a hillside in what would eventually grow into Astoria—the first American settlement west of the Rockies. The trading post was occupied by the British between 1813 and 1818, and the settlement was renamed Fort George. Real development began in the 1840s as settlers begin pouring in from the Oregon Trail. During the Civil War, Fort Stevens was built at the mouth of the Columbia to guard against a Confederate naval incursion.
Commerce grew with the export of lumber and foodstuffs to gold rush-era San Francisco and Asia. Salmon canneries became the mainstay of Astoria’s economy during the 1870s, helping it grow into Oregon’s second-largest city—and a notorious shanghaiing port, where young men, often drunk, were kidnapped from bars to serve as unwilling sailors on commercial and military ships. From that time through the early 1900s, the dominant immigrants to the Astoria area were Scandinavian, and with the addition of these seafaring folk, logging, fishing, and shipbuilding coaxed the population up to 20,000 by World War II.
Some believe that the port city at the mouth of the Columbia might have grown to rival San Francisco or Seattle had it not been for the setback of a devastating fire in 1922. In the early morning hours of December 8, a pool hall on Commercial Street caught fire; the flames spread rapidly among the wooden buildings, many supported on wooden pilings, in Astoria’s business district. By daybreak, more than 200 businesses in a 32-block area had been reduced to ashes. The downtown was rebuilt in the ensuing years, largely in brick and stone, but the devastation changed the fate of Astoria.
Near the end of World War II, a Japanese submarine’s shelling of Fort Stevens made it the only fortification on U.S. soil to have sustained an attack in a world war. After the war, the region’s fortunes ebbed and flowed with its resource-based economy. In an attempt to supplement that economy with tourism, the State Highway Division began constructing the Astoria-Megler Bridge in 1962 to connect Oregon and Washington.
The waters surrounding Astoria define the town as much as the steep hills it’s built on. Along its northern side, the mighty Columbia, four miles wide, is a mega aquatic highway carrying a steady flow of traffic, from small pleasure boats to massive cargo ships a quarter-mile long. Soaring high over the river is an engineering marvel that’s impossible to miss from most locations in town. At just over four miles long, the Astoria-Megler Bridge is the longest bridge in Oregon and the longest bridge of its type (cantilever through-truss) in the nation. When it opened in 1966, the bridge provided the final link in the 1,625-mile-long U.S. 101 along the Pacific coast.
On Astoria’s south side, Young’s River, flowing down from the Coast Range, broadens into Young’s Bay, separating Astoria from its neighbor Warrenton to the southwest. A few miles to the west, the Columbia River finally meets the Pacific, 1,243 miles from its headwaters in British Columbia. Where the tremendous outflow (averaging 118 million gallons per minute) of the River of the West encounters the ocean tides, conditions can be treacherous, and the sometimes-monstrous waves around the bar have claimed more than 2,000 vessels over the years. This river’s mouth could well be the biggest widow-maker on the high seas, earning it the title “Graveyard of the Pacific.” Lewis and Clark referred to it as “that seven-shouldered horror” in a journal entry from the winter of 1805-1806.
Any visitor to Astoria should consider crossing the Astoria-Megler Bridge to visit the extreme southwest corner of Washington State. Here the sands and soil carried by the Columbia create a 20-mile-long sand spit called the Long Beach Peninsula. Some of the West Coast’s most succulent oysters grow in Willapa Bay, the body of water created by this finger of sand. Historic beach communities plus numerous Lewis and Clark sites also reward visitors to this charming enclave.
After getting a bird’s-eye view from the Astoria Column, you might want to take a closer look at Astoria on foot. The town is home to dozens of beautifully restored 19th-century and early-20th-century houses.
Here’s a suggested route: From the Flavel House Museum at 8th Street and Duane Street, start walking south on 8th Street and turn left on Franklin Avenue. Continue east to 11th Street, then detour south one block on 11th Street to Grand Avenue; head east on Grand, north on 12th Street, and back to Franklin, continuing your eastward trek. Walk to 17th Street, then south again to Grand, double back on Grand two blocks to 15th Street, then walk north on 15th to Exchange Street and east on Exchange to 17th, where you’ll be just two blocks from the Columbia River Maritime Museum. This route takes you past 74 historical buildings and sites.
One of Astoria’s most impressive sights is the commanding vista of the Astoria-Megler Bridge. To get there from the Flavel House Museum, head south uphill on 8th Street and turn right (west) on Franklin Avenue. Follow Franklin six blocks until it turns into Skyline Avenue. After one block, turn onto West Grand Avenue, which hugs the ridge. For the ultimate perch directly over the bridge, turn off W. Grand to follow Lincoln Street north downhill to Alameda Ave. where you’re eye-to-eye with the bridge’s soaring span.
The best introduction to Astoria and environs is undoubtedly the 360-degree panorama from atop the 125-foot-tall Astoria Column (2199 Coxcomb Dr., 503/325-2963, www.astoriacolumn.org, dawn-dusk daily, $1 for parking) on Coxcomb Hill, the highest point in town. Patterned after Trajan’s Column in Rome, the reinforced-concrete tower was built in 1926 as a joint project of the Great Northern Railway and the descendants of John Jacob Astor to commemorate the westward sweep of discovery and migration. The graffito frieze spiraling up the exterior illustrates Robert Gray’s 1792 discovery of the Columbia River, the establishment of American claims to the Northwest Territory, the arrival of the Great Northern Railway, and other scenes of the history of the Pacific Northwest. The vista from the surrounding hilltop park is impressive enough, but for the ultimate experience, the climb up 164 steps to the tower’s top is worth the effort.
If you have kids in tow, stop by the tiny gift shop to buy a balsa-wood glider. Lofting a wooden airplane from the top of the tower is an Astoria tradition.
Get to the Astoria Column from downtown by following 16th Street south (uphill) to Jerome Avenue. Turn west (right) one block and continue up 15th Street to the park entrance on Coxcomb Drive.
While most of Astoria’s waterfront is lined with warehouses and docks, the River Walk will get you front-row views of the river. The River Walk provides paved riverside passage for pedestrians and cyclists along a five-mile stretch between the Port of Astoria and the community of Alderbrook, at the eastern fringe of Astoria.
the Astoria waterfront
An excellent way to cover some of the same ground, accompanied by commentary on sights and local history, is by taking a 50-minute ride on Old 300, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley (503/325-6311, www.old300.org, weather permitting daily Memorial Day-Labor Day, noon-6pm Fri.-Sun. fall and spring, $1 per ride or $2 all day), which runs on Astoria’s original train tracks alongside the River Walk as far east as the East Mooring Basin. Trolley shelters are at nine stops along the route; you can also flag it down anywhere along the way by waving a dollar bill. The lovingly restored 1913 trolley originally served San Antonio and later ran between Portland and Lake Oswego in the 1980s.
Toward the eastern end of the River Walk, at Pier 39, the Hanthorn Cannery (100 39th St., 9am-6pm daily, free) is a rather informal but fascinating museum housed in an old Bumble Bee tuna cannery. Exhibits include some lovely old wooden boats, eye-catching photos, and canning equipment. There’s also a coffee shop and a brewpub at this location, so it’s a good place to take a break.
On the waterfront a few blocks east of downtown Astoria, the Columbia River Maritime Museum (1792 Marine Dr., 503/325-2323, www.crmm.org, 9:30am-5pm daily, closed Thanksgiving and Christmas, $14 adults, $12 seniors, $5 ages 6-17, free under age 6) is hard to miss. The roof of the 44,000-square-foot museum simulates the curvature of cresting waves, and the gigantic 25,000-pound anchor out front is also impossible to ignore. What’s inside surpasses this eye-catching facade. The introductory film is excellent and intense, giving a good glimpse of the jobs of bar pilots, who climb aboard huge ships to navigate them across the Columbia Bar and up the river. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the Great Hall allow visitors to watch the river traffic in comfort.
Historic boats, scale models, exquisitely detailed miniatures of ships, paintings, and artifacts recount times when Native American canoes plied the Columbia; Lewis and Clark camped on the Columbia’s shores; and dramatic shipwrecks occurred on its bar. Local lighthouses, the evolution of boat design, scrimshaw, and harpoons are the focus of other exhibits here.
The museum also now houses two of three cannons that gave nearby Cannon Beach its name. These early-19th-century cannons, from the USS Shark, which met its end on the Columbia River Bar in 1846, were set adrift and washed up some 30 miles south of the Columbia’s mouth, near Cannon Beach. The first of the cannons was discovered in 1894, and the last two were found in 2008. All were studied at Texas A&M University for a number of years, and two are now on display in Astoria’s Columbia Maritime Museum, along with an officer’s sword from the Shark found in the 1970s, and the Shark Rock, a large boulder into which survivors of the shipwreck carved their names.
Museum admission lets you board the 128-foot lightship Columbia, now permanently berthed alongside the museum building. This vessel served as a floating lighthouse, marking the entrance to the mouth of the river and helping many ships navigate the dangerous waters. The gift shop has a great collection of books on Astoria’s history and other maritime topics.
The Clatsop County Historical Society operates three worthwhile historic destinations in Astoria, and if you’re planning on visiting the Heritage Museum, the Oregon Film Museum, and the Flavel House museum, you should consider the three-in-one tickets ($12 adults, $10 seniors, $5 ages 6-17) available at any of the locations.
The Heritage Museum (1618 Exchange St., 503/325-2203, www.cumtux.org, 10am-5pm daily May-Sept., 11am-4pm daily Oct.-Apr., $6 adults, $5 seniors, $2 ages 6-12) is housed in a handsome neoclassical building that was originally Astoria’s city hall. It has several galleries filled with antiques, tools, vintage photographs, and archives chronicling various aspects of life in Clatsop County. The museum’s centerpiece exhibit concentrates on the culture of the local Clatsop and Chinook peoples, from before European contact up to the present day. Other exhibits highlight natural history, geology, early immigrants and settlers in the region, and the development of commerce in such fields as fishing, fish packing, logging, and lumber. The research library is open to the public.
Captain George Flavel, Astoria’s first millionaire, amassed a fortune in the mid-19th century through his Columbia Bar piloting monopoly, and later expanded his empire through shipping, banking, and real estate. Between 1884 and 1886 he had a home built in the center of Astoria overlooking the Columbia River, now the Flavel House Museum (441 8th St., 503/325-2203, 10am-5pm daily May-Sept., 11am-4pm daily Oct.-Apr., $6 adults, $5 seniors and students, $2 ages 6-17, free under age 6), where he retired with his wife and two daughters. From its fourth-story cupola, Flavel could watch the comings and goings of his sailing fleet.
When the Clatsop County Historical Society assumed stewardship in 1951, the mansion was slated for demolition, to be paved over as a parking lot for the adjacent courthouse. Fortunately, thanks to the efforts of the historical society and many volunteers, the house still stands today at the corner of 8th and Duane Streets. The splendidly extravagant Queen Anne mansion reflects the rich style and elegance of the late Victorian era and the lives of Astoria’s most prominent family.
The property encompasses a full city block. With its intricate woodwork inside and out, period furnishings, and art, along with its extravagantly rendered gables, cornices, and porches, the Flavel House ranks with the Carson Mansion in Eureka, California, as a Victorian showplace. The Carriage House, on the southwest corner of the property, serves as an orientation center for visitors with exhibits, an interpretive video, and a museum store.
A small garden and outdoor art display, Garden of the Surging Dreams (11th St. and Duane St.) commemorates Astoria’s Chinese heritage. At the center is a pavilion with nine stone columns ornately carved with dragons. The garden’s east facade is a finely worked metal screen with quotations from Chinese pioneers. This park is the first feature in the repurposing of an underutilized downtown parking lot into the Astoria Heritage Square, which in time will also feature an amphitheater and an open-air market.
In a tiny park at the corner of 15th and Exchange Streets, a reproduction of a rough-hewn log blockhouse and a mural commemorate the spot where Astoria began, when John Jacob Astor’s fur traders originally constructed a small fort in 1811. It’s worth a quick stop for buffs of early Pacific Northwest history.
Six miles east of Astoria in the Burnside area is the Twilight Creek Eagle Sanctuary. To get there, drive seven miles east of town on U.S. 30 and turn left at Burnside. A viewing platform on the left, 0.5 miles later, overlooks the 35,000 acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, and islands (which Lewis and Clark called “Seal Islands”) of the Lewis and Clark National Wildlife Refuge. Bald eagles live here year-round, and the area provides wintering and resting habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds, and songbirds. Beavers, raccoons, weasels, mink, muskrats, and river otters live on the islands; harbor seals and California sea lions feed in the rich estuary waters and use the sandbars and mudflats as haul-out sites at low tide.
In November 1805, after a journey of nearly 19 months and 4,000 miles, the Lewis and Clark expedition reached the mouth of the Columbia River, where they decided to winter. They chose a thickly forested rise alongside the Netul River (now the Lewis and Clark River), a few miles south of present-day Astoria, for their campsite. There, the Corps of Discovery quickly set about felling trees and building two parallel rows of cabins, joined by a gated palisade. The finished compound measured about 50 feet on each side. The party of 33 people, including an enslaved African American man and a Native American woman and her baby, moved into the seven small rooms on Christmas Eve and named their stockade Fort Clatsop, for the nearby Native American people.
Fort Clatsop National Memorial
The winter of 1805-1806 was cold, wet, rainy, and generally miserable. Of the 106 days spent at the site, it rained on all but 12. The January 18, 1806, journal entry of expedition member Private Joseph Whitehouse was typical of the comments recorded during the stay: “It rained hard all last night, & still continued the same this morning. It continued Raining during the whole of this day.”
While at Fort Clatsop, the men stored up meat and other supplies, sewed moccasins and new garments, and traded with local indigenous people, all the while coping with the constant damp conditions, illness and injuries, and merciless plagues of fleas. As soon as the weather permitted, on March 23, 1806, they finally departed on their homeward journey to St. Louis.
Within a few years the elements had erased all traces of Fort Clatsop, and its exact location was lost. In 1955, local history buffs took their best guess and built a replica of the fort based on the notes and sketches of Captain Clark. In 1999, an anthropologist discovered a 148-year-old map identifying the location of Lewis and Clark’s winter encampment, and as it turns out, the reproduction is sited close to the original. In 2005 this replica of Fort Clatsop burned, and a new replica, built mostly by volunteers using period tools, was reopened in 2006. Compared to the previous one, this new Fort Clatsop is a more authentic replica of the actual fort that housed the intrepid Corps of Discovery.
Today, in addition to the log replica of the fort, a well-equipped visitors center, museum, and other attractions make Fort Clatsop Visitors Center and Fort Clatsop Replica (92343 Fort Clatsop Rd., 503/861-2471, www.nps.gov/lewi, 9am-6pm daily mid-June-Labor Day, 9am-5pm daily Labor Day-mid-June, $5 adults, free under age 16) a must-stop for anyone interested in this pivotal chapter of American history. The expedition’s story is nicely narrated here with displays, artifacts, slides, and films, but the summertime “living history” reenactments are the main reason to come. Paths lead through the grove of old-growth Sitka spruce, with interpretive placards identifying native plants. A short walk from the fort leads to the riverside, where dugout canoes are modeled on those used by the corps while in this area. In addition, the 6.5-mile Fort to Sea Trail follows the general route blazed by Captain Clark from the fort through dunes and forests to the Pacific at Sunset Beach.
The winter of 1805-1806 put a premium on wilderness survival skills, some of which are exhibited here by rangers in costume. You may see the demonstrations of flintlock rifles, tanning of hides, making of buckskin clothing and moccasins, and the molding of tallow candles and lead bullets. In addition, Rangers also lead guided hikes along the river.
This 1,500-acre park sits six miles southwest of Astoria and three miles east of U.S. 101 on the Lewis and Clark River. To get there from Astoria, take Marine Drive and head west across Young’s Bay to Warrenton. On the south side of the bay, look for signs for the Fort Clatsop turnoff; turn left off the Coast Highway about a mile after the bridge and follow the signs to Fort Clatsop.
Ten miles west of Astoria, in the far northwest corner of the state, the Civil War-era outpost of Fort Stevens (100 Peter Iredale Rd., Hammond, 503/861-3170, ext. 21, or 800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org, $5 day-use for historic military area and Coffenbury Lake, $22 tent camping, $32-34 RV camping, $48-58 yurt, $90 cabin) was one of three military installations (the others were Forts Canby and Columbia in Washington) built to safeguard the mouth of the Columbia River. Established shortly before the Confederates surrendered on April 9, 1865, Fort Stevens served for 84 years, until just after the end of World War II. Today, the remaining fortifications and other buildings are preserved, along with 3,700 acres of woodland, lakes, wetlands, miles of sand beaches, and three miles of Columbia River frontage.
Although Fort Stevens did not see action in the Civil War, it sustained an attack in a later conflict. On June 21, 1942, a Japanese submarine fired 17 shells on the gun emplacements at Battery Russell, making it the only U.S. fortification in the 48 states to be bombed by a foreign power since the War of 1812. No damage was incurred, and the Army didn’t return fire. Shortly after World War II, the fort was deactivated and the armaments removed.
Today, the site features a Military Museum (503/861-2000 or 503/861-2000, http://visitftstevens.com, 10am-6pm daily June-Sept., 10am-4pm daily Oct.-May) with old photos, weapons exhibits, and maps, as well as seven different batteries (fortifications) and other structures left over from almost a century of service. Climbing to the commander’s station for a scenic view of the Columbia River and South Jetty are popular visitor activities. The massive gun batteries, built of weathered gray concrete and rusting iron, eerily silent amid the thick woodlands, also invite exploration; small children should be closely supervised, as there are steep stairways, high ledges, and other hazards.
During the summer months, guided tours of the underground Battery Mishler (11am and 1pm daily, $5) and a narrated tour (12:30 and 2:30pm Mon.-Thurs., 11am, 12:30pm, 2:30pm, and 4pm Fri.-Sat. May-Sept., $4) of the fort’s 37 acres on a two-ton U.S. Army truck are also available. Summer programs include Civil War reenactments and archaeological digs.
Nine miles of bike trails and five miles of hiking trails link the historic area to the rest of the park and provide access to Battery Russell and the 1906 wreck of the British schooner Peter Iredale. You can also bike to the campground one mile south of the Military Museum.
Parking is available at four lots about a mile from one another at the foot of the dunes. The beach runs north to the Columbia River, where excellent surf fishing, bird-watching, and a view of the mouth of the river await. South of the campground (east of the Peter Iredale) is a self-guided nature trail around part of the two-mile shoreline of Coffenbury Lake. The lake also has two swimming beaches with bathhouses and fishing for trout and perch.
To get to Fort Stevens State Park from U.S. 101, drive west on Harbor Street through Warrenton on Highway 104 (Ft. Stevens Hwy.) to the suburb of Hammond and follow the signs to Fort Stevens Historic Area and Military Museum.
An in-town hike that’s not too strenuous begins at 28th and Irving Streets, meandering up the hill to the Astoria Column. If you drive to the trailhead, park along 28th Street. It’s about a one-mile walk to the top. En route is the Cathedral Tree, an old-growth fir with a sort of Gothic arch formed at its roots.
The Oregon Coast Trail starts (or ends) at Clatsop Spit, at the north end of Fort Stevens State Park (100 Peter Iredale Rd., Hammond, 503/861-1671 or 800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org, $5 day-use). The most northerly stretch extends south along the beach for 14 miles to Gearhart. It’s a flat, easy walk, and your journey could well be highlighted by a sighting of the endangered silverspot butterfly, a small orange butterfly with silvery spots on the undersides of its wings.
One of the best known of the hundreds of ships wrecked on the Oregon coast over the centuries is the British schooner Peter Iredale. This 278-foot four-master, fashioned of steel plates on an iron frame, was built in Liverpool in 1890 and came to its untimely end on the beach south of Clatsop Spit on October 25, 1906. En route from Mexico to pick up a load of wheat on the Columbia River, the vessel ran aground during high seas and a northwesterly squall. All hands were rescued, and with little damage to the hull, hopes initially ran high that the ship could be towed back to sea and salvaged. That effort proved fruitless, and eventually the ship was written off as a total loss. Today, over a century later, the remains of her rusting skeleton protrude from the sands of Fort Stevens State Park as a familiar sight to most who have traveled the north coast. Signs within Fort Stevens State Park lead the way to a parking area close to the wreck.
the remains of the 1906 wreck Peter Iredale, Fort Stevens State Park
You might also encounter cars on the beach. This section of shoreline, inexplicably, is the longest stretch of coastline open to motor vehicles in Oregon. Call the State Parks and Recreation Division (800/551-6949) for an up-to-date report on trail conditions before starting out.
Fort Stevens State Park has nine miles of hiking trails through woods, wetlands, and dunes. One popular hike here is the two-mile loop around Coffenbury Lake.
In 2005, as part of the expansion of Lewis and Clark National Historical Park, the Fort to Sea Trail was created to link Fort Clatsop to the Pacific. The 6.5-mile trail follows the route through forest, fields, and dunes that the corps traveled as they explored and traded along the Pacific coast.
The Fort to Sea Trail starts from the visitors center at Fort Clatsop. The first 1.5 miles involve a gentle climb past many trees blown down in a big 2007 storm to the Clatsop Ridge, where on a clear day you can see through the trees to the Pacific Ocean. The ridge makes a fine destination for a short hike, but the really beautiful part of the trail is the hikers-only (no dogs) stretch from the overlook to the beach, where you’ll pass through deep woods and forested pastures dotted with small lakes. The trail passes a tunnel underneath U.S. 101 and continues through dunes to the Sunset Beach-Fort to Sea Trail parking lot. From there, a one-mile path leads to the beach.
Unless you plan to return along the trail—which makes for a long day’s hike—you’ll need to arrange a pickup.
You don’t need a fancy bike to pedal the River Walk; rent a hefty cruiser from Bikes and Beyond (1089 Marine Dr., 503/325-2961, www.bikesandbeyond.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Fri., 10am-5pm Sat., 11am-4pm Sun.). This friendly little shop also caters to bicycle travelers.
More than any other industry, commercial fishing has dominated Astoria throughout its history. Salmon canneries lined the waterfront at the turn of the 20th century. In the modern era, commercial fishing has turned to tuna, sole, lingcod, rockfish, flounder, and other bottom fish. If it’s not enough to watch these commercial operations from the dock, try joining a charter.
Tiki Charters (350 Industry St., 503/325-7818, www.tikicharter.com, $120 pp per day) will take you out for salmon, halibut, bottom fish, and sturgeon, depending on the season. Trips depart from the dock just off Industry Drive near the West Mooring Basin. Given the retail price of fresh salmon, you could theoretically pay for a charter trip by landing a single fish. Gale Force Guides (trips depart from Warrenton, 503/861-1494, www.galeforceguides.com, $120 pp per day) takes sport anglers fishing for salmon in either salt- or freshwater, depending on the season. Sturgeon and crabbing trips are also offered.
On your own, go after trout, bass, catfish, steelhead, and sturgeon in freshwater lakes, streams, and rivers. Lingcod, rockfish, surfperch, and other bottom fish can be pursued off jetties, or along ocean beaches.
Astoria Scuba (on Pier 39, 503/325-2502, www.astoriascuba.com, 9am-6pm daily) offers diving lessons and kayak rentals for $25 for half a day.
Explore the Northwest forests and lakes on the eight zip-line tours at High Life Adventures (92111 High Life Rd., Warrenton, $99 over age 15, $69 under age 16), five miles south of Astoria off U.S. 101. The tours soar above a 30-acre preserve of freshwater dune-trapped lakes and coastal forests. The Maple zip line even offers participants a chance to take a dunk in the lake.
The Astoria Aquatic Center (20th St. and Marine Dr., 503/325-7027, www.astoriaparks.com, 5am-7pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-4pm Sat., 11am-4pm Sun., $7.50 adults, $5.50 ages 2-17, $18 families) houses four pools, including a 100-foot waterslide with a 20-foot drop and a lazy-river current; a six-lane 25-yard lap pool; an adult hydro-spa pool; a kiddie wading pool; locker rooms; and a variety of fitness equipment.
For the lowdown on all the happenings in and around Astoria, get your hands on a copy of Hipfish, Astoria’s spirited monthly tabloid, distributed free all over town.
Astoria’s oldest brewpub, the Wet Dog Cafe & Brewery (144 11th St., 503/325-6975, www.wetdogcafe.com, 11am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $9-20) is home to the Astoria Brewing Company, maker of excellent handcrafted microbrews, with a full bar available. The café is housed in a cavernous remodeled former waterfront warehouse, with good views of the river. The food is good basic pub grub: fish-and-chips, burgers (including seafood burgers), sandwiches, and salads.
The Rogue Ales Public House (100 39th St., 503/325-5964, 11am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-10 Fri.-Sat., $9-22) is east of downtown in the Hanthorn Pier development. The pub is set inside a wood-plank structure atop a former cannery pier and offers excellent ales, plus burgers, pizza, and sandwiches. It’s hard to get more Astorian than this. For beer snobs, the place to go is Fort George Brewery and Public House (1483 Duane St., 503/325-7468, www.fortgeorgebrewery.com, 11am-11pm Mon.-Sat., noon-11pm Sun., $7-12), whose powerful ales have won it a reputation as one of Oregon’s top breweries. The regular pub grub is basic, but the pizzas served on the pub’s second floor are excellent. There’s free live music every Sunday evening. In an old fish-processing warehouse right on the edge of the river is Buoy Beer Company (1 8th St., 503/325-4540, www.buoybeer.com, 11am-10pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-11pm Fri.-Sat., $10-26), with good beer and an ambitious menu that includes chicken romesco sandwiches, petrale sole with herbed caper sauce, and rib-eye steaks with gnocchi.
Opened in 2017, Reach Break Brewing (1343 Duane St., 503/468-0743, noon-8pm Sun.-Mon. and Thurs., noon-9pm Fri.-Sat.) has developed a delicious selection of wild yeast-powered sour beers as well as light saisons and more traditional Northwest IPAs. Reach Break doesn’t have its own kitchen; instead, it relies on a clutch of food carts ($8-13) parked outside to feed the hungry crowds, with both outdoor and indoor seating.
Befitting of a vintage fishing port, Astoria has lots of old bars and watering holes. As a tribute to Astoria’s scrappy spirit, explore some of the city’s classic bars. The Portway (422 W. Marine Dr., 503/325-2651) is the oldest bar in the oldest American settlement west of the Rockies. The present building dates from 1923, and it’s loaded with character and characters. Directly under the bridge, Mary Todd’s Workers Bar and Grill (281 W. Marine Dr., 503/338-7291) is a classic old bar with a notable drink special: the Yucca. Also try the marvelously crispy onion rings. Phyllis & Bob’s Labor Temple Café & Bar (939 Duane St., 503/325-0801) is the oldest communal union hall in the Pacific Northwest and is not to be missed. The clientele is a mix of longtime union activists, 20-something artists, and rowdy young sailors, making for some interesting dynamics. The Voodoo Room (1114 Marine Dr., 503/325-2233, www.columbianvoodoo.com) is a dark and cluttered bar with hipsters, cocktails, and occasional live music.
The handsome Liberty Theatre (1203 Commercial St., 503/325-5922, http://libertyastoria.org), whose colonnaded facades along Commercial and 12th Streets converge at the corner box office, is a vibrant symbol of Astoria’s ongoing rejuvenation. The ornate Mediterranean-style building in the heart of downtown began its life in 1925 as a venue for silent films, vaudeville acts, and lectures. The theater continued as a first-run movie house, but after decades of neglect this grande dame was badly showing her age, and it looked as though the Liberty would eventually meet the sad wrecking-ball fate of so many fine old movie palaces. Fortunately, though, a nonprofit organization undertook efforts to restore the theater to its original elegance and equip it to be a state-of-the-art performing arts center. The Liberty currently hosts concerts, recitals, theater, and other events, including the Astoria Music Festival.
The Liberty Theatre, a former movie palace, is a great place to catch musical performances.
Astoria’s long-running Shanghaied in Astoria (122 W. Bond St., 503/325-6104, www.shanghaiedinastoria.com, evening Thurs.-Sat. mid-July-mid-Sept., $13-21), based on the town’s dubious distinction as a notorious shanghai port during the late 1800s, is a good old-fashioned melodrama. Chase scenes, bar fights, and a liberal sprinkling of Scandinavian jokes will have you laughing in between applauding the hero and booing the villain. Performed with gusto by the Astor Street Opry Company, the show has been running since 1985, and has spawned a number of related shows: a “junior” Shanghaied in Astoria for kids, a once-yearly drag version, and the holiday season Scrooged in Astoria. Check the website for a growing roster of entertainment, including children’s theater productions in March and April and other off-season productions from this lively troupe of thespians.
The Columbian Theater (1102 Marine Dr., 503/325-3516, www.columbianvoodoo.com, usually 7pm, $4, $2 under age 13) sits adjacent to the Columbian Cafe and screens the big movies you may have missed a month earlier in their first run. Enjoy beer, wine, cocktails, pizza, and other munchies while you watch. Astoria Gateway Cinema (1875 Marine Dr., 503/338-6575) is a modern movie multiplex, showing the usual stuff, where you can pass an afternoon trying to forget the often dismal weather.
Modeled after Elko, Nevada’s popular Cowboy Poets Gathering, the Fisher Poets Gathering (www.fisherpoets.org) provides a forum in which men and women involved in the fishing and other maritime industries share their poems, stories, songs, and artwork in a convivial seaport setting. The annual late-February event, which dates back to 1998, draws writers and artists from up and down the Pacific coast and farther afield for readings, art shows, concerts, book signings, workshops, films, a silent auction, and other activities at pubs, galleries, theaters, and other venues around town. Participation isn’t limited to fisherfolk but extends to anyone with a connection to maritime activity. Themes range from the rigors (and humor) of life on the water to environmental issues. Admission ($15) covers all events for the weekend. For more details and a full schedule, check the website.
The Astoria-Warrenton Crab and Seafood Festival (Clatsop County Fairgrounds, 92937 Walluski Loop, 503/325-6311 or 800/875-6807, http://astoriacrabfest.com, 4pm-9pm Fri., 10am-8pm Sat., 11am-4pm Sun., $5-10 adults, $3-5 ages 5-12), held the last weekend in April, is a hugely popular event that brings in crowds from miles around. Scores of booths feature a cornucopia of seafood and other eats, regional beers and Oregon wines, and arts and crafts. Activities include continuous entertainment, crab races, a petting zoo, and activities for kids. A traditional crab dinner caps off the evening. To get to the fairgrounds from Astoria, take Highway 202 for 4.5 miles to Walluski Loop and watch for signs. Parking is limited at the fairgrounds. It’s smart to take the frequent shuttle that transports folks between the fairgrounds and park-and-ride lots, downtown, the Port of Astoria, and local hotels and campgrounds.
A three-week classical music showcase, the Astoria Music Festival (1271 Commercial St., 503/325-9896, http://astoriamusicfestival.org) brings top-ranked classical musicians to the northern Oregon coast. Since its beginning in 2002, the festival has quickly grown in stature and now features three different operatic performances (usually in concert) and numerous symphonic and chamber performances each year. Most events are in the small, acoustically splendid Liberty Theater or the Astoria Performing Arts Center (Franklin and 16th St.).
The legacy of the thousands of Scandinavians who arrived to work in area mills and canneries in the late 19th and early 20th centuries is still strong in Astoria. For many locals, the summer’s biggest event is the Scandinavian Midsummer Festival (503/325-6311, www.astoriascanfest.com, $8 adults, $3 ages 6-12), which usually takes place Friday through Sunday on the third weekend of June. Local Danes, Finns, Icelanders, Norwegians, and Swedes come together to celebrate their heritage; visitors and musicians from the old countries keep the festivities authentic. Costumed dancers weave around a flowered midsummer pole (a fertility rite), burn a bonfire to destroy evil spirits, and have tugs-of-war pitting Scandinavian nationalities against each other. Food, dancing, crafts, musical concerts, and a parade bring the whole town out to the Clatsop County Fairgrounds on Walluski Loop, just off Highway 202.
A tradition since 1894, Astoria Regatta Week is considered the Pacific Northwest’s longest-running festival. Held on the waterfront in mid-August, the five-day event kicks off with the regatta queen’s coronation and reception. Attractions include live entertainment, a grand street parade, historic home tours, ship tours and boat rides, sailboat and dragon boat races, a classic car show, a salmon barbecue, arts and crafts, food booths, a beer garden, and a twilight boat parade. For details and a schedule, contact the Astoria Regatta Association (503/325-6311 or 800/875-6807, http://astoriaregatta.com).
On Sundays between Mother’s Day weekend to early October, follow local tradition and take a leisurely stroll up and down 12th Street between Marine Drive and Exchange Street for the Astoria Sunday Market (10am-3pm), where vendors offer farm-fresh produce, plants, crafts, and specialty foods.
A local store worth noting is Finnware (1116 Commercial St., 503/325-5720, www.finnware.com, 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-4pm Sun.), which stocks Scandinavian crystal and glassware, jewelry, books, and kitchen tools. This is a store that takes its Finnish roots seriously.
Astoria has a well-deserved reputation as an art center, with many downtown storefronts now serving as art galleries. Not to miss is RiverSea Gallery (1160 Commercial St., 503/325-1270, http://riverseagallery.squarespace.com, 11am-5:30pm Mon.-Sat., 11am-4pm Sun.), with a large and varied selection of work by local painters, glass artists, jewelry makers, and craftspeople. For a more quixotic art scene, go to Imogen Gallery (240 11th St., 503/325-1566, http://imogengallery.com, 11am-5pm Mon.-Tues. and Thurs.-Sat., 11am-4pm Sun.), dedicated to contemporary and conceptual art by local artists. Lightbox Photographic Gallery (1045 Marine Dr., 503/468-0238, http://lightbox-photographic.com, 11am-5pm Tues.-Sat.) is the region’s gallery for fine art photography. A special stop is Ratz and Company (260 10th St., 503/325-2035, www.ratzandcompany.com), which shows the work of Dave McMacken, an artist and graphic designer who was responsible for some of the great album covers of the 1970s and 1980s (think Frank Zappa). He now creates beautifully rendered, slightly unnerving images depicting the Pacific Northwest, though the incredible range of his commercial art is also available for sale at the gallery.
The second Saturday of each month is the Astoria Art Walk (5pm-9pm), when most galleries and shops in downtown stay open late.
Several bookstores in town invite serious browsing, buying, and intellectual stimulation. Lucy’s Books (348 12th St., 503/325-4210, 10am-5:30pm Tues.-Sat., 11am-3pm Sun.) is a small but bighearted locally owned bookshop with an emphasis on Pacific Northwest regional subjects. On the next block, Godfather’s Books and Espresso (1108 Commercial St., 503/325-8143, 8am-8pm Mon.-Sat., 9am-6pm Sun.) sells a mix of new and used books and has a case of excellent antique maps and prints depicting the Columbia River and north coast.
In addition to the restaurants and cafés listed here, you’ll find do-it-yourself options at local markets. Established in 1920 in a false-front clapboard building near the waterfront, Josephson’s Smokehouse (106 Marine Dr., 503/325-2190, www.josephsons.com, 9am-6pm Mon.-Sat.) is Oregon’s most esteemed purveyor of gourmet smoked fish, producing Scandinavian cold-smoked salmon without dyes or preservatives. On foggy days, there’s nothing finer than a cup of Josephson’s thick clam chowder. A good stop for fresh produce, health food, and deli items is the Astoria Co-op (355 Exchange St., 503/325-0027, 8am-8pm daily). To shop the daily catch, which can include Dungeness crab, wild salmon, halibut, albacore tuna, sardines, sole, and rockfish, go to Warrenton Deep Sea Fish Market (45 NE Harbor Place, Warrenton, 503/861-3911, 9am-5:30pm Mon.-Sat., 10am-4pm Sun.). They carry the largest selection of locally caught fish in the area, and you’ll find a variety of smoked fish and seafood here as well.
Astoria also features a number of food carts—there is a pod at 13th and Duane Streets (in front of a handy brewpub for drinks) and another at Duane and 14th Streets. Most notable is Bowpicker Fish and Chips, with really good fish-and-chips served out of a converted boat near the corner of Duane and 17th Streets. You can also browse the fresh options at Astoria’s Sunday Market (12th St. between Marine Dr. and Exchange St.).
Bowpicker Fish and Chips
As widely appreciated as it is small, the Columbian Cafe (1114 Marine Dr., 503/325-2233, http://columbianvoodoo.com, 8am-2pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-2pm Sat.-Sun., $7-12) is an Astoria institution. The menu changes according to the season and the chef’s whim (be daring and order the “chef’s mercy”) but generally includes a good selection of pastas, chilies, crepes, and fresh catch of the day, and always a selection of homemade garlic, jalapeño, and red-pepper jellies. Breakfast is a highlight here. If this is your first visit to the Columbian Cafe, don’t let the tiny, slightly seedy-looking venue put you off. Expect to be here for a while; the Columbian is not a fast-food dining experience.
Another good restaurant with an inspiring motto (“Eat well, laugh often, and love much”) is the easygoing T. Paul’s Urban Cafe (1119 Commercial St., 503/338-5133, http://tpaulsurbancafe.com, 11am-9pm Mon.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $9-24). The menu of hip diner food with fresh Pacific Northwest twists includes towering turkey sandwiches, bay shrimp ceviche, Caribbean jerk quesadillas, prawn pasta, and clam chowder. Quesadillas are the specialty, with about a dozen innovative varieties served. T. Paul’s has a second downtown location, S The Supper Club (360 12th St., 503/325-2545, http://tpaulssupperclub.com, 11am-9pm Mon.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $12-32) with a wide-ranging menu, a rather swank dining room, and some of the most reliably delicious food in Astoria. Top choices are pasta dishes, burgers, salads, and fresh seafood. The tiny bar is the perfect spot for a cocktail.
A cross between a steampunk cocktail lounge and a restaurant, the Albatross (225 14th St., 503/741-3091, 5pm-11pm Tues.-Thurs., 5pm-midnight Fri.-Sat., $8-20) has excellent craft cocktails and brief menu of sandwiches and small plates, along with a few nightly dinner specials, all based on locally sourced food. The oysters (from Netarts Bay) on the half shell are excellent, and if you find slow-braised duck leg with morel mushrooms, asparagus, and brown butter grits as a special, order it.
One of Astoria’s more notable restaurants is Silver Salmon Grille (1105 Commercial St., 503/338-6640, www.silversalmongrille.com, 11am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $13-32), for fine dining in an atmosphere that’s somewhat formal but not starchy. The menu is broad, but stick to the fresh and local seafood dishes and you’ll be happy. If the excellent razor clams are offered, order them; if fresh silver (a.k.a. chinook) salmon is on the menu, grab it, as the quality of salmon at the mouth of the Columbia is remarkable. The bar here is one of the nicest in downtown Astoria, and it’s a favorite of locals out on the town.
Settle in for some excellent seafood at Bridgewater Bistro (20 Basin St., 503/235-6777, http://bridgewaterbistro.com, 11:30am-close Mon.-Sat., 11am-close Sun., $12-26), where you can graze on tapas (small plates menu 3pm-5pm) or order regular-size or smaller entrées. The soaring ceiling and riverside setting of the historic building next to the Cannery Pier Hotel are almost as compelling as the food. At the end of 12th Street, directly overlooking the Columbia, Baked Alaska (1 12th St., 503/325-7414, www.bakedak.com, 11am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-10am Fri.-Sat., $18-32) is a restaurant with many things going on at once. It features a bar and pizzeria, plus a dining room with big Columbia River vistas that offers a selection of small and large plates with modern international inflections. Seared sea scallops are served with maple butternut squash puree, while prawn and Dungeness crab spaghettini comes with dried cherries and pistachios. But about that name—yes, you can get classic baked Alaska here. The views rival the food, particularly in summer, when there’s deck seating.
It took a while for Mo’s (101 15th St., 971/704-1750, www.moschowder.com, 11am-10pm daily, $6-17), the wildly popular coastal restaurant chain, to reach Astoria, but here it is. Though dining here is hardly a culinary adventure, the fish is fresh and tasty, and it’s hard not to enjoy yourself when you’re eating good fish-and-chips and enjoying a local brew from this perch above the Columbia River.
There aren’t a lot of Bosnian restaurants around, and the Drina Daisy (915 Commercial St., 503/338-2912, www.drinadaisy.com, 11am-3pm and 4:30pm-8pm Wed.-Sun., $11-23) is worth a stop to sample foods from an unfamiliar part of the world. The cuisine, which promises “a taste of Sarajevo,” is a cross between Greek and Central European cooking. You can’t go wrong with the appetizers or salads, many of which come with smoked sausages and phyllo-wrapped goodies.
With the classiest dining room in Astoria, Carruthers Restaurant (1198 Commercial St., 503/975-5305, 4pm-10pm Tues.-Thurs., 4pm-11pm Fri.-Sat., $18-29) is also on the city’s busiest corner. The food is focused on local seafood and other regional products, and prepared with a global flair. You’ll find seafood paella, Thai dumplings, and lamb loin with confit vegetables. While the food can be uneven, this is a great spot for cocktails and appetizers.
For Astoria’s top Italian food, go to Fulio’s Pastaria (1149 Commercial St., 503/325-9001, www.fulios.com, 11am-close daily, $11-30) with excellent pasta, Tuscan-style steaks, and a good wine list in a lively and convivial dining room.
S Himani Indian Cuisine (1044 Marine Dr., 503/325-8171, www.himaniic.com, lunch buffet 11am-3pm Sun.-Fri., dinner 5pm-9pm Sat.-Thurs. $9-20) serves a wide selection of Indian cuisine, with a specialty in southern Indian fare such as tandoori dishes (including tandoori salmon) and masala dosa. The naan breads are equally delicious. The buffet ($12) is available Monday-Friday for lunch and all day Sunday. Himani also serves food from its original stall at the Astoria Sunday Market. No alcohol is served.
A good, if rather standard, choice for families with kids, the Astoria outlet of Pig ’N Pancake (146 W. Bond St., 503/325-3144, 6am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 6am-10pm Fri.-Sat., breakfast and lunch $7-10, dinner $10-18), a small north-coast chain (others are in Seaside and Cannon Beach), excels at big, filling breakfasts at reasonable prices. The specialty is homemade pancakes and waffles, available in a dozen variations, including potato pancakes, Swedish pancakes (thin and crispy with lingonberries), pecan-filled pancakes, and, of course, pigs in a blanket.
Stop by the S Astoria Coffeehouse and Bistro (243 11th St., 503/325-1787, http://astoriacoffeehouse.com, 7am-9pm Sun., 7am-10pm Mon.-Thurs., 7am-11pm Fri.-Sat., $13-22) for fresh breakfast pastries and coffee, salads and sandwiches, and home-cooked regional fare. It’s an airy, friendly place to sit and read the paper, or to enjoy cocktails and local seafood specialties late in the evening. This is the kind of place that makes everything from scratch, including slow-roasted turkey, corned beef, cakes, and even the ketchup, apple butter, and ice cream. All this, and it’s a fun and lively place for a cocktail at night too.
At the collectively run S Blue Scorcher Bakery Cafe (1493 Duane St., 503/338-7473, www.bluescorcher.coop, 8am-4pm daily, $6-12), the motto is “joyful work, delicious food, and strong community,” and it’s all true. Settle in with a tasty veggie sandwich (if the tempeh Reuben is on the menu, don’t turn up your nose) and watch the Astorians—any one of whom would make an excellent new friend—come and go. A personal favorite are cardamom almond rolls, an old-fashioned Swedish treat that’s perfect with a cup of coffee on a brisk morning. A wide variety of freshly prepared seasonal dishes also appears, from nettle soup in spring to pumpkin-black bean chili in the fall. A range of gluten-free pastries are offered on Friday. If it’s all too healthy and wholesome for you, there’s a brewpub next door.
The prices noted are for high season (summer) double-occupancy rooms. Rates fall by as much as half off-season. Also note that Astoria has many festival weekends, and on those occasions, rooms can be limited and prices high. In summer, plan your trip to avoid weekends if you’re trying to save on lodging costs.
Astoria’s S Commodore (258 14th St., 503/325-4747, http://commodoreastoria.com, $99-199) has simple but stylishly decorated rooms in a renovated downtown hotel. The least expensive rooms (“cabins”) are just sleeping chambers with a sink and a flat-screen TV and DVD player, with shared toilets and handsome tiled showers at the end of the hallway. Suite rooms are larger and include a private bath. The Commodore is popular with hip young travelers, especially its coffee shop on the ground floor. Be aware that the Commodore is on a busy downtown corner, so if traffic noise will bother you, bring earplugs.
Another vintage Astoria hotel made over into hip lodgings is the Norblad Hotel and Hostel (443 14th St., 503/325-6989, http://norbladhotel.com, $34 hostel beds, $79-119 rooms and suites). Owned by the same local team that runs the Commodore, the Norblad has the same youthful, stylish vibe, with crisply designed “Euro-style” rooms, nearly all with baths down the hall. For the price, you can’t beat the quality and the downtown location, though budget travelers looking for a real hostel experience might be disappointed with the perfunctory shared kitchen and lounge areas (though dozens of restaurants and pubs are just steps away).
Astoria has several motels that offer basic but clean rooms. Except on summer weekends, the following should have rooms available without reservations. For basic motor court rooms, check out the Atomic Motel (131 W. Marine Dr., www.astoriamotel.com, $89-105), a vintage motel that’s been updated with clean, unfussy rooms with a 1950s vibe. On the eastern edge of Astoria, the Crest Motel (5366 Leif Erickson Dr./U.S. 30, 503/325-3141 or 800/421-3141, www.astoriacrestmotel.com, $99-149 depending on views) offers cliffside river views, a coin-operated laundry, a whirlpool set in a gazebo overlooking the river, and pet-friendly rooms with no extra fees. About 0.5 miles east of the Astoria-Megler Bridge, the Rivershore Motel (59 W. Marine Dr., 503/325-2921, www.astoriarivershoremotel.com, $90-105) has 43 rooms with coffeemakers, microwaves, fridges, and Internet access. Some rooms include kitchens.
The Astoria Riverwalk Inn (400 Industry St., 503/325-2013, $147-329), right above the west marina, has many rooms with balconies over the harbor. The higher-priced rooms are decorated in a classy, subdued style while others are bold and energetic. All come with great views and free breakfast.
Clementine’s Bed and Breakfast (847 Exchange St., 800/521-6801, www.clementines-bb.com, 2-night minimum, $98-176), a handsome two-story 1888 home built in the Italianate style, stands in good company across the street from the Flavel House and is itself on Astoria’s Historic Homes Walking Tour. From the gardens around the house come the fresh flowers that accent the guest rooms and common areas and the herbs that spice the delicious gourmet breakfasts. There are five rooms in the main house, all with feather beds and private baths; upper-story rooms have private balconies with river views.
In addition to these guest rooms, two spacious sunny suites are available in the Moose Temple Lodge ($249-299 for up to 4), adjacent to the main house. Built in 1850, this is one of the oldest extant buildings in Astoria; it was the Moose Temple from 1900 to 1940 and later served as a Mormon church. Renovated with skylights, wood floors, fireplaces, small kitchens, and several beds, these suites are ideal for families or groups. Pets are welcome.
A couple of blocks away from busy downtown streets, the Rose River Inn B&B (1510 Franklin Ave., 503/325-7175, www.roseriverinn.com, $115-160) offers two river-view suites and three guest rooms in a large, cheerfully painted Victorian, decorated with European antiques and art and surrounded by a neatly tended garden. Each room includes a claw-foot tub.
Stay right downtown in the beautifully renovated S Hotel Elliott (357 12th St., 877/378-1924, www.hotelelliott.com, $189-289), a small boutique hotel that’s an easy walk from good restaurants and the river. The Elliott first opened in 1924, and its current incarnation has preserved much of the original charm of its Craftsman-era details, including the mahogany-clad lobby, handcrafted cabinetry, and wood and marble fireplaces. An original banner painted across the hotel’s north side proudly proclaims “Hotel Elliott—Wonderful Beds.” The new Elliott has made a point of living up to this claim, with goose-down pillows, luxurious 440-thread-count Egyptian cotton sheets, feather beds, and top-of-the-line mattresses to ensure a memorable slumber. In addition to standard rooms, the Elliott has a variety of suites, including the five-room Presidential Suite with access to a rooftop garden. The rooftop is open to all and is a fine place to enjoy a glass of wine and the sunset.
The Benjamin Young Inn (3652 Duane St., 503/325-6172, www.benjaminyounginn.com, $150-175) is an elegant 1888 Queen Anne-style mansion with four large guest rooms, all with private baths and great river views. The inn is in the eastern part of Astoria, away from the hubbub of downtown.
You can’t top the views at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites (204 W. Marine Dr., 503/325-6222 or 888/898-6222, www.astoriahie.com, $173-283), directly under the Astoria-Megler Bridge. Guest rooms have a fridge, a microwave, a coffeemaker, a high-speed Internet connection, a flat-screen TV, and a DVD player. Facilities include an indoor pool, a breakfast bar, a business center, and an exercise room. Pets are welcome with a $20 fee.
S Cannery Pier Hotel (10 Basin St., 503/325-4996 or 888/325-4996, www.cannerypierhotel.com, $309-399) is a modern luxury hotel on the former site of a historic cannery, jutting 600 feet out into the Columbia below the Astoria-Megler Bridge. The opulently furnished rooms have dramatic views, even from the shower; all rooms have balconies, fireplaces, and beautiful hardwood floors. Complimentary continental breakfast is included in the rates, as are hors d’oeuvres and wine in the afternoon. There’s also a day spa in the hotel, plus a Finnish sauna, a fitness room, and a hot tub.
Hampton Inn & Suites Astoria (201 39th St., 503/325-8888, $202-236) is located east of downtown near Pier 39, so not really within walking distance of the city center. However, the Astoria Waterfront Trolley passes directly in front of the hotel, and you can ride it downtown and back during its operating season. The rooms are spacious and nicely furnished, facing directly onto the river. Amenities include a pool and a business center, plus an included breakfast.
Families flock to Fort Stevens State Park (100 Peter Iredale Rd., Hammond, reservations 800/452-5687, www.oregonstateparks.org, year-round, $22 tent camping, $32-34 RV camping, $48-58 yurts, $90 cabins). With over 500 sites, the campground is the largest in the state park system, and it’s incredibly popular. The park’s many amenities and attractions make it the perfect base camp from which to take advantage of the region.
Across the road from the state park, Astoria Warrenton Seaside KOA (1100 NW Ridge Rd., Hammond, 503/861-2606 or 800/562-8506, www.astoriakoa.com, $29 tents, $50 RVs with electric, $59 RVs with full hookups, cabins from $73, $10 resort fee) is another sprawling campground. Amenities include an indoor pool and hot tub, a pancake breakfast, a game room, miniature golf, and bike rentals.
The Astoria Chamber of Commerce (111 W. Marine Dr., 503/325-6311 or 800/875-6807, www.travelastoria.com, 8am-6pm daily May-Sept., 9am-5pm Mon.-Fri. Oct.-Apr.) operates the Oregon Welcome Center at its offices, providing an abundance of brochures and maps for visitors to Astoria and other destinations on the north Oregon coast and southwest Washington.
With 10,000 people, Astoria is the largest city and the media hub of the north coast. The local newspaper, the Daily Astorian (www.dailyastorian.com), is sold around town and worth a look. The free monthly Hipfish is a publication in the great tradition of the alternative press of the 1960s. Whether you agree with its take on regional politics or not, the thoughtful and lively articles and complete entertainment listings will enhance your visit to the north coast.
Throughout the north coast, KMUN (91.9 FM in Astoria and Seaside, 89.5 FM in Cannon Beach) is a public radio station with excellent community-based programming. Folk, classical, jazz, and rock music, public affairs, radio drama, literature readings, children’s bedtime stories, and National Public Radio news will keep your dial set on this frequency. A sister station, KCPB, broadcasts classical music in addition to NPR news.
The Astoria Post Office is located in the Federal Building (750 Commercial St.). Useful numbers to know include the county sheriff (503/225-2061), the Coast Guard (2285 Airport Rd., Warrenton, 503/861-6220), and Columbia Memorial Hospital (2111 Exchange St., Astoria, 503/325-4321).
Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Service (800/USA-RAIL—800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com) runs two buses daily between the north coast and Portland Union Station. Board the coach in Astoria at the downtown transit center (9th St. and Astor St.). The bus also stops at Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Warrenton.
Car rentals are available from Enterprise (644 W. Marine Dr., 503/325-6500). For visitors willing to let go of their cars for a while, the Sunset Empire Transportation District, better known as The Bus (503/861-RIDE—503/861-7433 or 800/776-6406, www.ridethebus.org), provides reasonably frequent transportation around Astoria and along the coast to Warrenton, Gearhart, Seaside, and Cannon Beach.
Seaside is Oregon’s quintessential, and oldest, family beach resort. The beach is long and flat, sheltered by a scenic headland, with lifeguards on duty during the summer months, beachside playground equipment, and a boardwalk winding through the dunes. Ice cream parlors, game arcades, eateries, and gift shops crowd shoulder to shoulder along the main drag, Broadway. The aromas of cotton candy and french fries lend a heady incense to the salt air, and the clatter of bumper cars and other amusements can induce sensory overload. Atlantic City it’s not—thank goodness—but on a crowded summer day the town evokes the feeling of a carnival midway by the sea. During spring break, when Pacific Northwest high school and college students arrive, the town’s population of 6,200 can quadruple almost overnight.
Neighboring Gearhart, a mainly residential community (pop. 1,100) just to the north, has a few lodgings away from the bustle of Seaside as well as a venerable 18-hole golf course.
Located along the Necanicum River, in the shadow of majestic Tillamook Head, Seaside has attracted tourists since the early 1870s, when transportation magnate Ben Holladay sensed the potential for a resort hotel near the water. But better transportation was needed to get customers to the place. At that time, the way to get to Seaside was first by boat from Portland down the Columbia River to Skipanon (now Warrenton), and from there by carriage south to Seaside. To speed the connection, Holladay later constructed a railroad line from Skipanon to Seaside.
To escape Portland’s summer heat, families in the late 19th century would make the boat and railroad journey to spend their summer in Seaside. Most men would go back to Portland to work during the week, returning to the coast on Friday to visit the family. Every weekend the families would gather at the railroad station to greet the men, then see them off again for the trip back to Portland. It wasn’t long before the train became known as the “Daddy Train.” As roads between Portland and the coast were constructed, the car took over, and the railroad carried its last dad in 1939.
Sightseeing in Seaside means bustling up and down Broadway and strolling leisurely along the Prom. This three-mile-long concrete walkway, extending from Avenue U north to 12th Avenue, was initially constructed in 1908 to protect ocean properties from the waves. A pleasant walk alongside the beach, the boardwalk offers a fine vantage point from which to contemplate the sand, surf, frolicking beach lovers, and the massive contours of 1,200-foot-high Tillamook Head to the south. The Prom is also popular for jogging, bicycle and surrey riding, and in-line skating.
Midway along the Prom is the Turnaround, a concrete-and-brick traffic circle that is the western terminus of Broadway. A bronze statue of Lewis and Clark gazing ever seaward proclaims this point the end of the trail for their expedition, though in fact they explored a bit farther south, beyond Tillamook Head. Eight blocks south of the Turnaround, between Beach Drive and the Prom, is a replica of the Lewis and Clark salt cairn.
The Turnaround is midway along Seaside’s Promenade.
Heading east from the Turnaround, Broadway runs 0.5 miles to Roosevelt Avenue (U.S. 101) through a dizzying gamut of tourist attractions, arcades, restaurants, and bars. Along Broadway, in a four-block area west of U.S. 101 and bordered by the Necanicum River, 1st Avenue, and Avenue A, you’ll find some fancy Victorian frame houses, a few of the old buildings that survived the 1912 fire that destroyed much of the town.
Today, the most notable sight in this busy section of Seaside is the enormous $73.3 million WorldMark Seaside time-share condo development containing nearly 300 units. Condos in this outsize structure aren’t available for rent directly from WorldMark, though vacation property rental companies can handle sublets.
If you tire of Broadway and the beach is too cold and wet, make your way to the Seaside Historical Society Museum (570 Necanicum Dr., 503/738-7065, www.seasidemuseum.org, 10am-3pm Mon.-Sat., $3 adults, $2 seniors, $1 students), housed in a classic seaside cottage six blocks north of Broadway, where Clatsop artifacts and exhibits on early tourism in Seaside impart more of a sense of history than anything else in town.
Right on the Prom north of the Turnaround is the Seaside Aquarium (200 N. Promenade, 503/738-6211, www.seasideaquarium.com, 9am-7pm daily Mar.-Oct., 9am-5pm daily Wed.-Sun. Nov.-Feb., $8 adults, $6.75 seniors, $4 ages 6-13). It’s not quite the Oregon Coast Aquarium (find that in Newport), but if you’re not going to make it that far south, it’s an okay introduction to sealife for young children. Back in the era of the Daddy Train, this place served as a natatorium, but was converted to its current use in 1937. Today the pool is filled with raucously barking seals. In addition, a hundred species of marinelife here include 20-ray sea stars, crabs, ferocious-looking wolf eels and moray eels, and octopuses.
Near the south end of the Prom at Lewis and Clark Way are the reconstructed salt works of Lewis and Clark. While camped at Fort Clatsop during the winter of 1805-1806, the captains sent a detachment south to find a place suitable for rendering salt from seawater. Their supply was nearly exhausted, and the precious commodity was a necessity for preserving and seasoning their food on the expedition’s return journey. At the south end of present-day Seaside, five men built a cairn-like stone oven near a settlement of the Clatsop and Killamox people and set about boiling seawater nonstop for seven weeks to produce 3.5 bushels (about 314 pounds) of salt for the trip back east.
From the south end of Seaside, walk in the footsteps of Lewis and Clark on an exhilarating hike over Tillamook Head. In January 1806, neighboring Native Americans told of a beached whale lying several miles south of their encampment. William Clark and a few companions, including Sacajawea, set off in an attempt to find it and trade for blubber and whale oil, which fueled the expedition’s lanterns. Climbing Tillamook Head from the north, the party crested the promontory. Clark was moved enough by the view to later write about it in his journal:
I beheld the grandest and most pleasing prospect which my eyes ever surveyed. Immediately in front of us is the ocean breaking in fury. To this boisterous scene the Columbia with its tributaries and studded on both sides with the Chinook and Clatsop villages forms a charming contrast, while beneath our feet are stretched the rich prairies.
Today, you can experience the view that so impressed Clark on the Tillamook Head National Recreation Trail, which runs seven miles through Ecola State Park. Prior to setting out, you could arrange to have a friend drive south to Indian Beach to pick you up at the end of this three- to five-hour trek; or you can be picked up another mile south at the Ecola Point parking lot just north of Cannon Beach. As you head up the forested trail on the north side of Tillamook Head, look back over the Seaside town site. In about 20 minutes, you’ll be gazing down at the ocean from cliffs 1,000 feet above. A few hours later, you’ll hike down onto Indian Beach.
To get to the trailhead from Seaside, drive south, following Avenue U past the golf course to Edgewood Street, and turn left; continue until you reach the parking lot at the end of the road.
Seaside has a bumper crop of places that rent bicycles, skates, and surreys, all for similar rates, starting at around $10 per hour for a bike. The Prom Bike Shop (622 12th Ave., 503/738-8251, http://prombikeshop.com, 10:30am-5:30pm daily summer, noon-5pm Thurs.-Mon. fall-spring) is a full-service bike shop. Rent cruisers, surreys, mopeds, and novelty bikes at Wheel Fun Rentals (151 Ave. A, 503/738-7212, 11am-7pm Mon.-Thurs., 11am-8pm Fri., 10am-8pm Sat., 10am-7pm Sun.), with four locations in Seaside, this one closest to the Boardwalk.
Seaside is a good spot to test-drive a surrey.
Bird-watchers gather at Necanicum Estuary Park, at the 1900 block of North Holladay Drive across the street from Seaside High School. Local students have built a viewing platform, stairs to the beach, a boardwalk, and interpretive signs. Great blue and green herons and numerous migratory bird species flock to the grassy marshes and slow tidal waters near the mouth of the Necanicum River. During the fall and winter, buffleheads and mergansers shelter in the estuary, while in summer the waters are often thronged with pelicans. Occasionally Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, river otters, beavers, mink, and muskrats can also be sighted.
Just because you’re smack-dab in the middle of a family resort town doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy some of nature’s bounty: Anglers can reel in trout, salmon, and steelhead from the Necanicum River right in the center of downtown. The 12th Avenue Bridge is a popular spot for fishing and crabbing.
Cullaby Lake, on the east side of U.S. 101 about four miles north of Gearhart, offers fishing for crappies, bluegills, perch, catfish, and largemouth bass. At 88 acres, Cullaby is the largest of the many lakes on the Clatsop Plains. Two parks on the lake, Carnahan Park and Cullaby Lake County Park, have boat ramps, picnic areas, and other facilities. Cullaby is the only practical place to water-ski in the area.
Sunset Beach Park, 0.5 miles west of U.S. 101 on Neacoxie Lake (also known as Sunset Lake), has a boat ramp, picnic tables, and a playground. Anglers come for warm-water fish species, plus the rainbow trout stocked in the spring. From Astoria, drive south 10 miles on U.S. 101 and turn west on Sunset Beach Road.
At Quatat Park (503/440-1548), beside the Necanicum River in downtown Seaside, rent kayaks, canoes, and pedal boats for exploring the waterway.
The best surfing spot in the Seaside area is the beach just south of town, simply referred to as The Cove, directly north of Tillamook Head and reached from parking areas along Sunset Boulevard. While prevailing winds favor winter surfing rather than summer, this is in fact a popular destination year-round. Local surfers can be impatient with beginners, so this probably isn’t a good spot for novices.
Seaside Surf Shop (1116 S. Roosevelt Dr., 503/717-1110, www.seasidesurfshop.com, 10am-6pm Mon.-Fri., 9am-6pm Sat., 9am-5pm Sun.) and Cleanline Surf Co. (60 N. Roosevelt Dr., 503/738-2061, www.cleanlinesurf.com, 9am-6pm daily) rent and sell surfboards as well as wetsuits, boots, and flippers; Cleanline Surf also offers instruction. Northwest Women’s Surf Camps (503/440-5782, www.nwwomenssurfcamps.com) will give you a bit of land training (the camp includes yoga to get you limbered up and in the right frame of mind) and then accompany you into the waves.
Despite the lifeguard on duty in summer, swimming at Seaside’s beach isn’t exactly comfortable, unless you’re used to the North Sea. Gearhart boasts a quieter beach than Seaside’s, although the water is every bit as cool. Warm-blooded swimmers can head to the facilities at Sunset Empire Park (1140 E. Broadway, Seaside, 503/738-3311, daily), which includes three pools, waterslides, a 15-person hot tub, and fitness equipment.
Golfers can escape to public courses south of Seaside and north in the small town of Gearhart. At Seaside Golf Club (451 Ave. U, 503/738-5261), greens fees start at $15-17 for nine holes. The Highlands at Gearhart (1 Highland Rd., Gearhart, 503/738-5248, www.highlandsgolfgearhart.com, $19 for nine holes) is another public nine-hole course, with ocean views from most holes. The British-links-style course at Gearhart Golf Links (1157 N. Marion St., Gearhart, 503/738-3538, www.gearhartgolflinks.com, $85 for 18 holes in summer) was established in 1892, making it Oregon’s oldest, and one of the oldest west of the Mississippi River. A multiyear restoration of the course, completed in 2015, returned the links to their original character.
Seaside predates any other town on the Oregon coast as a place built with good times in mind. A zoo and racetrack were among Seaside’s first structures, and arcades are still thriving near the foot of Broadway. Cannes Cinema (U.S. 101 at 12th Ave.) is a five-screen multiplex showing first-run films.
The Seaside Brewing Company (851 Broadway, 503/717-5451, http://seasidebrewery.com, 11:30am-10pm daily, $10-13) makes great ales and has a handsome location in Seaside’s old 1914 city hall and jail. Expect burgers, sandwiches, and pizza. At the Gearhart Golf Links, the old clubhouse now houses McMenamins Sand Trap Pub (1157 N. Marion Ave., 503/717-8150, 7am-11pm Sun.-Thurs., 7am-1am Fri.-Sat., $7-27); it has been decorated with the McMenamins’ trademark whimsical artwork and serves the local chain’s decent (not great, but always edible) upscale pub food. Free live music is featured in the pub most Friday evenings, open to all ages.
the Seaside Brewing Company
The annual Oregon Dixieland Jubilee (800/738-6894, www.jazzseaside.com) takes place at the end of February. This event has been gaining momentum for some 35 years and appeals to fans of Dixieland and traditional jazz. The town celebrates the Fourth of July with a parade, a picnic and social at the Seaside Historical Society Museum (570 Necanicum Dr.), and a big fireworks show on the beach.
In early September, Wheels and Waves (503/717-1914) brings over 500 classic hot rods and custom cars (1962 and earlier, please) to downtown and the Civic and Convention Center (1st Ave. at Necanicum Dr.).
Seaside is a shopping hub not only for its own population but also for Cannon Beach, which oddly doesn’t even have a real grocery store, let alone a shopping mall. A number of shopping centers line U.S. 101 as it passes through Seaside; the Seaside Factory Outlet Center (1111 N. Roosevelt Dr., 503/717-1603) has 25 discount stores, including outlets for Eddie Bauer, Nike, and Pendleton.
While a stroll down Broadway might have you thinking that cotton candy, corn dogs, and saltwater taffy are the staples of Seaside cuisine, several eateries here can satisfy more refined palates as well. But there’s no disputing the fact that Seaside, despite being one of Oregon’s most popular Pacific-front towns, is not a mecca of fine dining.
Dooger’s (505 Broadway, 503/738-3773, http://doogersseafood.com, 11am-9pm daily, $11-20), which also has an outlet in Cannon Beach, is a popular Broadway mainstay known for its clam chowder. Although it’s kind of a frumpy-looking place, it serves good seafood. Local clams and oysters, fresh Dungeness crab legs, sautéed shrimp, and marionberry cobbler are also the basis of Dooger’s reputation.
Right in the heart of busy Broadway, Twisted Fish (311 Broadway, 503/738-3467, www.twistedfishsteakhouse.com, 11am-10pm daily, $10-30) is a Pacific Northwest-style steakhouse, with hand-cut steaks, fresh fish and seafood, pasta, and Mediterranean-inflected dishes such as chicken and prawn piccata. All bread and desserts are made in-house; in the lounge, you’ll find karaoke and dancing on weekend evenings.
If you’re traveling with kids, you’ll almost inevitably end up eating at Pig ’N Pancake (323 Broadway, 503/738-7243, 6am-8pm Sun.-Thurs., 6am-9pm Fri.-Sat., breakfast and lunch $7-10, dinner $10-18), where the Swedish pancakes and crab-and-cheese omelets are tops at breakfast, and the Frisbee-size cinnamon rolls will launch your blood sugar to new heights.
A top choice for home-style American fare is Firehouse Grill (841 Broadway, 503/717-5502, www.firehousegrillseaside.net, 8am-3pm Mon. and Thurs.-Sat., 8am-2pm Sun., $8-14), where classic breakfasts feature biscuits and gravy and chicken-fried steak, and lunch focuses on burgers.
An excellent destination for breakfast and brunch is the Osprey Café (2281 Beach Dr., 503/739-7054, 7:30am-3pm Thurs.-Tues., $9-13) with breakfast all day (classic American egg dishes plus Mexican fare and Indonesian nasi goreng as well), and sandwiches for lunch. The Osprey is south of downtown, near the end of the Boardwalk, near some of Seaside’s more affordable hotels.
Should the frenetic ambience of Seaside on a holiday weekend begin to wear thin, try Gearhart’s S Pacific Way Bakery and Cafe (601 Pacific Way, Gearhart, 503/738-0245, www.pacificwaybakery-cafe.com, bakery 7am-1pm Thurs.-Mon., restaurant 11am-3:30pm and 5pm-9pm Thurs.-Mon., dinner $10-30, dinner reservations recommended). Pasta, crusty pizzas, and seafood dishes (including thick seafood cioppino) as well as Dungeness crab sandwiches with aioli pop up at lunch and dinner. Rib-eye steak and local razor clams are other frequent dinnertime highlights in the surprisingly urbane little café hidden behind a rustic old storefront. In the morning, the bakery side of the operation is the place to be for coffee and pastries.
The menu at Nonni’s Italian Bistro (831 Broadway, 503/738-4264, 3pm-9pm Thurs.-Mon., $11-29) extends from meatball sandwiches to crab- and salmon-rich cioppino, with a selection of pasta dishes in between. This small and popular restaurant fills up fast, so call ahead for reservations.
Whatever your price range, you’ll have to reserve ahead for a room in Seaside during the summer and on weekends and holidays (especially spring break). If you do, chances are you’ll be able to find the specs you’re looking for, given the area’s array of lodgings and over 1,800 hotel rooms. The Seaside Visitors Bureau (www.seasideor.com) has a helpful website with comprehensive listings and a handy booking engine for last-minute rooms.
Generally speaking, there are three lodging areas in Seaside. First, there are several modern motels along busy U.S. 101, about eight blocks from the beach. If you’re just passing through or waited too long to call for reservations, these offer inexpensive rooms, but little in the way of beachside charm. A second grouping of hotels is in the center of Seaside, along the Necanicum River. These have a quieter riverside setting but still aren’t beachfront (though you won’t have to cross U.S. 101 to get to the beach). Finally, there are numerous hotels that face directly onto the beach or are just a short stumble to the strand. Even here, there’s quite a difference in price between rooms that face the beach and those that face the parking lot.
The cheapest place in town is the quite nice Seaside International Hostel (930 N. Holladay Dr., 503/738-7911 or 888/994-0001, www.seasidehostel.net, dorm-style bunk $35 pp, private rooms $79-99), with special touches such as morning meditation and exercise classes. Unlike many hostels, it doesn’t close down during the day, and there’s no curfew at night. There’s an espresso bar on-site, and the Necanicum River runs through the backyard. Close by is the Necanicum Estuary Park.
Motel 6 (2369 S. Roosevelt Dr., 503/738-6269 or 800/466-8356, $70-90), on U.S. 101 about 0.5 miles south of Broadway, isn’t near the sand but does offer reasonably priced rooms.
There’s a clutch of motels south of the Broadway-Prom axis that offer easy beach access at fair prices—and a much quieter beachfront experience than in the town center. The Tides by the Sea (2316 Beach Dr., 503/738-6317 or 800/548-2846, www.thetidesbythesea.com, $138-252) is a well-located older motel that has converted its large guest rooms and cottages into condos. About a quarter of the units face onto the Prom, but those that don’t are just seconds away from the beach. If you can live without an ocean view, you’ll save a bundle here. Each of the units is different, but most have kitchens and fireplaces. In high season, there is a two-night minimum stay.
The rooms at Seashore Inn (60 N. Promenade, 503/738-6368 or 888/738-6368, www.seashoreinnor.com, $139-229) are right in the thick of it along the Promenade. Half the guest rooms face the beach, but half don’t. These rooms are just steps from the beach but are a fraction of the cost of rooms on the other side of the building. All guest rooms have microwaves and mini-fridges, and some have full kitchens and balconies. There’s also an indoor pool in case the weather turns foul.
In the center of Seaside, with balconies over the Necanicum River, the Holiday Inn Express & Suites Seaside Convention Center (34 Holladay Dr., 503/717-8000, $143-218) has an indoor pool and spa and rooms with fridges, microwaves, coffeemakers, and CD and DVD players. Rates include a complimentary breakfast bar.
Farther north, the Tradewinds Condo Hotel (1022 N. Promenade, 503/738-9468, www.seaside-tradewinds.com, $144-164) doesn’t look like much from the outside, but the rooms are very nice and represent some of the best values in Seaside, particularly off-season, when room prices can drop by half. All the rooms are individually decorated and come in different configurations, from studios with kitchenettes to one-bedroom condos with full kitchens and living areas. Book well in advance: This is a popular spot.
Well south of the bustling Broadway scene, the Inn at the Shore (2275 S. Promenade, 503/738-3113 or 800/713-9914, www.innattheshore.com, $119-239) has nicely appointed rooms, each with a gas fireplace, a balcony, a wet bar, a microwave, a coffeemaker, a fridge, a flat-screen TV, and a VCR/DVD player. The less expensive rooms don’t have ocean views, but the beach is just steps away.
Out along U.S. 101, on the southern edge of town, Quality Inn Seaside (2455 S. Roosevelt Dr., 503/738-7666 or 866/482-7666, www.qualityinnseaside.com, $143-167), isn’t particularly close to the beach but has free breakfast pancakes, free high-speed Internet, and a fitness room.
Just north of the Necanicum River’s mouth, Gearhart offers a respite from the bustle of Seaside. The S Gearhart Ocean Inn (67 N. Cottage St., Gearhart, 503/738-7373, www.gearhartoceaninn.com, $170-250) offers a choice of 12 New England-style wooden cottages with comforters, wicker chairs, and throw rugs, and the beaches are a short walk away. The two-story deluxe units have kitchens and hardwood floors. Pets are allowed in some units. Especially during the off-season, this spruced-up old motor court is one of the best values on the north coast.
While motels dominate the lodging scene in Seaside, a few B&Bs and small inns offer an alternative. The Gilbert Inn (341 Beach Dr., 503/738-9770 or 800/410-9770, www.gilbertinn.com, $179-189) is a well-preserved 1892 Queen Anne just a block south of Broadway and a block from the beach. Period furnishings adorn the 11 guest rooms, which all have private baths, down comforters, and other nice touches (though this seems like a classic B&B, no breakfast is served). The third-floor “Garret” sleeps up to four in a queen and two twin beds, with ocean views from the dormer window. All guests must be 18 or older.
A charmingly refurbished lodging just three short blocks from the beach, S Weiss’ Paradise Suites (741 S. Downing St., 503/738-6691 or 800/738-6691, www.seasidesuites.com, $149-169) is south of the Broadway action but offers homey, upgraded units with lots of extras, including full kitchens, decks, two TVs, free DVDs, and robes. If you’re looking for a cottage rental, ask about the two vacation houses available from this proprietor.
The four-story shingle-sided Seaside Oceanfront Inn (581 S. Promenade, 503/319-3300 or 800/772-7766, http://theseasideinn.com, $169-349) stands right on the beach, with its north gable skewered by a clock tower. Each of the 14 guest rooms is decorated in a unique theme. Most have a spectacular ocean view, and pets are permitted in certain rooms. The on-site restaurant is very good. In addition, this operation also rents Beach Drive Suites, newly renovated two-bedroom condos at a beachside location south of the main hotel.
Seaside’s most stylish rooms are at the S Inn of the Four Winds (820 N. Promenade, 503/738-9524 or 800/818-9524, www.innofthefourwinds.com, $179-329). This 14-room boutique hotel has comfortable rooms furnished with taste and panache. Each guest room has a microwave, a coffeemaker, a fridge, an MP3 player, a gas fireplace, and a deck or balcony with an ocean view. Best of all, the inn faces directly onto the beach eight blocks north of the frenetic Broadway strip.
If you’re looking for a hotel with character, consider Ashore Hotel (125 Oceanway, 503/568-7506, $173-226), an older motor-court hotel that’s been renovated with a hip, urban industrial vibe. All the rooms are dog-friendly, and there’s a small café and bar where you can find craft cocktails, hand-forged snacks, and local brews.
Just four miles north of Seaside at the sleepy town of Gearhart is the S Gearhart Hotel (1157 N. Marion Ave., Gearhart, 503/717-8159 or 855/846-7583, $150-180), a boutique hotel developed out of the historic Gearhart Golf Links clubhouse by the McMenamins local chain of hotels and breweries. It has all the trademark comfortable funkiness of other McMenamins properties, with the added benefits of sitting on the oldest golf course in Oregon and Pacific beaches just across the street. Rooms have en suite baths, and there’s a lively pub on the main floor.
Best Western Oceanview Resort (414 N. Promenade, 503/738-3264 or 800/234-8439, www.oceanviewresort.com, $219-289) is a large hotel right on the beach near the center of town. Amenities include an on-site restaurant and lounge, a heated pool, and a spa; the majority of rooms face the ocean.
In the center of Seaside, right on the Necanicum River, the Rivertides Suites (102 N. Holladay Dr., 877/871-8433, www.rivertidesuites.com, $215-240) offers some of the most upscale accommodations in Seaside. All rooms have balconies, full kitchens, fine linens, and jetted tubs, plus free breakfast, an indoor pool and hot tub, an exercise room, and great views from the rooftop viewing deck. In addition to the entry-level studio suites, there are also one- and two-bedroom suites.
A good option for many travelers is one of the several dozen vacation rentals. Options range from tiny cottages for less than $100 per night (minimum stays are often required, especially in summer) to large homes that can host groups of 10 or 12. Check with the Seaside Visitors Bureau (7 N. Roosevelt St., 503/738-3097 or 888/306-2326, www.seasideor.com, 8am-5pm daily), or contact one of the rental agencies: Beachhouse Vacation Rentals (503/738-9068, www.beachhouse1.com), Oceanside Vacation Rentals (503/738-7767 or 800/840-7764, www.oceanside1.com), or Northwind Vacation Rentals (503/738-5532 or 866/738-5532, www.northwindrentals.com).
One mile south of Seaside in a lush green meadow is Circle Creek RV Park and Campground (85658 U.S. 101, 503/738-6070, http://circlecreekrv.com, RVs $50). The campground offers showers, a small store, picnic tables, and fire rings, but no tent camping.
The Seaside Visitors Bureau (7 N. Roosevelt St., 503/738-3097 or 888/306-2326, www.seasideor.com) is open 8am-5pm daily. Providence Seaside Hospital (725 S. Wahanna Rd., 503/717-7000) has 24-hour service and an emergency room.
Sunset Empire Transportation District operates The Bus (503/861-RIDE—503/861-7433 or 800/776-6406, www.ridethebus.org), serving Cannon Beach, Seaside, Astoria-Warrenton, and points between. Amtrak (800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com) buses pass through twice daily on their run between Portland and Astoria.
In 1846, the USS Shark met its end on the Columbia River Bar. The ship broke apart, and a section of deck bearing cannons and an iron capstan drifted south, finally in 1894 washing ashore south of the current city limits at Arch Cape. And so this town got its name, which it adopted in 1922. In the winter of 2008, during an especially low tide, two additional cannons were revealed. After a thorough study by historians and archivists at Texas A&M University, the cannons are now on display at Astoria’s Columbia Maritime Museum.
Cannon Beach is a popular summer getaway.
In 1873, stagecoach and railroad tycoon Ben Holladay helped create Oregon’s first coastal tourist mecca, Seaside, while ignoring its attractive neighbor in the shadow of Haystack Rock. In the 20th century, Cannon Beach evolved into a bohemian alternative to the hustle and bustle of the family-oriented resort scene to the north. Before the recent era of development, this place was a quaint backwater attracting laid-back artists, summer-home residents, and the overflow from Seaside.
Today, the low-key charm and atmosphere conducive to artistic expression have in some part been quashed by development and the attendant massive visitor influx and price increases. While such vital signs as a first-rate theater, a good bookstore, cheek-by-jowl art galleries, and fine restaurants are still in ample evidence, your view of them from the other side of the street might be blocked by a convoy of Winnebagos.
Nonetheless, the broad three-mile stretch of beach dominated by the impressive monolith of Haystack Rock still provides a contemplative experience. And if you’re patient and resourceful enough to find a space for your wheels (try the free municipal lot one block east of the main street), the finest gallery-hopping, crafts, and shopping on the coast await. Wood shingles and understated earth tones dominate the architecture of tastefully rendered galleries, bookstores, and bistros. The city is small enough for strolling, and its location, removed from U.S. 101, spares it the kind of traffic blight seen on the main drags of other coastal tourist towns.
Haystack Rock looms large above the long, broad beach. This is the third-tallest sea stack in the state, measuring 235 feet tall. As part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, it has wilderness status and is off-limits to climbing. Puffins and other seabirds nest on its steep faces, and intertidal organisms thrive in the tide pools around the base. The surrounding tide pools, within a radius of 300 yards from the base of the monolith, are designated a “marine garden”; they are open to exploration, but with strict no-collecting (of anything) and no-harassment (of any living organisms) protections in effect. Flanking the monolith are two rock formations known as the Needles. These spires had two other counterparts at the turn of the 20th century that have gradually been leveled by weathering and erosion. Old-timers will tell you that the government dynamited a trail to the top of Haystack in 1968 to keep people off this bird rookery. It also reduced the number of intrepid hikers trapped on the rock at high tide.
Volunteers from the Haystack Rock Awareness Program (503/436-1581) are often on the beach with displays, spotting scopes, and answers to many of your questions. Spend some time chatting with these folks, but don’t forget to listen to the beach’s own distinctive voices. You can’t miss the cacophony of seabirds at sunset and, if you listen closely, the winter phenomenon of “singing sands” created by wind blowing over the beach.
Beach access is available at the west end of any public east-west street. From downtown, Harrison Street works well; south of downtown, Tolovana Beach Wayside has a large parking area and easy beach access.
Permanent exhibits at the small Cannon Beach History Center (1387 S. Spruce St., 503/436-9301, www.cbhistory.org, 11am-5pm Wed.-Mon., free) chronicle the town’s timeline, from prehistory to the modern expansion of tourism and recreation. The original eponymous cannon (the one found in 1894) from the ill-fated Shark is also on display here.
Ecola State Park (off U.S. 101, 800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org, $5 day-use) is two miles north of Cannon Beach. Thick conifer forests line the access road to Ecola Point. This forested cliff has many trails leading down to the water. The view south takes in Haystack Rock and the overlapping peaks of the Coast Range extending to Neahkahnie Mountain. This is one of the most photographed views on the coast. Out to sea, the sight of sea lions basking on surf-drenched rocks (mid-Apr.-July) or migrating gray whales (Dec. and Mar.) and orcas (May) are seasonal highlights.
From Ecola Point, trails lead north to horseshoe-shaped Indian Beach, a favorite with surfers. Some prefer to drive the steep, narrow road down to Indian Beach as a prelude to hiking up Tillamook Head, considered by Lewis and Clark the region’s most beautiful viewpoint. The 2.5-mile Clatsop Loop Trail begins and ends at Indian Beach and climbs through Sitka spruce to a viewpoint. Ambitious hikers can do the first half of the loop, then continue another four miles north to Seaside.
The name Ecola means “whale” in Chinook and was first used as a place-name by William Clark, referring to a creek in the area. Lewis and Clark journals note a 105-foot beached whale found somewhere within present-day Ecola Park’s southern border at Crescent Beach. This area represents the southernmost extent of Lewis and Clark’s coastal Oregon travels.
A good reason to head east from Cannon Beach is the hike up 3,283-foot Saddle Mountain at Saddle Mountain State Natural Area (off U.S. 26, 800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org). On a clear day, hikers can see some 50 miles of the Oregon and Washington coastlines, including the Columbia River. Also possible are spectacular views of Mounts Rainier, St. Helens, and Hood, and miles of clear-cuts. On the upper part of the trail, plant species that pushed south from Alaska and Canada during the last ice age still thrive. The cool, moist climate here keeps them from dying out as they did at lower elevations. Some early blooms include pink coast fawn lily, monkeyflower, wild rose, wood violet, bleeding heart, oxalis, Indian paintbrush, and trillium. Cable handrails provide safety on the narrow final 0.25-mile trail to the summit.
To get to the trailhead, take U.S. 26 from its junction with U.S. 101 for 10 miles and turn left on the prominently signed Saddle Mountain Road. (Although it’s paved, this road is not suitable for RVs or wide-bodied vehicles.) After seven twisting miles, you’ll come to the trailhead of the highest peak in this part of the Coast Range. The trail itself is steep, gaining more than 1,600 feet in 2.5 miles. Wet conditions can make the going difficult (allow four hours round-trip) and the scenery en route is not always exceptional unless you look down for the lovely May-August wildflower display; the view from the top is worth the climb.
The campground ($11) at Saddle Mountain is tiny and rustic and offers a secluded option for campers not attracted to the busy family scene at nearby Fort Stevens State Park.
Stunning beaches don’t end with Cannon Beach. Sandy expanses stretch seven miles south to the Arch Cape tunnel on U.S. 101, indicating the entrance to Oswald West State Park. Several of these beaches are reached via state park waysides. As you head south, views of Hug Point State Recreation Site (off U.S. 101, 800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org, free) and pristine beaches will have you ready to pull over. In summer, this can be a good escape from the crowds at Cannon Beach. Time your visit to coincide with low tide, when all manner of marinelife will be exposed in tidal pools. Also at low tide, you may see remains of an 800-foot-long Model T-size road blasted into the base of Hug Point, an early precursor to U.S. 101. The cliffs are gouged with caves and crevasses that also invite exploring, but be mindful of the tides so that you don’t find yourself stranded. Hug Point got its name in the days when stagecoaches used the beach as highways; they had to dash between the waves, hugging the jutting headland to get around.
Family Fun Cycles (1160 S. Hemlock, Cannon Beach, 503/436-2247, 10am-6pm Thurs.-Tues., $10-17 per 90 minutes) rents all manner of bikes, including mountain bikes, road bikes, beach cruisers, and three-wheeled recumbent “fun cycles,” which zip up and down the hard-packed sand when the tide is out.
Sea Ranch Stables (415 Old U.S. 101, 503/436-2815, 9am-4:30pm daily mid-June-Labor Day, 9am-4:30pm Sat.-Sun. mid-May-mid-June, $80-140), at the north entrance to Cannon Beach off U.S. 101, offers a number of one- to two-hour guided rides, including sunset rides. Rides to Haystack Rock start at 9am, before the beach gets crowded.
The area around Cannon Beach has several good surfing beaches. The most popular, and the best bet for beginners, is Short Sands Beach, at the end of the trail to the beach at Oswald West State Park, south of Arch Cape. It’s a bit of a hike down to the beach, but the sheltered cove is a great place to spend the day, even if you’re just bobbing around in the waves.
Another good spot for somewhat more advanced surfers (and surf kayakers) is Indian Beach at Ecola State Park (off U.S. 101, 800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org, $5 day-use). Rent a board and wetsuit at Cleanline Surf (171 Sunset Blvd., 503/436-9726, 10am-6pm Sun.-Fri., 9am-6pm Sat.).
Going strong since 1972, the Coaster Theatre Playhouse (108 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-1242, www.coastertheatre.com, $20-25) stages a varied bill of musicals, dramas, mysteries, comedies, concerts, and other entertainment. It’s open year-round in a building that started in the 1920s as a skating rink-turned-silent movie house.
Bill’s Tavern (188 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-2202, 11:30am-10pm daily, bar open later, $7-13), once a legendary watering hole, is now a more traditional brewpub. Sweet thick onion rings, good fries, one-third-pound burgers, sautéed prawns, and grilled oysters are on the menu.
Farther south near Tolovana, the Warren House Pub (3301 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-1130, 11:30am-1am daily, $7-14) serves local beers from Bill’s Tavern, but in an English pub setting. The menu includes good smoked ribs, burgers, and seafood; in summer the backyard beer garden is a lovely spot to relax. Kids are allowed on the restaurant side of the pub.
The Public Coast Brewing Co. (264 3rd St., 503/436-0285, http://publiccoastbrewing.com, noon-9pm Thurs.-Mon., $11-23) is a block away from busy downtown Cannon Beach, but this spacious brewpub offers good food and excellent beers at good prices. The food specialty is build-your-own burgers, but you can also find fish tacos and three kinds of fish-and-chips. A dozen beers (plus a house-brewed root beer) are usually on tap, including a “beast” of an IPA.
The half-dozen or so other sand-sculpting contests that take place on the Oregon coast pale in comparison to Cannon Beach’s annual Sandcastle Day (503/436-2623, late June, call to confirm dates). In 1964 a tsunami washed out a bridge, and the isolated residents of Cannon Beach organized the first contest as a way to amuse their children. Now in its sixth decade, this is the state’s oldest and most prestigious competition of its kind. Tens of thousands of spectators show up to watch 1,000-plus competitors fashion their sculptures with the aid of buckets, shovels, squirt guns, and any natural material found on the beach. The resulting sculptures are often amazingly complex and inventive. This event is free to spectators, but entrants pay a fee. Recent winners included Egyptian pyramids and a gigantic sea turtle. This collapsible art show usually coincides with the lowest-tide Saturday in June and takes place north of Haystack Rock. Building begins in the early morning; winners are announced at noon. The American Legion serves a big breakfast buffet ($7 adults, $5 ages 6-12) at 1216 South Hemlock Street, open to all.
Writers, singers, composers, painters, and sculptors take over the town for the Stormy Weather Arts Festival (503/436-2623), usually held the first weekend of November. Events include music in the streets, plays, a Saturday afternoon Art Walk, and the Quick Draw, in which artists have one hour to paint, complete, and frame a piece while the audience watches. The art is then sold by auction.
Beginning in July, the city park (Spruce St. and 2nd St.) hosts Concerts in the Park (5pm-7pm Sun.), a series of jazz, rhythm and blues, and popular music at the bandstand.
Besides the beach, much of the attraction of Cannon Beach is window shopping up and down Hemlock Street, which, in addition to galleries, is lined with clothing stores, gift shops, and other boutiques. Cannon Beach supports a fine kite store, Once Upon a Breeze (240 N. Spruce St., 503/436-1112) and one of the better bookstores on the coast, the Cannon Beach Book Company (130 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-1301, http://cannonbeachbooks.com, 11am-6pm Mon.-Fri., 10:30am-6pm Sat.-Sun.); it’s the place to pick up regional titles or a good novel (lots of mysteries) for that rainy weekend.
Cannon Beach has long attracted artists and artisans, and here art lovers and shoppers will find nearly two dozen galleries and shops with high-quality works. Most of the Cannon Beach galleries and boutiques are concentrated along Hemlock Street, where you can hardly swing a Winsor & Newton No. 12 hog-bristle brush without hitting one. Not surprisingly, the seashore itself is the subject and inspiration of many works you’ll see here, with Haystack Rock frequently depicted in various media. The Cannon Beach Information Center (201 E. 2nd St., 503/436-2623, www.cannonbeach.org, 11am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 10am-4pm Sun.) has a guide to all the galleries in town, or you can just stroll and discover them for yourself.
At the north end of town, Northwest by Northwest Gallery (232 N. Spruce St., 503/436-0741, www.nwbynwgallery.com, 11am-6pm daily) showcases photography, painting, sculpture, and ceramics and glass by noted regional artists. White Bird Gallery (251 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-2681, www.whitebirdgallery.com, 11am-5pm daily, call for winter hours), founded in 1971 and one of Cannon Beach’s oldest galleries, casts a wide net with paintings, sculpture, prints, photography, glass, ceramics, and jewelry. Nearby, the Bronze Coast Gallery (224 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-1055, www.bronzecoastgallery.com, 10am-6pm daily) shows both traditional Western bronzes and innovative bronze works and paintings that may appeal to those who aren’t crazy about traditional Western art. In midtown, Icefire Glassworks (116 Gower St., 503/436-2359, 10am-5pm Thurs.-Mon.) is a working glass studio where you can watch glassblowers and artists shape their work and then shop for unique pieces in the gallery.
DragonFire Gallery (123 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-1533, www.dragonfirestudio.com, 10am-5pm daily) shows the work of a wide variety of artists; on Saturday afternoons throughout the summer, everyone is invited to come and meet gallery artists.
If you’re on a budget, keep dining prices down at the Mariner Market (139 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-2442, 8am-9pm daily), a dimly lit old grocery that’s fully stocked with fresh meat, fruit, vegetables, and deli items.
Whether or not you’re staying at the Stephanie Inn (2740 S. Pacific St., 503/436-2221 or 855/977-2444, www.stephanie-inn.com, 5pm-9pm daily, $45-50), you are welcome to join guests in the dining room for creative Pacific Northwest cuisine (reservations required for nonguests). The atmosphere boasts mountain views, open wood beams, and a river-rock fireplace. Since guests get first shot at tables, those staying elsewhere should reserve well ahead of time.
For a much more casual dining experience, go to Sweet Basil’s Cafe (271 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-1539, www.cafesweetbasils.com, 11am-10pm Wed.-Sun., $12-21), a tiny restaurant whose commitment is “natural, organic, wild” international fare, with an emphasis on Cajun and Creole cuisine in the evening. At lunch, enjoy mostly vegetarian sandwiches and salads. In the evening, linger in the wine bar, where you have a choice of tapas-style dishes such as a wild prawn martini with banana chili salsa, chicken and sausage gumbo, or crab-stuffed portobello mushrooms.
Formerly a bakery open only during the day, S Harding Trading Company (277 Beaver St., 503/739-2693, 4pm-9pm Wed.-Mon., $19-30) is now open as an evening fine-dining restaurant. The chef-owners bring careful finesse to their mostly French- and Italian-style cooking, which is dominated by the freshest Northwest ingredients. The mushroom tarte, with puff pastry, sherry, tarragon, and leeks, is outstanding, and the line-caught halibut with pea sauce is delicate and commanding at the same time. As you’d expect, desserts are masterful.
the Harding Trading Company
Hankering for some authentic West Coast chowder? Head to Dooger’s Seafood and Grill (1371 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-2225, 8am-9pm daily, dinner $12-45) for seafood that’s always fresh and delicious. Don’t overlook Dooger’s for breakfast—during crab season (mostly winter-spring), the crab benedict is a real treat. Mo’s at Tolovana (195 Warren Way, Tolovana Park, 503/436-1111, www.moschowder.com, 11am-8pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-9pm Fri., 8am-9pm Sat., $3-16) has great views; although its clam chowder is locally famous, the mostly traditional, but very fresh, fried food is not the big draw (although it’s very good).
In the fishing business since 1977, Ecola Seafoods (208 N. Spruce St., 503/436-9130, 10am-9pm daily summer, 10am-6pm daily winter) features fresh-catch Dungeness crab and bay shrimp cocktails, as well as a decent clam chowder ($5). Or sample the smoked salmon and enjoy a big selection of fish-and-chips ($11-17). You’ll find it across from the public parking lots and information center.
The local Pig ’N Pancake (223 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-2851, 7am-3pm daily, $6-15) has large picture windows overlooking a leafy ravine. Choose from 35 breakfast dishes, served anytime, including homemade pancakes (which are very good and extremely popular—expect to wait). For lunch, try the soups, chowder, or halibut and chips.
Check out the wood-paneled skylighted Lazy Susan Cafe (126 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-2816, www.lazy-susan-cafe.com, 8am-3pm Sun.-Mon. and Wed.-Thurs., $7-13) for a great breakfast (waffles are a specialty) or satisfying lunch (salads are good).
If all you need is excellent coffee and delicious fresh baked goods, go to Sea Level Bakery (3116 S Hemlock, 503/436-4254, 7:30am-3pm Mon.-Thurs., 7:30am-5pm Fri., 7am-5pm Sat.-Sun., $4-12), where you’ll find great bread for picnics, plus pastries and lunches that include a charcuterie plate, soups, quiche, and sandwiches.
Somewhat oddly, few of Cannon Beach’s top restaurants have a view of the beach, so if excellent vistas of Haystack Rock and breaking waves are important to you, call to reserve a table at The Wayfarer (1190 Pacific Dr., 503/436-1108, www.wayfarer-restaurant.com, 8am-9pm daily, dinner $21-42), tucked above a beach entrance at Gower Street. The food, which is quite good but not as memorable as the views, features classic steak and seafood main courses. The lounge here is a good spot for a drink.
The pizza at Pizza a’Fetta (231 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-0333, 11am-8pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-9pm Fri.-Sat., slices $3-4, whole pies $20-33) is Cannon Beach’s best, with a selection of to-go slices available at a takeout window. Or crowd into the always-busy dining room for your choice of pies, salads, minestrone soup, and Oregon microbrew beer and Italian wines.
Cozy and refined, S The Bistro (263 N. Hemlock St., 503/436-2661, 4pm-9pm Wed.-Sun., $20-25) is tucked back in a maze of shops and gardens in downtown Cannon Beach. This longtime favorite restaurant has a new chef-owner, and the menu reflects international flavors, while the atmosphere remains charmingly country French. The cioppino seafood stew is a wonderful blend of Pacific Northwest fish and shellfish prepared with Asian zest, and the locally sourced pork chops, served with goat milk polenta and Italian agrodolce sauce, are out of this world. The dining room is truly tiny and the food superlative, so reservations are mandatory.
Castaways Tini Tiki Hut (316 N. Fir St., 503/436-4444, 5pm-9pm Wed.-Sun., $22-29) describes its cooking as global, but many of the best dishes spring from Creole or New Orleans traditions. Several dishes are based on local seafood, such as Caribbean curried prawns and Bahamian crusted mahimahi. This is a busy spot, also popular for exotic cocktails.
S Newman’s at 988 (988 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-1151, www.newmansat988.com, 5:30pm-9pm Tues.-Sat. Oct. 16-June, 5:30pm-9pm daily July-Oct. 15, $19-26) is a good special-occasion restaurant in a tiny house, with an elegant atmosphere and excellent food. The chef-owner takes great pride in using fresh local ingredients to prepare seasonal menus with French and Italian influences, featuring such dishes as seared duck breast with foie gras and truffle oil or grilled portabella mushroom with spinach, tomato, gorgonzola, and carrot juice.
While it’s not a traditional restaurant, the EVOO Cannon Beach Cooking School (188 S. Hemlock, 503/436-8555, http://evoo.biz, cooking classes 6pm-9pm daily, $119-149 pp) is one of Cannon Beach’s favorite “dinner theaters,” where a small group of guests watch their meals cooked before their eyes. Dinners focus on seasonal ingredients and include a starter plus a three-course dinner, dessert, and one glass of wine. You don’t need to help prepare the food, though special “hands on” dinners are offered occasionally. Check the website for occasional mid-day lunch classes.
The Irish Table (1235 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-0708, 5:30pm-9pm Fri.-Tues., $11-22) makes the most of the Pacific Northwest bounty and hearty Irish cooking traditions, including meat pastries, grilled salmon, braised mussels, and variations on local lamb, including Irish lamb stew. The bar offers a wide selection of Scotch and Irish whiskies, plus Irish ales.
Cannon Beach is very popular in summer. Make reservations as early as possible in the spring to even get a room. By Memorial Day weekend, many of the most popular spots will be completely booked for the summer and early fall. Plan well ahead if you have your heart set on staying here in July and August. On the other hand, prices drop by as much as half for midweek off-season stays.
There aren’t many inexpensive lodging options in Cannon Beach, but “mountain-view” rooms at the enormous Tolovana Inn (3400 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-2211 or 800/333-8890, www.tolovanainn.com, minimum stay in summer, $89-129 mountain view, $154-279 ocean view) hotel complex at the southern end of the Cannon Beach sprawl offer a good location at a fairly reasonable price. To make up for the rather cookie-cutter design and furnishings, you’ll get a swimming pool, a spa, and a sauna, a number of restaurants sharing the same parking lots, and the beach right out the front door. Most oceanfront rooms have private patios or balconies; one- and two-bedroom suites are also available.
About a minute’s walk to the beach, with friendly management and a great vibe, the Blue Gull Inn (632 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-2714 or 800/507-2714, www.bluegullinn.net, 2-night minimum in summer, $109-209) offers a choice between a beach house or less expensive motel units that come with housekeeping facilities. The modern cottages have in-room whirlpool tubs, fireplaces, and full kitchens. Cottages for larger groups are also available.
The McBee Cottages (888 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-0247 or 800/238-4107, www.mcbeecottages.com, $104-194) is a 1940s-era motel with semidetached units that have been nicely renovated. The rooms are simple, but the McBee is nonetheless a favorite of many visitors looking for cozy accommodations, and it’s just a minute from the beach and within walking distance of downtown. McBee accepts pets in several of its homey cottages.
For more homey atmosphere, try the Argonauta Inn or The Waves Motel, which share an office (188 W. 2nd St., 503/436-2205 or 800/822-2468, www.thewavescannonbeach.com). The Argonauta ($149-289) is made up of four houses in the middle of downtown and has five furnished units just 150 feet from the beach. A cluster of six beachfront buildings makes up The Waves ($149-285), with units to fit the needs of families, couples, or larger groups. These are not cookie-cutter units, but the kind of individual lodgings you’d expect in Oregon.
The Cannon Beach Hotel (1116 Hemlock St., 503/436-1392 or 800/238-4107, www.cannonbeachhotel.com, $134-239) is a converted 1910 loggers’ boardinghouse with 30 rooms and a small café and restaurant on the premises. The most expensive rooms have fireplaces, whirlpools, and partial ocean views. Meals are available in the restaurant adjacent to the lobby.
Just a few minutes’ walk from downtown, Ecola Creek Lodge (208 E. 5th St., 503/436-2776 or 800/873-2749, www.ecolacreeklodge.com, $136-213) is a Cape Cod-style inn with 22 unique units set in four buildings. Accommodations range from simple queen-bed studios to two-bedroom suites. Special features include stained glass, lawns, fountains, flower gardens, and a lily pond. Les Shirley Park and Ecola Creek separate the lodge from the beach.
The S Surfsand Resort (148 W. Gower St., 503/436-2274 or 800/547-6100, www.surfsand.com, $239-349) offers a great combination of location and amenities, with Haystack Rock right out the door and spacious, nicely furnished suites. The resort has an indoor pool and spa and on-site massage services; pets are permitted in some rooms. The popular Wayfarer Restaurant is adjacent.
The handsome Inn at Cannon Beach (3215 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-9085 or 800/321-6304, www.atcannonbeach.com, minimum stay in summer, $245-289) has large and stylish cottage-like rooms in a beautifully landscaped garden setting with a courtyard pond, just a block from the beach. All guest rooms include a gas fireplace, a fridge, a microwave, a coffeemaker, and a TV/DVD combo; some rooms can accommodate pets.
The small all-suites Lighthouse Inn (963 S. Hemlock St., 866/265-1686 or 503/463-2929, www.cblighthouseinn.com, $205-240) offers eight attractive king and queen suites, some with full kitchens. The suites are quite spacious and nicely furnished, and all have balconies or patios, a separate bedroom, a dining area, a fridge, a fireplace, and other extras. The beach is just a block away.
The fabulously expensive (for Oregon) S Stephanie Inn (2740 S. Pacific St., 503/436-2221 or 800/633-3466, www.stephanie-inn.com, $559-639) offers attentive B&B-style service (breakfast buffet and evening wine gathering included), attention to detail, and luxury-level rooms with a low-key, not-too-fussy Oregonian touch. All guest rooms have balconies, fireplaces, wet bars, jetted tubs, fine linens, and all the extras you’d expect in an upscale resort hotel, including a fine-dining restaurant. The Stephanie is a romantic, adult-focused inn; children under 12 are not permitted.
The Ocean Lodge (2864 S. Pacific Dr., 503/436-2241 or 888/777-4047, www.theoceanlodge.com, $259-359) feels like a long-established beach getaway, though in fact it opened in 2002. The high-end furnishings also give a clue that despite its venerable design, this rambling lodge isn’t soaked in tradition. Rooms all have balconies, fireplaces, microwaves, and fridges. Lower-cost rooms don’t have ocean views, though all are just steps from the beach.
For a more private experience just steps from the ocean, the White Heron Lodge (356 N. Spruce St., 503/436-2205 or 800/822-2468, www.thewavescannonbeach.com, 3-night minimum stay in summer, $349) comprises six fully furnished oceanfront one-bedroom suites with a wall bed in the living room, so all can sleep up to four. Each of the suites looks directly out on the Pacific. Wide sandy beaches and spacious front lawns make it a great location for families, especially those with small children. Located on a residential dead-end street, the lodge is only one block from downtown Cannon Beach.
Three miles south of Cannon Beach in quiet Arch Cape, the Arch Cape Inn (31970 E. Ocean Lane, 503/436-2800 or 800/436-2848, www.archcapeinn.com, $209-349) is a bit over-the-top in its turreted castle-like design, but it is supremely luxurious. Although it’s not on the beach, it’s an easy walk, and several rooms have good ocean views.
Several local property management companies offer a large selection of furnished rentals, ranging from grand oceanfront homes to quaint secluded cottages. Cannon Beach Property Management (3188 S. Hemlock St., 503/436-2021 or 877/386-3402, www.cbpm.com) and Cannon Beach Vacation Rentals (P.O. Box 723, Cannon Beach 97110, 866/436-0940, www.visitcb.com) both have good websites. During the summer, many beach houses are only available for weekly rentals.
Camping offers easier access to Cannon Beach’s natural wonders at a bargain price. Although camping is not permitted on the beach or in Cannon Beach city parks, there are plenty of options for RV, tent, and outdoor enthusiasts.
Unlike most private campgrounds, the small family-run Wright’s for Camping (334 Reservoir Rd., 503/436-2347, www.wrightsforcamping.com, $36-40) is geared toward tent campers. It’s just east of U.S. 101 and has 20 sites with picnic tables and fire rings as well as restrooms and a laundry. Wright’s is wheelchair accessible; leashed pets are allowed.
For a more pampered RV-only experience, check out the RV Resort at Cannon Beach (345 Elk Creek Rd., 503/436-2231 or 800/847-2231, www.cbrvresort.com, $52). Open year-round, the RV Resort has 100 full hookups, an indoor pool and spa, free cable TV, an on-site convenience store, a laundry facility, restrooms, and a meeting room.
Roughly 20 miles east of Cannon Beach off U.S. 26 is Saddle Mountain State Natural Area (800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org, Mar.-Oct., $11 tents), which offers 10 first-come, first-served tent camping sites at the base of 3,283-foot Saddle Mountain, one of the highest peaks in Oregon’s Coast Range. This more primitive and remote campground (although there are flush toilets and piped water, in addition to picnic tables and fire pits) might just be the tonic if you’re weary of the crowds along the beach.
The chamber of commerce operates the Cannon Beach Information Center (201 E. 2nd St., 503/436-2623, www.cannonbeach.org, 11am-5pm Mon.-Sat., 10am-4pm Sun.). This facility is close to the public restrooms (2nd St. and Spruce St.) and basketball and tennis courts.
Providence North Coast Clinic (171 N. Larch St., 503/717-7000) offers medical care and minor emergency services. It’s located in Sandpiper Square behind the stores on the main drag.
From U.S. 101, there’s a choice of four entrances to the beach loop (also known as U.S. 101 Alternate, a section of the old Oregon Coast Highway) to take you into town. As you wade into the town’s shops, galleries, and restaurants, the beach loop becomes Hemlock Street, the main drag of Cannon Beach. Sunset Empire Transportation District operates The Bus (503/861-RIDE—503/861-7433 or 800/776-6406, www.ridethebus.org), which serves Cannon Beach, Seaside, Astoria-Warrenton, and points between. Parking can be hard to come by, especially on weekends, but you’ll find public lots south of town at Tolovana Park and in town at Hemlock at 1st Streets and on 2nd Street.
The Cannon Beach Shuttle (10am-6pm daily, longer hours in summer, $1) runs every half-hour on a 6.5-mile loop, from Les Shirley Park on the north end of town to Tolovana Park.
Amtrak Thruway Motorcoach Service (800/USA-RAIL—800/872-7245, www.amtrak.com) runs two buses daily between Portland Union Station and Cannon Beach, continuing on to Seaside and Astoria. The bus stops at 1088 South Hemlock Street, across the street from the Cannon Beach Mercantile store.
Just south of Arch Cape, Neahkahnie Mountain towers nearly 1,700 feet up from the edge of the sea. U.S. 101 climbs up and over its shoulder to an elevation of 700 feet, and the vistas from a half-dozen pullouts (the highest along the Oregon coast) are spectacular—but do try to keep your eyes on the snaking road until you’ve parked your car.
The wide beach at Manzanita is good for horseback riding.
This stretch of the highway, built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s, was constructed by blasting a roadbed from the rock face and buttressing it with stonework walls on the precarious cliffs. The fainthearted or acrophobic certainly couldn’t have lasted long on this job. The handiwork of these road builders and masons can be admired at several pullouts, along with the breathtaking vistas of Manzanita Beach and Nehalem Spit, stretching some 20 miles south to Cape Meares. Much of Neahkahnie Mountain and its rugged coastline are preserved in Oswald West State Park, one of the state’s finest.
Immediately to the south, huddled along an expansive curve of beach at the foot of Neahkahnie Mountain, quiet Manzanita (pop. 700) makes a pleasant stop for lunch or for the weekend. When adjacent coastal areas are fogbound, the seven-mile-long Manzanita Beach often enjoys sunshine because of the shelter of Neahkahnie Mountain. As one of the few towns along the north Oregon coast that’s not located directly on U.S. 101, Manzanita feels more peaceful and secluded than most others; like Cannon Beach, it’s also a relatively wealthy and stylish town.
Just two miles south of Manzanita on U.S. 101, tiny Nehalem occupies just a few blocks along U.S. 101 on the north bank of the Nehalem River. It’s a lovely location with a few Old West-style storefronts. Sizable runs of spring and fall chinook salmon and winter steelhead make this a popular destination for anglers.
Most of Neahkahnie Mountain and the prominent headlands of Cape Falcon are encompassed within the 2,500-acre gem of Oswald West State Park (off U.S. 101, 800/551-6949, www.oregonstateparks.org). Whether or not you believe in the stories of lost pirate wealth buried somewhere on the mountain, there is real treasure today for all who venture here in search of the intangible currency of extraordinary natural beauty. The state park bears the name of Governor Oswald West, whose farsighted 1913 beach bill was instrumental in protecting Oregon’s virgin shoreline.
Several hiking trails weave through the park, including the 13 miles of the Oregon Coast Trail linking Arch Cape to the north with Manzanita. From the main parking lot on the east side of U.S. 101, a 0.5-mile trail follows Short Sands Creek to Short Sands Beach, a relatively sheltered beach that’s popular with surfers year-round. Rainforests of hemlock, cedar, and gigantic Sitka spruce crowd the secluded boulder-strewn shoreline. From Short Sands Beach, hike north on the three-mile old-growth-lined Cape Falcon Trail to spectacular views.
From the trail to the beach, it’s also possible to turn south and hike to Neahkahnie Mountain (4 miles one-way) with some stiff climbing. Shave about 1.3 miles off the hike by starting a mile south of the main Oswald West parking lot, where there’s an access road to the Neahkahnie Mountain Summit Trail on the east side of the highway. It’s not well marked; look for a subdivision on the golf course to the west. Drive up the gravel road 0.25 miles to the trailhead parking lot and begin a moderately difficult 1.5-mile ascent. Allow about 45 minutes to get to the top. The summit view south to Cape Meares and east to the Nehalem Valley ranks as one of the finest on the coast.
Visitors who remember camping among the old-growth trees at Oswald West should treasure the memory. Due to the instability of the ancient trees, the campground remains closed.
House renters, budget diners, and picnickers can take advantage of the excellent produce and impressive (for a coastal market) grocery section at Manzanita Grocery & Deli (193 Laneda Ave., 503/368-5362, 8am-8pm daily). One block away, Mother Nature’s Natural Foods Store (298 Laneda Ave., 503/368-5316, 10am-7pm Mon.-Sat.) stocks natural groceries, coffees and teas, bulk foods, wine, and beer.
Stop at Manzanita News & Espresso (500 Laneda Ave., 503/368-7450, 7:00am-5pm daily, $2-5) for a coffee, pastry, and magazine (there are lots to choose from, and the selection is anything but generic).
The local bakery, Bread and Ocean (154 Laneda Ave., 503/368-5823, 7:30am-2pm Wed.-Sat., 8am-2pm Sun., $4-11), makes sandwiches as well as cinnamon rolls. The local favorite for hefty traditional breakfasts is Big Wave Cafe (822 Laneda Ave., 503/368-9283, 8am-8pm Sun.-Thurs., 8am-9pm Fri.-Sat., $7-18), where you’ll find Makin’ Waves eggs Benedict, dressed with spinach and chipotle hollandaise sauce.
Left Coast Siesta (288 Laneda Ave., 503/368-7997, 11:30am-8pm Tues.-Sat., noon-7pm Sun. summer, 11:30am-8pm Wed.-Sat., noon-7pm Sun. winter, $6-11) specializes in design-your-own burritos, the perfect takeout for a beach lunch or dinner. Options include spicy beef, spicy chicken, tequila-lime chicken, or black beans to fill a selection of flavored tortillas. It also serves tacos and enchiladas. And if you like it caliente, this is the place for you: Left Coast Siesta stocks a hot-sauce bar with 200-plus different types of the hot stuff, many available to purchase by the jar.
Just a couple of blocks from the beach, Marzano’s (60 Laneda Ave., 503/368-3663, 4pm-8:30pm Thurs.-Mon., large pies mostly $20-25) serves the area’s best slices of gourmet pizza. The roasted vegetable pizza is recommended, and the smoked prosciutto with aged montegrappa cheese is another winner.
For relaxed fine dining, the best option is Neah-Kah-Nie Bistro (519 Laneda Ave., 503/368-2722, www.nknbistro.com, 5pm-9pm Tues.-Sun., $16-27), a small dining room serving local seafood and meats with up-to-date continental preparations. True cod is pan-seared and served with lemon butter over Parmesan and asparagus risotto, while grilled pork chops come with dates and blue cheese crumbles.
Blackbird (503 Laneda Ave., 503/368-7708, http://blackbirdmanzanita.com, 5pm-9pm Thurs. and Sun.-Mon., 5pm-10pm Fri.-Sat., $18-29) is a classy fine-dining restaurant with inventive ways of preparing local produce, fish, and meats. The lamb burger is excellent, Brussels sprouts with lemon, almonds and Parmesan are deliciously decadent, and you can’t go wrong with flat-iron steak served with duck-fat fingerling potatoes and red wine jus.
Manzanita is a small town without an abundance of lodgings. Advance reservations are a must, especially in summer, and many accommodations require two- or three-night stays during the high season and on some holidays. A good alternative to motels for families here are the rentals available from the several property management agencies in town. Among these is Manzanita Beach Getaway (503/368-2929 or 855/368-2929, www.manzanitabeachgetaway.com), with fully furnished homes to rent, running $110-259 per night, most require weekly rentals in July and August.
If you’re looking for a quiet retreat, the cedar-clad Inn at Manzanita (67 Laneda Ave., 503/368-6754, www.innatmanzanita.com, $179-225) is set in a Japanese-accented garden just a short walk from the beach. Each of its 14 wood-paneled guest rooms features a gas fireplace and a two-person tub; most rooms have a balcony, offering glimpses through the evergreens of the nearby beach. Fresh flowers daily, robes, and other amenities help you feel pampered. Despite being in the middle of town near restaurants and the beach, a feeling of luxurious seclusion prevails.
The remodeled Ocean Inn (32 Laneda Ave., 866/3687701 or 503/368-7701, www.oceaninnatmanzanita.com, $154-224) has 10 large and comfortable condo-like rooms (most with full kitchens); several have wood stoves, and two have patios. Most rooms have ocean views, and the beach is just moments away.
Six blocks from the beach, the spacious, stylish, and airy cabins of S Coast Cabins (635 Laneda Ave., 503/368-7113, www.coastcabins.com, 2-night minimum stay summer and weekends, $225-465) comfortably sleep two, though some are designed for up to four people and offer kitchenettes or full kitchens, satellite TV, and goose-down pillows and comforters. The Coast Cabins folks also rent out a few sophisticated one- and two-bedroom condos in downtown Manzanita.
For a more standard motel experience, the Sunset Surf (248 Ocean Rd., 503/368-5224 or 800/243-8035, www.sunsetsurfocean.com, $74-165) offers guest rooms (many with kitchens) in three oceanfront units that share an outdoor pool. Although rooms are basic, the setting is great.
Another upgraded older motel, the Spindrift Inn (114 Laneda Ave., 503/368-1001 or 877/368-1001, www.spindrift-inn.com, $150-165) has rooms that are nicer than the rather plain exterior. It’s a short walk to the beach.
Just south of Manzanita and occupying the entire sandy appendage of Nehalem Spit is scenic, sprawling Nehalem Bay State Park (800/452-5687, www.oregonstateparks.org, year-round, $29 tents, $32 RVs, $47 yurts, $5 day-use for noncampers), a favorite with bikers, beachcombers, anglers, horse owners, and pilots (yes, there’s a little airstrip and a fly-in campsite). Sandwiched between the bay and a beautiful four-mile beach stretching from Manzanita to the mouth of the Nehalem River is a vast campground with hot showers. Sites are a little bit close together, with few trees to screen the neighbors; dunes separate campers from the ocean. As big as this park is, it does fill up in summer, so reservations (www.reserveamerica.com) are advised, especially in July and August. To get there, turn south at Bayshore Junction just before U.S. 101 heads east into the town of Nehalem.
Wheeler (pop. 393) is a little town flanking the Nehalem River where most accommodations are low-cost efficiencies for visiting fisherfolk, but the 10 guest rooms of the Wheeler on the Bay Lodge and Marina (580 Marine Dr., 503/368-5858 or 800/469-3204, www.wheeleronthebay.com, $110-164), on U.S. 101 on the shore of Nehalem Bay, have more appeal. These are anything but cookie-cutter rooms and are clean and appealing. Most guest rooms have at least partial bay views, and several have jetted tubs. There’s also a video store, kayak rentals, and on-site massage services, and they can help arrange fishing charters.
Rooms at The Old Wheeler Hotel (495 U.S. 101, 503/368-6000 or 877/653-4683, www.oldwheelerhotel.com, $119-178), a 1920s landmark across the road from the bay, may remind you of your great-aunt’s guest room. They’re old-fashioned in a down-to-earth way. Although all guest rooms have private baths, some baths are down the hall from their rooms.
In a tiny cottage just off the main drag, the S Rising Star Cafe (92 Rorvik St., 503/368-3990, www.risingstarcafe.net, 2pm-8pm Wed.-Sat., 10am-2pm Sun., $13-26, cash only) is a sweet spot for excellent pasta, sandwiches, and chowder—some of the best on the coast. There are only seven tables in this popular restaurant, so call ahead for reservations. The food can be good here (the North Coast cioppino and rib-eye steak with wild mushrooms are recommended), and the atmosphere is comfortable and friendly.
Though not yet open at press time, the Salmonberry Saloon (380 Marine Dr., 503/368-7636, www.salmonberrysaloon.com) has a coveted spot right on the Nehalem River and promises good food and drinks in addition to eye-popping views above a river marina.
Between Wheeler and Rockaway Beach is the Jetty Fishery (27550 U.S. 101 N., 503/368-5746, www.jettyfishery.com), a combo fishing camp and fresh fish shop where you have the choice of renting a boat and going crabbing near the mouth of the Nehalem River, or buying a just-cooked fresh crab to take out or eat right there at picnic tables on the pier. This isn’t a fancy spot, but it sure is authentic.
This town of 1,400 was established as a summer resort in the 1920s by Portlanders who wanted a coastal getaway. And so it remains today—a quiet spot without much going on besides walks on the seven miles of sandy beach, a Kite Festival in mid-May, and an Arts and Crafts Fair in mid-August. Shallow Lake Lytle, on the east side of the highway, offers spring and early summer fishing for trout, bass, and crappie. While the town of Rockaway is singularly unattractive from U.S. 101—a lengthy stretch of tacky shops, modest motels, and big new condos—the beach is quite nice, anchored at the south by the impressive Twin Rocks formation. The Visitor Information Center (503/355-8108, www.rockawaybeach.net), lodged in a bright red caboose in the center of town, can fill you in on other goings-on.
Cow Belle Cafe (194 U.S. 101 S., 503/355-2441, 8am-2pm Mon.-Sat., 8am-noon Sun., $8-14) is a local favorite for breakfast. The biscuits and gravy here are renowned, as is the bovine-rich decor. The Offshore Grill and Coffeehouse (122 U.S. 101 N., 503/355-3005, 9am-5pm Mon., 8am-9pm Wed.-Thurs., 7am-9pm Fri., 7am-9pm Sat.-Sun., $14-25) is one of the classier dining places in town (don’t worry, flip-flops and a sweatshirt will get you by), bringing well-prepared comfort food to Rockaway Beach. The menu extends from grilled meatloaf to orange-glazed duck breast and also usually includes local seafood and fish in interesting preparations (clams with gnocchi). Breakfasts are excellent.
Rockaway’s motels are basic and family-oriented; if you are planning in advance, take a moment to check out the beach houses and condos available for rent on the chamber of commerce website (www.rockawaybeach.net).
The following motels are on the ocean side of busy U.S. 101, which dominates this long string bean of a town. Surfside Resort Motel (101 NW 11th St., 503/355-2312 or 800/243-7786, www.surfsideocean.com, $94-154 with no ocean view, $139-181 ocean view) is a large beachfront complex with an indoor pool. Some guest rooms with kitchens are available. Silver Sands Oceanfront Resort (215 S. Pacific Ave., 503/355-2206 or 800/457-8972, www.oregonsilversands.com, $116-166) is also right on the beach, with fairly basic rooms (some kitchenettes), an indoor pool and hot tub, and a sauna.
About a mile south of town, Twin Rocks Motel (7925 Minehaha St., 503/355-2391 or 877/355-2391, www.twinrocksmotel.net, $204-229) is a small cluster of dog-friendly two-bedroom oceanfront cottages. If you’re looking for a simple, quiet getaway with family or a couple of friends, this might be your place.
Tillamook Bay’s commercial fishing fleet is concentrated in this little port town (pop. 970) near the north end of the bay. Garibaldi, named in 1879 by the local postmaster for the Italian patriot, is a fish-processing center: Crabs, shrimp, fresh salmon, lingcod, and bottom fish (halibut, cabezon, rockfish, and sea perch) are the specialties. At the marina, Garibaldi Cannery (606 Commercial Dr., 503/322-3344, 9am-6pm Mon.-Thurs., 7am-6pm Fri.-Sun. summer, call for winter hours, $5-12) and The Spot (304 Mooring Basin, 503/322-0080, 9am-5pm daily, $8-15) get crab, fish, and other seafood right off the boats, so the selection is both low-priced and fresh. If you want it fresher, you’ll have to catch it yourself.
This is The Spot to buy fresh seafood in Garibaldi.
In addition to dock fishing, guide and charter services offer salmon and halibut fishing, bird-watching, and whale-watching excursions. North of Garibaldi on U.S. 101, the bay entrance is a good place to see brown pelicans, harlequin ducks, oystercatchers, and guillemots. The Miami River marsh, south of town, is a bird-watching paradise at low tide, when ducks and shorebirds hunt for food.
The small but interesting Garibaldi Maritime Museum (112 Garibaldi Ave., 503/322-8411, http://garibaldimuseum.org, 10am-4pm Thurs.-Mon. Apr.-Nov., $4 adults, $3 seniors, $4 ages 11-18) retells the history of this longtime fishing village. It also focuses on the late-18th-century sailing world and the British sea captain Robert Gray and his historical vessels, the Lady Washington and the Columbia Rediviva, which explored the Pacific Northwest in 1787 and 1792. Among the museum displays are models of these ships, an eight-foot-tall reproduction of the Columbia figurehead, a half model of the Columbia showing how the ship was provisioned for long voyages, as well as reproductions of period musical instruments and typical sailors’ clothing.
The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad (503/842-8206, www.oregoncoastscenic.org, basic tours $20 adults, $19 seniors, $12 ages 3-10) operates a number of rail excursions on a train pulled by a 1910 Heisler Locomotive Works steam engine between Garibaldi and Rockaway Beach. The basic tour is 1.5 hours round-trip; trains depart Garibaldi at 10am, noon, and 2pm, with opportunities to board in Rockaway Beach at 11am and 1pm. The train operates weekends only mid-May-mid-June and late September, and daily mid-June-Labor Day as well as assorted holidays throughout the year. Dinner trains are also offered.
The town’s fishing and crabbing piers attract visitors looking to catch their own. Rent fishing boats, crab traps, and other gear at the Garibaldi Marina (302 Mooring Basin Rd., 503/322-3312, www.garibaldimarina.com).
The Miami River and Kilchis River, which empty into Tillamook Bay south of Garibaldi, get the state’s only two significant runs of chum salmon, a species much more common from Washington northward. There’s a catch-and-release season for them mid-September to mid-November. Both rivers also get runs of spring chinook and are open for steelhead most of the year.
Several charter companies have offices at the marina. Garibaldi Charters (607 Garibaldi Ave., 503/322-0007, www.garibaldicharters.com) offers fishing excursions. A full day of light-tackle bottom fishing runs about $105, with guided bay crabbing ($65 pp), salmon ($200) and tuna ($325) fishing also offered, and wildlife-viewing or whale-watching trips (Mar.-Apr., $40 pp). One-hour bay tours (late May-early Aug. and mid-Sept.-Oct., $40) are also offered.
One of the joys of eating on the Oregon coast is getting really good fish-and-chips from rough-edged dives on the docks. In Garibaldi, the Fisherman’s Korner Restaurant (306 Mooring Basin, 503/322-2033, 7:30am-8pm Thurs.-Mon., $6-15) is right on the wharf and offers absolutely fresh fish-and-chips and excellent clam chowder. Breakfasts here are massive—meant for hungry sailors.
If you’re looking for pub grub, a good choice is Ghost Hole Public House (409 Garibaldi Ave., 503/322-2723, 11am-2:30am daily, $6-15), with good burgers and sandwiches and a friendly vibe.
Just north of Garibaldi, Pirate’s Cove Restaurant (14170 U.S. 101 N., 503/322-2092, http://piratesonline.biz, 8am-9pm Mon.-Sat., noon-8pm Sun., dinner $10-30) is one of the better restaurants between Manzanita and Lincoln City, with a dramatic vista of the mouth of Tillamook Bay. Try the local oysters and razor clams. Lunches are a better deal than the rather expensive dinners.
At the western entrance to Tillamook Bay, a long narrow spit of land reaches north from Cape Meares nearly all the way to Garibaldi. Although today it’s a good place for a long and sandy flat hike, it was once developed as the town of Bayocean, promoted as “the Atlantic City of the West.” In the early 1900s, two real estate developers, enchanted by the great views of the ocean, built a grand resort hotel on the spit and began selling lots. A giant natatorium—a heated, saltwater surf pool—was built in 1914. Initially, the only access was by boat or ferry; in 1928, a road was built from Tillamook.
Bayocean spit
The town that grew on the four-mile-long spit was thriving when the inevitable erosion began to chip away at the peninsula. Houses slipped into the sea, and by the late 1930s, most residents had packed up and left. By 1939 the natatorium had been swallowed up. Since the early 1990s, the spit has been managed for protection and preservation of its ecosystem, which is dominated by beach grass and Scotch broom.
To reach Bayocean Spit from Tillamook, head west on the Three Capes Scenic Loop (3rd St. from downtown Tillamook) and travel three miles to the “Bayocean Spit” sign. Turn right and follow a gravel road 1.5 miles to the parking area.
Four miles south at the little enclave of Bay City is another temple to seafood. Pacific Oyster (5150 Oyster Bay Dr., 503/377-2323, 9am-8pm daily, $5-16) is mostly an oyster-processing center, but it’s also an excellent spot for a few oyster shooters or a quick meal. Although there are a variety of seafood choices, the main draw is the oysters, which are both a meal and entertainment here. As you eat, you can watch the oyster shuckers in action next door, as the dining area overlooks the oyster-processing area.
If you want to wake up on the docks, spend the night at Harbor View Inn (302 S. 7th St., 503/322-3251, www.harborviewfun.com, $85-110), a motel popular with fishers and sports enthusiasts. A more standard motel is the Garibaldi House Inn (502 Garibaldi Ave., 503/322-3338 or 877/322-6489, www.garibaldihouse.com, $149-199), which offers pleasant rooms as well as an indoor pool, a hot tub, a sauna, and a fitness room; it includes a hot breakfast.
Both tent and RV campers are welcome at Barview Jetty County Park (503/322-3522, reservations accepted, $15-32), a large campground in the tiny community of Barview (2.5 miles north of Garibaldi) with easy access to the beach forming the north side of Tillamook Bay. Most of the sites are for tents, with a section reserved for hikers and cyclists; hot showers are a welcome amenity.
Without much sun or surf, what could possibly draw enough visitors to the town of Tillamook (pop. 4,500) to make it one of Oregon’s top three tourism attractions? Superficially speaking, cheese factories and a World War II blimp hangar, in a town flanked by mudflats and rain-soaked dairy country, shouldn’t pull in more than a million tourists per year. But they do. And after a drive down U.S. 101 or along the scenic Three Capes Loop, you too will be mysteriously drawn to the huge white, blue, and gold building proffering bite-size samples of cheddar, not to mention ice cream.
Tillamook County is home to more than 26,000 cows, which easily outnumber the county’s human population. They’re the foundation of the Tillamook County Creamery Association’s famous cheddar cheese and other dairy products, which generate about $654 million in annual sales—dwarfing the region’s other important contributors to the local economy, fishing and oyster farming.
In 1940-1942, partially in response to a Japanese submarine firing on Fort Stevens in Astoria, the U.S. Navy built two blimp hangars south of town, the two largest wooden structures ever built, according to Guinness World Records. One of five naval air stations on the Pacific coast, the Tillamook blimp guard patrolled the waters from Northern California to Washington’s San Juan Islands and escorted ships into Puget Sound. While all kinds of blimp stories abound in Tillamook bars, only one wartime encounter has been documented. Declassified records confirm that blimps were involved in the sinking of what was believed to be two Japanese submarines off Cape Meares. In late May 1943, two of the high-flying craft, assisted by U.S. Navy subchasers and destroyers, dropped several depth charges on the submarines, which are still lying on the ocean floor.
Until 1946, when the station was decommissioned, the naval presence here created a boomtown. Bars and businesses flourished, and civilian jobs were easy to come by. After the war years, Tillamook County returned to the economic trinity of “trees, cheese, and ocean breeze” that has sustained the region to the present day.
With over a million visitors a year, the Tillamook Cheese Factory (4175 U.S. 101 N., 503/815-1300, www.tillamook.com/cheese-factory, 8am-6pm daily Labor Day-mid-June, 8am-8pm daily summer, free) is far and away the county’s biggest draw. The plant welcomes visitors with a reproduction of the Morningstar, the schooner that transported locally made butter and cheese in the late 1800s and now adorns the label of every Tillamook product. The quaint vessel symbolizing Tillamook cheese-making’s humble beginnings stands in contrast to the technology and sophistication that go into making this world-famous lunchbox staple today.
Note that the longtime visitors center, built in 1985 to accommodate 600,000 visitors per year, is being replaced with a new and larger facility. The new 38,500-square-foot visitors center is scheduled to open in 2018 and will better accommodate the roughly 1.5 million visitors who now stop by annually. In the meantime, a temporary visitors center—with food, ice cream, and merchandise—is open on an adjacent section of the property.
In the early 1900s, the Tillamook County Creamery Association absorbed smaller operations; the modern plant opened in 1949. Today, Tillamook produces tens of millions of pounds of cheese annually, including monterey jack, swiss, and multiple variations of the award-winning cheddar. Pepperoni, butter, cheese soup, milk, and other products are also available.
A quarter-million people per year visit Tillamook County’s second-most-popular attraction, Blue Heron French Cheese Company (2001 Blue Heron Dr., 503/842-8282, www.blueheronoregon.com, 8am-7pm daily Memorial Day-June, 8am-8pm daily July-Labor Day, 8am-6pm daily Labor Day-Memorial Day, free, $6-16), a mile south of the Tillamook Cheese Factory. Housed in a large white barn, Blue Heron is famous for its brie-style cheese (though it’s not produced on-site). In addition to cheeses and other gourmet foods, the shop sells gift baskets; over 120 varieties of Oregon wines are available in the wine-tasting room. A deli serves lunches of homemade soups and salads. For kids, there’s a petting farm with the usual barnyard suspects.
South of town off U.S. 101, you can’t possibly miss the enormous Quonset hut-like building east of the highway. The world-class aircraft collection of the Tillamook Air Museum (6030 Hangar Rd., 503/842-1130, www.tillamookair.com, 10am-5pm daily, $9.75 adults, $8.75 seniors, $6.50 ages 7-16, $2.75 ages 1-6) is housed in and around Hangar B of the decommissioned Tillamook Naval Air Station. At 1,072 feet long, 206 feet wide, and 192 feet high, it’s the largest wooden structure in the world, and it’s worth the price of admission just to experience the enormity of it. During World War II, this and another gargantuan hangar on the site (which burned down in 1992) sheltered eight K-class blimps, each 242 feet long.
the Tillamook Air Museum
Inside the seven-acre structure, you can learn about the role the big blimps played during wartime, as well as how they are used today. In addition, there’s a collection of World War II fighter planes (many one-of-a-kind models) and photos and artifacts from the naval air station days. Check out the cyclo-crane, a combination blimp, plane, and helicopter. This was devised in the 1980s to aid in remote logging operations; it ended up an $8 million bust.
To get here from downtown, take U.S. 101 south two miles, make a left at the flashing yellow light, and follow the signs.
East of the highway in the heart of downtown, Tillamook County Pioneer Museum (2106 2nd St., 503/842-4553, www.tcpm.org, 10am-4pm Tues.-Sun., $4 adults, $3 seniors, $1 ages 7-10) is famous for its taxidermy exhibits as well as memorabilia from pioneer households. Particularly intriguing are hunks of ancient beeswax with odd inscriptions recovered from near Neahkahnie Mountain, which are thought to be remnants from 18th-century shipwrecks. The old courtroom on the second floor has one of the best displays of natural history in the state. There are many beautiful dioramas, plus shells, insects, and nests. The Beals Memorial Room houses a large rock, mineral, and fossil collection.
The collection at the Latimer Quilt and Textile Center (2105 Wilson River Loop Rd., 503/842-8622, www.latimerquiltandtextile.com, 10am-5pm Mon.-Sat., noon-4pm Sun. Apr.-Oct., 10am-4pm Tues.-Sat. Nov.-Mar., $4 over age 12, $3 seniors, free under age 13) includes quilts from the 1850s to the present as well as looms, spinning wheels, and a variety of woven items. On Friday, you can see weavers at work; lessons can be arranged by calling ahead. The center, housed in a restored school, is just south and east of the cheese factory.
The highest waterfall in the Oregon Coast Range is lovely Munson Creek Falls, which drops 266 feet over mossy cliffs surrounded by an old-growth forest. A steep 0.25-mile trail leads to the base of the falls, while another, slightly longer trail leads to a higher viewpoint; wooden walkways clinging to the cliff lead to a small viewing platform. This is a spectacle in all seasons, but in winter the falls pour down with greater fury.
To reach the falls, drive seven miles south of Tillamook, turn east from U.S. 101 on Munson Creek Road, and then drive 1.5 miles on a well-signed but very narrow and bumpy dirt access road that leads to the parking lot. Note that motor homes and trailers cannot get into the park; the lot is too small.
A series of intense forest fires in the 1930s and 1940s burned vast amounts of land in the northern Coast Range. Most of this land was owned by private timber companies, who walked away from the seemingly worthless “Tillamook Burn,” leaving property rights to revert to the counties, who then handed the land over to the state. A massive replanting effort ensued, and in 1973 the Tillamook Burn became the Tillamook State Forest. In 2006 the Tillamook Forest Center (45500 Wilson River Hwy., 503/815-6800 or 866/930-4646, www.tillamookforestcenter.org, 10am-5pm daily Memorial Day-Labor Day, reduced hours spring and fall, closed winter, free) opened in a soaring timbered building in the middle of the now-lush forest. Stop in to see the short movie about the area’s history; the vivid fire scenes are a bit frightening—a sensation that’s enhanced when the smell of smoke is released into the auditorium. Don’t leave without walking out through the center’s back door, crossing the footbridge, and taking at least a short hike, where you’ll see an assortment of native wildflowers, shrubs, and trees. If you head west from the bridge, Wilson Falls is about two miles away.
If a short hike outside the Forest Center leaves you hankering for more, head east along Highway 6 to the Kings Mountain trailhead. On a clear day (ha!), there are good views from the top. Several more trails start at the summit of the Coast Range. The campgrounds along Highway 6, including Jones Creek, which is right next to the Tillamook Forest Center, are popular with off-road vehicle drivers, who have their own trail network back in the hills.
In recent years, Tillamook has substantially upped its game in terms of brewpubs. For sour-beer geeks, the most notable tasting room is de Garde Brewing (6000 Blimp Blvd., 503/815-1635, www.degardebrewing.com, 3pm-7pm Thurs.-Fri., 11am-7pm Sat., 11am-5pm Sun., no minors or pets), one of Oregon’s most notable wild-yeast breweries (note that these unusual beers will not please everyone). The only place to taste de Gard’s wild beers on tap is at the brewery, just across from the air museum, and it’s the best place to buy the brewery’s limited selection of bottled beer.
A couple of blocks west of downtown is the new Pelican Brewing Company Pub (1708 1st St., 503/842-7007, 11am-10pm Sun.-Thurs., 11am-11pm Fri.-Sat., $12-16), where you’ll find the bottling plant for popular Pelican beers, plus a pub that offers burgers, fish-and-chips, tacos, and other pub favorites. The tap room overlooks the brewery’s 50,000-barrels-per-year production facility. If you’d like to check on how it’s all done, ask about tours.
The Tillamook State Forest offers plenty of recreational opportunities. From a distance, the forest seems like a tree plantation, but hidden waterfalls, old railroad trestles from the days of logging trains, and moss-covered oaks in the Salmonberry River Canyon will convince you otherwise. Bird-watchers and mushroom pickers can easily penetrate this thicket, thanks to 1,000 miles of maintained roads and old railroad grades.
Two challenging trails off Highway 6, Kings Mountain (25 miles east of Tillamook) and Elk Mountain (28 miles east of Tillamook) climb through lands affected by the Tillamook Burn, but with scenic views throughout. Thanks to salvage logging in the wake of the disaster and subsequent replanting, myriad trails crisscross forests of Douglas and noble fir, hemlock, and red alder. Stop at the visitors center for maps and trail descriptions.
Bird-watchers flock to Tillamook Bay June to November to view pelicans, sandpipers, tufted puffins, blue herons, and a variety of shorebirds. Prime time is before high tide, but step lively, because this waterway was originally called “quicksand bay.”
Among Oregon anglers, Tillamook County is known for its steelhead and salmon. Motorists along U.S. 101 can tell the fall chinook run has arrived when fishing boats cluster outside the Tillamook Bay entrance at Garibaldi. As the season wears on, the fish—affectionately called “hogs” because they sometimes weigh in at more than 50 pounds—make their way inland up the five coastal rivers—the Trask, Wilson, Tillamook, Kilchis, and Miami—that flow into Tillamook Bay. At their peak, the runs create such competition for favorite holes that the process of sparring for them is jocularly referred to as “combat fishing,” as fishing boats anchor up gunwale to gunwale to form a fish-stopping palisade called a “hogline.” Smokehouses and gas stations dot the outer reaches of the bay to cater to this fall influx.
The par-69 Alderbrook Golf Course (7300 Alderbrook Rd., 5 miles south of Tillamook, 503/842-6413, www.alderbrookgolfcourse.com, 7am-dusk daily, $34-38 for 18 holes) is one of the Oregon coast’s oldest courses (dating from 1924), featuring 5,965 yards of golf from the back tees.
To sample the county’s freshest produce, visit the Tillamook Farmers Market (2nd St. and Laurel Ave., Sat. mid-June-late Sept.) in downtown Tillamook.
As part of the rebuilding of the Tillamook Cheese Factory visitors center, its café will be expanded. Check it out when it reopens in 2018. The deli at the Blue Heron French Cheese Company (2001 Blue Heron Dr., 503/842-8282, www.blueheronoregon.com, 11am-6pm daily) fixes sandwiches, soups, and salads; in polls conducted by the local paper, this is a locals’ favorite lunch spot. On the west side of U.S. 101, between the two cheese meccas, lunchtime do-it-yourselfers might check the locally raised and cured meat and smoked salmon at Debbie D’s Sausage Factory (503/842-2622).
In downtown Tillamook, attempts to open fine-dining restaurants have faltered in recent years. There are a number of vintage cafés to check out, and Fat Dog Pizza (116 Main St., 503/354-2283, 11:30am-9pm Sun.-Thurs., 11:30am-10pm Fri.-Sat., $15) is worth a stop. Pizzas feature house-made dough (the Fat Dog Special is for meat lovers), and the submarine sandwiches, called Zeppelins in honor of Tillamook’s dirigible history, are tasty.
Tillamook is more an agricultural town than a coastal resort, so Rodeo Steak House and Grill (20151st St., 503/842-8288, http://rodeosteakhouseandgrill.com, noon-9pm Sun.-Wed., noon-10pm Thurs.-Sat., $9-30) is right at home. Lighter appetites will find salads, sandwiches, wraps, and an array of burgers (the Snake Bit Burger comes with jalapeño slices, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle mayo), while hungry travelers can enjoy excellent prime rib, grilled ribs, and steaks.
Some of the best food in Tillamook is found at food trucks. Most are just north of downtown along U.S. 101. The selection of Mexican food is especially large. La Mexicana (2203 3rd St., 503/842-2101, 11am-9pm daily, $8-21) is the town’s best Mexican restaurant, housed in a vintage home on the edge of downtown. Going way beyond tacos and burritos, La Mexicana prepares local fish and seafood with south-of-the-border zest and finesse.
Take your time to savor a cup of tea at La Tea Da Tea Room (904 Main Ave., 503/842-5447, 9am-5pm Tues.-Sat. summer, 11am-4pm Tues.-Sat. winter, high tea $29). Go for the full high tea or settle for scones, soup, salads, home-made baked sweets, or little tea sandwiches.
Most travelers seem to pass through Tillamook on their way to someplace else, and there are plenty of chain motels available all along the busy U.S. 101 strip north of town. A good local choice along this strip is Ashley Inn (1722 N. Makinster Rd., 503/842-7599 or 800/299-4817, www.ashleyinntillamook.com, $100-165), close to the cheese factory. Rooms have a fridge, a microwave, an iron and ironing board, a coffeemaker, and cable TV. Amenities include an indoor pool, a sauna, and a hot tub, and continental breakfast is included.
The Tillamook Chamber of Commerce (208 Main Ave., 503/842-7525, www.tillamookchamber.org, 9am-5pm Mon.-Fri.) can help you with any business-related question about Tillamook and vicinity.
The Tillamook County Transportation District (503/815-8283, www.nworegontransit.org) offers public bus transportation around Tillamook County, and also runs a couple of buses of interest to travelers. The district offers twice-daily buses north to and from Cannon Beach, with service to points north, including Astoria, and also four buses a day south to and from Lincoln City. It also runs two buses a day to and from the Greyhound station in Portland ($15). The Tillamook Transit Center is at 2nd and Laurel Streets.
The Three Capes Scenic Loop, a 35-mile byway off U.S. 101 between Tillamook and Pacific City, stays close to the ocean, which U.S. 101 does not. And although the beauty of Capes Meares, Lookout, and Kiwanda certainly justifies leaving the main highway, it would be an overstatement to portray this drive as a thrill-a-minute detour on the order of the south coast’s Boardman State Park or the central coast’s Otter Crest Loop. Instead of fronting the ocean, the road connecting the capes winds mostly through dairy country, small beach towns, and second-growth forest. What’s special here are the three capes themselves, and unless you get out of the car and walk on the trails, you’ll miss the aesthetic appeal and distinctiveness of each headland’s ecosystem. The wave-battered bluffs of Cape Kiwanda, the precipitous overlooks along the Cape Lookout Highway, and the curious Octopus Tree at Cape Meares are the perfect antidotes to the inland towns along this stretch of U.S. 101. The majority of the Three Capes lodging and dining options are clustered in Netarts and Oceanside and at the other end in Pacific City. In between, it’s mostly sand dunes, isolated beaches, rainforest, and pasture. To reach the Three Capes Scenic Loop from the north, turn west at Tillamook and follow signs to Cape Meares. From the south, follow signs north of Neskowin to Pacific City.
With stunning views, picnic tables, a newly restored lighthouse, and a uniquely contorted tree a short walk from the parking lot, Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint is the most effortless site to visit on the Three Capes Loop. It was named for English navigator John Meares, who mapped many points along this coast in a 1788 voyage. The famed Octopus Tree is less than 0.25 miles up a forested hill. The tentacle-like extensions of this Sitka spruce have also been compared to candelabra arms.
The 45-foot diameter of its base supports five-foot-thick trunks, each of which is large enough to be a single tree. Scientists have propounded several theories for the cause of its unusual shape, including everything from wind and weather to insects damaging the spruce when it was young. A Native American legend about the spruce contends that it was shaped this way so that the branches could hold the canoes of a chief’s dead family. Supposedly, the bodies were buried near the tree. This was a traditional practice among the indigenous people of the area, who referred to species formed thusly as “council trees.”
Beyond the tree you can look south at Oceanside and Three Arch Rocks Wildlife Refuge. The sweep of Pacific shore and offshore monoliths makes a fitting beginning (or finale, if you’re driving from the south) to your sojourn along the Three Capes Scenic Loop. Also be sure to stroll the short paved trail down to the lighthouse, which begins at the parking lot and provides dramatic views of an offshore wildlife refuge, Cape Meares Rocks. Bring binoculars to see tufted puffins, pelagic cormorants, seals, and sea lions. The landward portion of the refuge protects rare old-growth evergreens.
The restored interior of Cape Meares Lighthouse (503/842-2244, 11am-4pm daily Apr.-Oct., free) was built in 1890. This beacon was replaced as a functioning light in 1963 by the automated facility behind it, and it now houses a gift shop. A free tour is occasionally offered by volunteers, who might tell you about how the lighthouse was built here by mistake and perhaps offer a peek into the prismatic Fresnel lenses.
The road between Cape Meares and Netarts heads into the beach house community of Oceanside (pop. about 340). Many of the homes are built into the cliff overlooking the ocean, Sausalito-style. This maze of steep, narrow streets reaches its apex atop Maxwell Point. You can peer several hundred feet down at Three Arch Rocks Wildlife Refuge (www.fws.gov), part-time home to one of the continent’s largest and most varied collections of shorebirds. A herd of sea lions also populates this trio of sea stacks from time to time.
Three Arch Rocks Wildlife Refuge at Oceanside
A popular draw for hungry Three Capes travelers, S Roseanna’s Oceanside Cafe (1490 Pacific Ave. NW, 503/842-7351, www.roseannascafe.com, 11am-8pm Mon. and Thurs.-Fri., 10am-8pm Sat.-Sun. summer, call for winter hours, $11-26) garners high marks from just about everyone. At first, the weather-beaten cedar-shake exterior might lead you to expect an old general store, as indeed it was decades ago. Once you’re inside, however, the ornate decor leaves little doubt that this place takes its new identity seriously. From an elevated perch above the breakers, you’ll be treated to expertly prepared local oysters, fresh salmon, a bevy of chicken dishes, and interesting pastas, such as gorgonzola and pear with penne noodles. Save room for blackberry cobbler; order it warm so the Tillamook Vanilla Bean ice cream on top melts down the sides, and watch the waves over a long cup of coffee.
Blue Agate Cafe (1610 Pacific Ave., 503/815-2596, 9am-2pm Mon.-Thurs., 9am-9pm Fri.-Sat., 8am-8pm Sun., $7-15), is a happening little eatery in the center of Oceanside with fun breakfasts (try the Dungeness crab scramble), sandwiches, pasta, and excellent fish tacos.
There aren’t many lodging options in Oceanside. While low prices and a window on the water can be found at Ocean Front Cabins (1610 Pacific Ave., 503/842-6081 or 888/845-8470, www.oceanfrontcabins.com, $70-155), the older, smallish guest rooms here might give upscale travelers pause. Nonetheless, for as little as $70 for a sleeping unit without a kitchenette—or $130 for a two-bed room with a full kitchen—you’ll find yourself literally a stone’s throw from Oceanside’s beachcombing and dining highlights. Pets are accepted in some cabins.
Considerably more upscale are the condo-like accommodations at Oceanside Inn (1440 Pacific Ave., 503/842-2961 or 800/347-2972, www.oceansideinn-oregon.com, $99-589), 11 different units perched right above the beach. These are comfortable lodgings, all with full kitchens and some with two bedrooms. Rates can swing wildly between weekday and weekend, so check your dates on the website in case a low rate is available.
For a stylish lodging outside of town, consider Thyme and Tide B&B (5015 Grand Ave., 503/842-5527, www.thyme-and-tide.com, $150-160), with two handsome rooms with ocean views and a location between Netarts and Oceanside.
Netarts (pop. about 750) has an enviable location overlooking Netarts Bay and the Pacific beyond. Along with nearby Oceanside, it’s the closest coastal settlement to Tillamook and makes for a fine quiet getaway. Netarts Bay and seven-mile-long Netarts Spit are popular with clam diggers and crabbers, who can launch boats from Netarts Landing at the northeast corner of the bay. Netarts Bay RV Park and Marina (2260 Bilyeu St., 503/842-7774) and Big Spruce RV Park (4850 Netarts Hwy. W., 503/842-7443) rent out motorboats and crabbing supplies.
The view of Cape Lookout is tops at The Schooner (2065 Netarts Bay Rd., 503/842-4988, www.theschooner.net, 11:30am-8pm Mon.-Thurs., 11:30am-9pm Fri.-Sat., 9am-8pm Sun. $10-25), and the food is a nice surprise also. Stop by for some steamer clams, fresh oysters, or tasty wood-fired pizza.
The Terimore (5105 Crab Ave., 503/842-4623 or 800/635-1821, www.terimoremotel.com, motel rooms $78-121, cabins $89-150) is situated a short walk from the water at the north end of Netarts Bay. Other than some units with fireplaces and kitchens, there are few frills, but for fair rates you’ll find yourself close to the water, within easy driving distance of the Cape Lookout Trail, and a beach walk away from Roseanna’s, the best restaurant on the Three Capes Scenic Loop.
One of the scenic highlights of the Three Capes route, Cape Lookout State Park (off U.S. 101, www.oregonstateparks.org, $5 day-use) juts out nearly a mile from the mainland, like a finger pointing out to sea. The cliffs along the south side of the cape rise 800 feet from the Pacific’s pounding waves. The best way to take in the vista and the thrill of the location is on foot.
Hiking to the end of mile-wide Cape Lookout is one of the top coastal hikes in Oregon. The trail begins either at the campground, where it climbs 2.5 miles up to a ridgetop trailhead with a parking lot, or from the Three Capes road at a well-signed trailhead. An orientation map at the trailhead details the options. The main 2.5-mile trail out to the end, along the narrowing finger of land, can give hikers the impression that they’re on the prow of a giant ship suspended 500 feet above the ocean on all sides. Here, more than anywhere else on the Oregon coast, you get the sense of being on the edge of the continent. Giant spruce, western red cedars, and hemlocks surround the gently hilly trail to the tip of the cape. In March, Cape Lookout is a popular vantage point for whale-watching. June through August, a bevy of wildflowers and birds further enhance the rolling terrain en route to the tip of this headland, and in late summer red huckleberries line the path.
Halfway to the overlook, there are views north to Cape Meares over the Netarts sand spit. Even if you settle for a mere 15-minute stroll down the trail, you can look southward beyond Haystack Rock to Cascade Head. Right about where the trees open up, look for a bronze plaque commemorating the crash of a World War II plane and nearly a dozen casualties, which is embedded in the rock wall bordering the right-hand (north) side of the trail at eye level. If you’re unable to take this hike, two unmarked turnouts along the Three Capes road between the sand dunes and Cape Lookout parking lot let you survey the terrain south to Cape Kiwanda. Don’t be surprised if you see hang gliders and paragliders.
Another popular trail in the state park heads north from the campground through a variety of estuarine habitats along the sand spit separating Netarts Bay from the Pacific. It’s a popular site for agate hunters, clammers, and crabbers.
At the southern end of Netarts Spit is the state park’s campground and beach extension (13000 Whiskey Creek Rd. W., information 503/842-4981, reservations 800/452-5687, www.reserveamerica.com, $5-7), which also encompasses the entire cape and the seven-mile-long Netarts Spit within its boundaries. The campground has 173 tent sites ($21) and 38 full-hookup sites ($33), as well as 13 yurts ($47), three cabins (with baths, a kitchen, and a TV/video player, $88-98), and a hiker-biker camp ($6); discounts apply October-April. Some yurts accept pets ($10). Amenities include showers, flush toilets, and evening programs. Reservations and a deposit are almost always required at this popular campground.
South of Cape Lookout, the terrain suddenly changes. Extensive sand dunes surrounding the Sand Lake Estuary suddenly appear, drowning the forest in sand. The dunes and beach attract squadrons of dune buggy enthusiasts. Camping is available year-round at Sand Beach Campground (Galloway Rd., 5 miles south of Cape Lookout, 503/392-3161 or 877/444-6777, reservations www.recreation.gov, $16), a part of the Siuslaw National Forest, which has basic sites for tents and RVs. This dramatic area is also popular with hikers.
As you approach the shore in Pacific City, the sight of Haystack Rock will immediately grab your attention. At 327 feet, this sea stack is nearly 100 feet taller than the similarly named rock in Cannon Beach. Standing a mile offshore, this monolith has a brooding, enigmatic quality that constantly draws the eye. Look closely, and you’ll understand why some folks call it Teacup Rock.
The tawny sandstone escarpment of Cape Kiwanda juts half a mile out to sea from Pacific City and frames the north end of the beach. In storm-tossed waters, this cape is the undisputed king, if you go by coffee table books and calendar photos. While other sandstone promontories on the north coast have been ground into sandy beaches by the pounding surf, it’s been theorized that Kiwanda has endured thanks to the buffer of Haystack Rock. In any case, hang gliding aficionados are glad the cape is here. They scale its shoulders and set themselves aloft off the north face to glide above the beach and dunes.
The small town of Pacific City, with about 1,000 residents, is at the base of Cape Kiwanda. It attracts growing numbers of vacationers and retirees, but remains true to its 19th-century origins as a working fishing village. In addition to the knockout seascapes and recreation, if you come here at the right time of day, you may be treated to a unique spectacle—the launch or return of the dory fleet.
It’s a tradition dating back to the 1920s, when gillnetting was banned on the Nestucca River to protect the dwindling salmon runs. To retain their livelihood, commercial fishers began to haul flat-bottomed double-ended dories down to the beach on horse-drawn wagons, then row out through the surf to fish. These days, trucks and trailers get the boats to and from the beach, and outboard motors have replaced oar power, enabling the dories to get 50 miles out to sea. If you come around 6am, you can watch them taking off. The fleet’s late-afternoon return attracts a crowd that arrives to see the dory operators skidding their craft as far as possible up the beach to the waiting boat trailers. Others meet the dories to buy salmon and tuna.
In mid-July, Dory Days celebrate the area’s fleet. The three-day fete includes craft and food booths, a pancake breakfast, a fishing derby, and other activities. For more information, call the chamber of commerce (503/965-6161). If you want to join the anglers for a summertime ocean fishing trip on a dory, contact Haystack Fishing (888/965-7555), across from the beach near the Inn at Cape Kiwanda. Four- to six-hour salmon and bottom fishing trips start at $200 per person.
In addition, the Pacific City area is besieged by surfers, who enjoy some of the longest waves on the Oregon coast. Robert Straub State Park, just south of town, offers access to Nestucca Bay and to the dunes and a long uninterrupted stretch of beach. Pacific City surfers should use extreme caution when the dories are returning to the beach.
A popular and well-known Pacific City hangout is the S Pelican Pub and Brewery (33180 Cape Kiwanda Dr., 503/965-7007, 8am-10am Sun.-Thurs., 8am-11pm Fri.-Sat., $6-23). Set in a most enviable spot right on the beach opposite Cape Kiwanda and Haystack Rock, this place boasts the best coastal view of any brewpub in Oregon. Buttermilk-beer pancakes, dory-caught fish-and-chips, pizzas, “shark bites,” tasty chili, and IPA-poached salmon are some of the standouts. The pub’s brews, including Tsunami Stout, Doryman’s Dark Ale, India Pelican Ale, and MacPelican’s Scottish Style Ale, have garnered stacks of awards.
Delicate Palate Bistro (35280 Brooten Rd., 503/965-6464, www.delicatepalate.com, 5pm-close Wed.-Sun., $28-36) is a classy little place where the chef brings a deft touch to classics—think pan-seared wild salmon with balsamic blood orange reduction sauce or bouillabaisse made with a coconut curry broth and served with soba noodles—and the meals are backed up by an excellent wine list (or a long martini menu, if you prefer). The deck, which overlooks the local airstrip, is open for dining when weather allows.
Also on Brooten Road toward the north end of town, find the S Grateful Bread Bakery (34085 Brooten Rd., 503/965-7337, www.gratefulbreadbakery.com, 8am-9pm Thurs.-Mon., dinners $15-21), where the challah bread, carrot cake, marionberry strudel, and other homemade baked goods deserve special mention. The breakfast and lunch menu ($9-13) offers a range of tasty pancakes, scrambles and omelets served with oven-roasted spuds at great prices. Lunch sandwiches, quesadillas and rice bowls include a wide range of vegetarian options. This well-loved bakery just started serving dinner as well, when you’ll find dory-caught blackened rockfish with fresh fruit salsa, shrimp with spicy peppers, and sirloin steak with horseradish rosemary butter.
The nicest motel on the Three Capes Scenic Loop is the large S Inn at Cape Kiwanda (33105 Cape Kiwanda Dr., 503/965-6366 or 888/965-7001, www.yourlittlebeachtown.com/inn, $269-329). All rooms face a beautiful beach and Cape Kiwanda’s giant sand dune. If it’s too rainy to go outside, fireplaces and spacious well-appointed rooms make for great storm-watching. Whirlpool tub rooms are available, and pets are permitted in some rooms.
About 4.5 miles north of Pacific City on the Three Capes Loop Road, the Clay Meyers Natural Area at Whalen Island (4.5 miles north of Pacific City on Sandlake Rd., 503/965-6085, www.co.tillamook.or.us, $10-15) has a small campground run by Tillamook County. It’s an open, sandy spot with a boat launch and flush toilets; nearby hiking trails traverse wetlands and provide a great look at the coastal Sand Lake Estuary.
The tiny vacation village of Neskowin (rhymes with “let’s go in,” pop. 170) has a quiet appeal based on a beautiful beach and a golf course in the shadow of 1,500-foot-high Cascade Head. It’s the polar opposite of busy Lincoln City, 15 miles south. There’s not much to do here but relax on the uncrowded beach and enjoy the views of Cascade Head and the dark beauty of Proposal Rock, a stony, forested hillock that stands right at the edge of the surf, with Neskowin Creek curving around it. The feature was named by Neskowin’s first postmistress, whose daughter received a marriage proposal nearby. Neskowin has a reputation as a beach town for old-money, in-the-know Portland families.
The sleepy town has only one art gallery, and it’s a good one. Hawk Creek Gallery (48460 U.S. 101 S., 503/392-3879, www.hawkcreekgallery.com, 11am-5pm daily summer, 11am-5pm Sat.-Sun. spring and fall) is the studio and showroom for the works of painter Michael Schlicting, who exhibits his work internationally but has made the Hawk Creek Gallery his home base since 1978.
Hawk Creek leads to the secluded beach at Neskowin.
Neskowin Marsh Golf Course (48405 Hawk St., 503/392-3377, $18 for nine holes) has streams and water hazards adding a challenge to most of the nine greens.
Waits can be long at the tiny Hawk Creek Cafe (4505 Salem Ave., 503/392-3838, 9am-9pm daily, call for winter hours, $15-29), particularly at breakfast, but the food is worth it. Count on filling omelets for breakfast; sandwiches (about $10), burgers, and wood-fired pizza ($16-18) for lunch; and grilled fish and steaks for dinner. Hidden behind the general store is Beach Club Bistro (48880 Hwy 101 S., 503/392-3035, http://beachclubbistro.com, 4pm-8pm Wed.-Sun., $17-30), a friendly spot with a selection of small plates for grazing, and such main courses as crab and Parmesan ravioli with seared scallops and prawns if you’re looking for serious dining.
Proposal Rock Inn (48988 U.S. 101 S., 503/392-3115, www.proposalrockneskowin.com, rooms $82-157, suites $139-278) backs up on Hawk Creek and commands a fine view of the beach and the eponymous rock. Two-room ocean-view suites with a full kitchen fetch higher prices than the standard no-view guest rooms, but all are right on the beach.
The nine two-bedroom condo units at The Chelan (48750 Breakers Blvd., 503/392-3270, www.rentoregoncoast.com, $125-278) are comfier than the boxy stucco exterior suggests, with fireplaces, kitchens, views, and direct access to the beach.
About 10 miles north of Lincoln City, the 11,890-acre Cascade Head Experimental Forest was set aside in 1934 for scientific study of typical coastal Sitka spruce and western hemlock forests found along the Oregon coast. In 1974, Congress established the 9,670-acre Cascade Head Scenic Research Area (www.fsl.orst.edu/chef), which includes the western half of the forest, several prairie headlands, and the Salmon River estuary. In 1980, the entire area was designated a biosphere reserve as part of the United Nations Biosphere Reserve system.
The headlands, reaching as high as 1,800 feet, are unusual for their extensive prairies still dominated by native grasses: red fescue, wild rye, and Pacific reedgrass. The Nechesney people, who inhabited the area as long as 12,000 years ago, purposely burned forest tracts around Cascade Head, probably to provide browse for deer and to reduce the possibility of larger uncontrollable blazes. These human-made alterations are complemented by the inherent dryness of south-facing slopes, which receive increased exposure to the sun. In contrast to these grasslands, the northern part of the headland is the domain of giant spruces and firs because it catches the brunt of the heavy rainfalls and lingering fogs. Endemic wildflowers include coastal paintbrush, goldenrod, streambank lupine, rare hairy checkermallow, and blue violet, a plant critical to the survival of the Oregon silverspot butterfly, a threatened species found in only six locations. Deer, elk, coyotes, snowshoe hare, and the Pacific giant salamander find refuge here, while bald eagles, great horned owls, and peregrine falcons may be seen hunting above the grassy slopes. Today, in addition to its biological importance, the area is a mecca for some 6,000 hikers annually, and for anglers who target the salmon and steelhead runs on the Salmon River.
On the north side of the Salmon River, turn west from U.S. 101 onto Three Rocks Road for a scenic driving detour on the south side of Cascade Head. The paved road curves about 2.5 miles above the wetlands and widening channel of the Salmon River estuary, passes Savage Road, and ends at a parking area and boat launch at Knight County Park. From the park, the road turns to gravel and narrows (not suitable for RVs or trailers), and continues about another 0.5 miles to its end at a spectacular overlook across the estuary.
Cascade Head offers some outstanding scenic hikes, with rainforest pathways and wildflower meadows giving way to dramatic ocean views.
A short but brisk hike to the top of the headland on a Nature Conservancy trail begins near Knight County Park. Leave your car at the park and walk 0.5 miles up Savage Road to the trailhead. It’s 1.7 miles one-way, with 1,100 feet of elevation gain. No dogs or bicycles are allowed on the trail, which is open year-round.
Two trails are accessible from Cascade Head Road (Forest Rd. 1861), a gravel road open seasonally (July 16-Dec. 31) that heads west off U.S. 101 about three miles north of Three Rocks Road, near the highway summit of Cascade Head. Travel this road four miles west of U.S. 101 to the Hart’s Cove Trailhead. The first part of the trail runs through arching red alder treetops and 250-year-old Sitka spruces with five-foot diameters. The understory of mosses and ferns is nourished by 100-inch rainfalls. Next, the trail emerges into open grasslands. The five-mile round-trip hike loses 900 feet in elevation on its way to an oceanfront meadow overlooking Hart’s Cove, where the barking of sea lions might greet you. This trail can have plenty of mud, so boots are recommended as you tromp through the rainforest.
An easier trail accessible from Cascade Head Road heads to a viewpoint on the Nature Conservancy’s preserve. (Again, no dogs or bikes are allowed on Nature Conservancy land.) The one-mile trail starts about 3.5 miles west of U.S. 101 and heads to a big meadow and an ocean overlook. It’s possible to continue from the overlook, heading downhill to join up with the lower Nature Conservancy trail described above.
The Cascade Head Trail runs six miles roughly parallel to the highway, with a south trailhead near the intersection of Three Rocks Road and U.S. 101 and a north trailhead at Falls Creek, on U.S. 101 about one mile south of Neskowin. It passes through old-growth forest and is entirely inland, without the spectacular ocean views of other trails in the area.
The region in the shadow of Cascade Head can be explored in even greater depth thanks to the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology (56605 Sitka Dr., Otis, 541/994-5485, www.sitkacenter.org, 8:30am-4:30pm Mon.-Fri.), located off Savage Road on the south side of the headland. Workshops (May-Sept.) are offered, focusing on art and nature, with an emphasis on the strong relationship between the two. Experts in everything from local plant communities to the baskets of the Siletz people conduct outdoor workshops on the grounds of Cascade Head Ranch. Classes can last from a couple of days to a week, and fees vary accordingly.