This Small Oregon Beach Town Has a 235-foot-tall Haystack Rock, Forested Hiking Trails, Craft Breweries, and Excellent Seafood

You’d be hard-pressed to find an Oregonian who has never visited the seaside town of Cannon Beach. Nestled on the Northern portion of the Oregon coastline, the town is just under 1.5 hours from Portland, making it a popular weekend day trip or vacation destination.

“Cannon Beach packs a lot of what we all love about the coast into this hamlet of less than 2,000 residents,” Matt Wastradowski, lifelong Oregon resident and travel guidebook author, told Travel + Leisure.

But don’t let the small population mislead you into thinking it’s a sleepy town. It’s a vibrant, bustling scene with talented artists and local food purveyors and is home to a host of activities for anyone, whether you’re hoping to go out for a hike, try fresh seafood, or simply relax with your toes in the sand on the beach.

“You can hike through groves of Sitka spruce before lunch, walk past art galleries run by passionate locals, enjoy lunch at a brewery established to honor Oregon’s open beaches, nosh on locally sourced seafood for dinner, and make s’mores under the stars and in the shadow of a world-famous sea stack,” Wastradowski said. “And it’s all so close. None of what I mentioned is more than a 10-minute drive from downtown.”

Ready to plan your trip to Cannon Beach? Read on for the best things to do in this coastal town, along with where to eat and stay during your visit.

Best Places to Stay

Stephanie Inn

This hotel was voted one of the best resorts in the West by T+L readers. With the sounds of crashing waves and rooms overlooking Haystack Rock, this stay is worth it just for the view. Cozy up with a book next to the fireplace or head to the on-site spa for a treatment using lavender from its sibling-business Public Coast Farm. Chat with other guests at the daily afternoon beer and wine gathering. End the day with s’mores and a glass of wine next to a bonfire on the beach, set up by the inn’s staff year-round, depending on the weather. After a morning beach walk, you can head to the Dining Room for a complimentary chef’s breakfast complete with housemade pastries.

SurfSand Resort

This pet-friendly resort offers oceanfront rooms with decks or patios. You’ll find fresh cookies in the lobby, an on-site pool and gym, beach cruiser bikes to borrow for exploring the town, and an ice cream social on Saturdays during the summer. Its central location allows you to walk right out to the beach or to easily walk downtown for lunch or dinner.

The Inn at Cannon Beach

Located on the south end of Cannon Beach, you’ll see the town’s famous wild bunnies hopping all around this property. Cozy Northwest-inspired rooms with warm woods are positioned in small cottage-style buildings with a garden courtyard. Rooms are outfitted with gas fireplaces, breakfast is included, and it’s a quick two-minute walk to the beach.

Best Things to Do

Visit Ecola State Park

Wind through Sitka spruce and Western hemlock trees on the way to this Oregon State Park, located just 10 minutes from downtown. There are miles of hiking trails, whether you’re hoping to trek through the forest or experience cliffside views of the ocean, along with the opportunity to see the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse “Terrible Tilly” which operated in the late 1800s. You can walk down to Indian Beach or enjoy a picnic with a view. While exploring the park, Wastradowski says to keep an eye out for Roosevelt elk grazing in the meadows just below the main parking area in spring and autumn. “It’s a nice surprise when you get to see those majestic creatures huddled together so close,” Wastradowski said.

Walk the Beach to Haystack Rock

No visit to Cannon Beach is complete without heading to the beach to walk the sand. You can enter the beach from countless side streets in town if you’re on foot. You can also park at one of the multiple public lots with close access. While on the beach, Haystack Rock can’t be missed. The 235-foot-tall sea stack is composed of basalt rock towers high, making it the perfect spot to take a photo. (You may even recognize it from the 1985 movie “The Goonies.”) The protected rock is home to a colony of tufted puffins, which return in April and stay through July. On low tide days, you can gaze at sea stars, crabs, and other sea life in the marine garden below the rock. Volunteers of the Haystack Awareness Program are on-site to answer questions about the protected environment.

Hike at Oswald West State Park

“The bluff at the end of Cape Falcon is a great place to watch for migrating gray whales, especially in winter and spring,” Wastradowski said. “It sits about 250 feet above the ocean and is pretty wide open, so the views are everywhere.” This trail and several others with magnificent towering rainforest and coastal views can be found at this 2,484-acre state park just 10 minutes south of Cannon Beach. If you go, be prepared for more rugged trail conditions. Wastradowski noted that the parking lot can easily fill on summer weekends, so hikers may want to get an early start for more solitude on the trails.

Take an Art Walk

Cannon Beach is home to several artists focused on many mediums including live glassblowing, wood carving, sculpture, and painting. Spend some time with a cup of coffee in hand in the morning strolling the streets to peruse the many galleries downtown within one mile of each other. There is also a public art tour with seven installations all of which are walkable within 1.5 miles of each other. While you’re downtown, visit other boutique shops and pop into Bruce’s Candy Kitchen where colorful saltwater taffy is made on site.

Have a Bonfire on the Beach

“On summer nights, the beach lights up like fireflies with all the beach bonfires, and that’s a real treat to see,” Wastradowski said. Yes, you’re absolutely allowed to have small fires on the beach on the Oregon Coast as long as they’re built at least 50 feet away from beach grass and driftwood and are kept smaller than two feet. Multiple hotels and resorts offer services to build them for you — including Stephanie Inn, Surfsand Resort, and The Inn at Cannon Beach — or you can often purchase supplies to bring your own firewood from the lobby where you are staying or at a convenience store.

Best Restaurants

Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge

Wayfarer is one of the few restaurants in Cannon Beach with a waterfront view. The interior decor nods to a nautical theme, with a whiskey lounge and the option for patio seating. Start your day with the cinnamon roll French toast with Oregon hazelnuts and marionberry butter or settle in for dinner with local seafood or Oregon beef on the menu.

Public Coast Brewing

“Public Coast sources a lot of ingredients — berries, fruit, hops, honey, and more — from its farm, which adds a fresh and fun wrinkle to its lineup of pub grub,” Wastradowski said. While the beer is top-notch, the housemade creamy root beer is another can’t-miss. Pair your drink with freshly caught fish and chips or fish tacos.

Stephanie Inn Dining Room

Guests at the Stephanie Inn don’t have far to go for an exceptional meal. However, if you’re staying elsewhere, it’s still possible to get reservations. Sit by the fireplace in the Dining Room and enjoy a four-course, prix fixe dinner composed of locally sourced ingredients. Don’t skip the optional chef’s wine pairings showcasing Oregon wines.

Ecola Restaurant & Market

The Oregon Coast is known for its seafood, especially fresh oysters, Dungeness crab, calms, and albacore tuna. This seafood market, open since 1993, is the best place to try it all. “The family that runs Ecola has been fishing the Oregon Coast since 1977, and they own their own vessels — so it’s possible to eat something for dinner that was caught just a few hours earlier,” Wastradowski said. Order your lunch to take with you for a beach picnic or enjoy it on the restaurant’s rooftop patio.

Best Time To Visit

The best time to visit Cannon Beach is from mid-June to early September because of its beautiful temperatures. Typically, you’ll see less rain during these months as clouds part way to shining sunny days. This is what makes Cannon Beach so desirable as a summer vacation spot. However, if you want to travel like the locals do, consider heading to Cannon Beach to experience it during another, less-popular season. “There’s no bad time to visit, and different seasons offer different experiences,” Wastradowski said. “In fall, cool, crisp afternoons lead to a quieter experience and more elbow room at the city’s eateries. Winter means winter storm-watching and a cozy atmosphere all over town.” While you’ll want to pack a raincoat during late fall, winter, and spring, the dramatic landscape is absolutely stunning.

How to Get There

Right off of the Pacific Coast Highway 101, Cannon Beach is an ideal road trip destination. It can be accessed either from Highway 101 to the North or South or Highway 26 to the East. “Highway 26 cuts through the Oregon Coast Range,” Wastradowski said. You’ll travel through a beautiful, tall timber forest offering views the whole way.

The closest airport to Cannon Beach is Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon’s largest city, Portland, which is just under a two-hour drive. Renting a car from the airport is the best option to get to Cannon Beach, as it provides easy transportation while in the area. Wastradowski told T+L that there is also an intercity bus service called POINT, which offers daily routes between Portland and Cannon Beach. An alliance of public transpiration systems called NW Connector also offers routes from Portland or other locations on the Oregon Coast including Newport and Lincoln City to Cannon Beach.

How to Get Around

Cannon Beach is a very walkable town, allowing access to the beach, hotels, restaurants, and downtown shops in a matter of minutes. While there are no rideshare services in Cannon Beach, there is a NW Connector bus route that runs multiple stops in town, with three-day passes available for $25 or seven-day passes for $30. However, a car will be necessary to access places outside of town such as state parks for hiking.