Like Carmel, on the wild Pacific
Cannon Beach: 48-Hour Escape from Portland
A mile of sand, a 235-foot sea stack, and the most photographed coastline in Oregon.
Cannon Beach: A mile of sand, a 235-foot sea stack, and the most photographed coastline in Oregon.
At a glance
Cannon Beach, Oregon is a 1 hr 30 min drive from Portland, best visited June-September. Like Carmel, on the wild Pacific. Top things to do: Haystack Rock tide pools, Ecola State Park, Downtown galleries. Where to eat: The Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge, Pelican Brewing Company, Newman's at 988. Stay at Stephanie Inn or Cannon Beach Hotel.
58
of 100
Escape score
Best paired with a second town
A good day and a half, with an evening to spare.
- Drive
- 1 hr 30 min from Portland
- Best window
- June-September
- Typical stay
- ~$253/night
Escape score: what there is to do and eat (40%), typical weekend lodging cost (30%), drive time (25%), rounding (5%). Computed from our own guide data, never from paid placement.
Why here
Cannon Beach is a town of 1,500 on the north Oregon coast, named one of the world's 100 most beautiful places by National Geographic. The beach is a mile long and 200 yards wide at low tide. Haystack Rock, a 235-foot basalt sea stack, rises from the surf 200 yards offshore, the third-largest monolith of its kind in the world. The town itself is walkable, no high-rises, no chain stores downtown, and tide pools at the rock.
Cannon Beach is the postcard Oregon coast town, and the planning is the reason. The town passed a strict height limit decades ago, which is why the downtown is all low cedar-and-shingle buildings and galleries rather than the condo towers that line most American beaches, and a ban on chain stores keeps the main street local. Haystack Rock, the 235-foot basalt sea stack, is the landmark, the third-largest monolith of its kind in the world, and at low tide you can walk to its base for tide pools and, April through July, the tufted puffins that nest on its grassy top. Ecola State Park, just north of town, holds the headland view that was in The Goonies.
A weekend in Cannon Beach is a beach-and-gallery weekend. Walk the mile of sand to Haystack Rock at low tide, hike the Ecola State Park loop for the coastline view, browse the Hemlock Street galleries, and eat at The Wayfarer. Come June through September when the fog lifts in the afternoon. Two nights lets you add the tide pools and a drive south to Oswald West State Park.
The plan
48 hours in Cannon Beach
Same town, two different weekends. Pick the arrival that matches your Friday.
Friday, on arrival
Check inStephanie Inn
From ~$300/night
Oceanfront boutique inn. 17 rooms, a great restaurant, nightly wine hour, and a perfect view of Haystack Rock. The most-requested stay in town.
Leave Portland after work: the 1 hr 30 min drive lands you here in the evening.
Friday night
Dinner, then the main streetThe Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge
Oceanfront since 1971. The Dungeness crab cocktail and the halibut fish and chips are the orders. The breakfast is the best in town, arrive before 9am...
Eat first and walk it off after. Most small-town kitchens stop seating by 9.
Saturday morning
First stopHaystack Rock tide pools
Free. Walk out at low tide to the base of Haystack Rock. Sea anemones, starfish, and puffins (April-July). Volunteer interpreters are on the beach mos...
Saturday midday
LunchPelican Brewing Company
Beachfront brewpub, the only one in Oregon. The Kiwanda Cream Ale and the razor clam chowder are the moves. Open-air deck with a Haystack view.
Saturday afternoon
Second stopEcola State Park
$5 entry. 9 miles of trail with views of the coastline, including the Goonies rock (Indian Beach was in the movie). The Clatsop Loop is 2.5 miles with...
Saturday night
DinnerNewman's at 988
Pacific Northwest fine dining. The pan-seared scallops and the seasonal mushroom risotto are the orders. Reserve 2 weeks ahead in summer.
Sunday morning
Last stop, then homeDowntown galleries
Free to browse. Cannon Beach is an artists' colony with 15+ galleries along Hemlock Street. The Bronze Coast Gallery and Northwest by Northwest Galler...
1 hr 30 min back to Portland still leaves you the afternoon.
Timings are a suggestion, not a schedule. Shift the whole plan by how late you leave.
The Basecamp
Where to stay in Cannon Beach
Stephanie Inn
Oceanfront boutique inn. 17 rooms, a great restaurant, nightly wine hour, and a perfect view of Haystack Rock. The most-requested stay in town.
Cannon Beach Hotel
1914 hotel in the center of town. 21 rooms, a heated pool, and walkable to every gallery and restaurant. No ocean view but walking distance to the sand.
The Ocean Lodge
An oceanfront log lodge with fireplaces and a direct beach path, the closest stay to Haystack Rock. The romantic sea-stack stay.
What to do
Haystack Rock tide pools
Free. Walk out at low tide to the base of Haystack Rock. Sea anemones, starfish, and puffins (April-July). Volunteer interpreters are on the beach most summer mornings. Check the tide chart.
Learn more ↗
Ecola State Park
$5 entry. 9 miles of trail with views of the coastline, including the Goonies rock (Indian Beach was in the movie). The Clatsop Loop is 2.5 miles with 1,000 ft gain.
Learn more ↗
Downtown galleries
Free to browse. Cannon Beach is an artists' colony with 15+ galleries along Hemlock Street. The Bronze Coast Gallery and Northwest by Northwest Gallery are the anchors.
Learn more ↗Pack for Cannon Beach
Beach & coast kit
Curated for sand, surf, and slow tide-pool afternoons in Cannon Beach.
Portable beach umbrella
Real shade that survives a Gulf breeze.
See price on Amazon →Low-sand beach chairs
The four-leg kind that do not slowly sink out from under you.
See price on Amazon →Waterproof dry bag
Keeps phones and keys dry from the car to the sand and back.
See price on Amazon →Reef-safe sunscreen
Mineral-based, reef-friendly, and reef-town appropriate.
See price on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, book2escape earns from qualifying purchases.
Where to eat
The Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge
Oceanfront since 1971. The Dungeness crab cocktail and the halibut fish and chips are the orders. The breakfast is the best in town, arrive before 9am.
Pelican Brewing Company
Beachfront brewpub, the only one in Oregon. The Kiwanda Cream Ale and the razor clam chowder are the moves. Open-air deck with a Haystack view.
Newman's at 988
Pacific Northwest fine dining. The pan-seared scallops and the seasonal mushroom risotto are the orders. Reserve 2 weeks ahead in summer.
Most reviewed on Yelp
The most-reviewed restaurants in Cannon Beach. A solid indicator of where locals actually eat.
Pelican Brewing - Cannon Beach
Burgers, American, Brewpubs
The Wayfarer Restaurant & Lounge
Seafood
Cannon Beach Smokehouse and Charcuterie
Bars
Review counts and ratings are curated from Yelp and may change over time.
Go even deeper
Side trips near Cannon Beach
Once you've settled into Cannon Beach, these nearby towns are close enough to fold into the same weekend without moving your basecamp.
15 min from Cannon Beach
Seaside
15 minutes north, the bigger beach town with a boardwalk, an arcade, and a broad sand beach, the family-and-arcade counterpart to Cannon Beach.
25 min from Cannon Beach
Manzanita
25 minutes south, a quieter 7-block beach town with a wide flat beach, a walkable Laneda Avenue, and the relaxed alternative to Cannon Beach crowds.
Getting there
Drive logistics
From Portland, take US-26 West to the coast, then north on US-101. ~80 miles, about 90 minutes. The coast is foggy most summer mornings, plan activities for the afternoon. Parking downtown is tight in summer, the city lot off Hemlock is the move.
Drive time
1 hr 30 min
Best time
June-September
Questions & Answers
Cannon Beach weekend FAQ
Cannon Beach is about 80 miles from Portland, roughly 90 minutes via US-26 West.
A 235-foot basalt sea stack 200 yards offshore, the third-largest monolith of its kind in the world. At low tide, walk to its base for tide pools and puffin viewing (April-July).
April through July, tufted puffins nest on Haystack Rock. They are most active in the morning. Volunteer interpreters are on the beach during low tides in summer.
September and October are the coast's secret season. The fog lifts, September brings the warmest ocean water of the year, October starts the dramatic storm watching, and hotel rates drop after Labor Day.
Yes, one of the best in Oregon. Fireside rooms at The Ocean Lodge, the nightly wine hour at Stephanie Inn, dinner at Newman's, and a low-tide walk to Haystack Rock at sunset.
Yes. At 1.5 hours, Cannon Beach is the best Oregon coast weekend from Portland, with Haystack Rock, a walkable gallery downtown, and the widest stretch of sand on the north coast.
Cannon Beach itself, with Haystack Rock at the north end and tide pools at low tide. For a quieter stretch, Arcadia Beach 2 miles south or Manzanita 25 minutes south are less crowded.
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