Cannon Beach

An artsy town on Oregon's North Coast with tide pools and puffins at Haystack Rock, close to Ecola State Park, Astoria and Tillamook.

Cannon Beach is an arts town on Oregon's North Coast, about a 1.5-hour drive from Portland. It takes its name from an 1846 shipwreck, when a U.S. Navy vessel ran aground nearby and its cannon washed up on the beach. The town is best known for Haystack Rock, a basalt monolith about 72 m tall that rises from the beach. At low tide you can walk to its base to look for sea stars and anemones, and in summer tufted puffins nest on top. Hemlock Street, the main street, is lined with galleries, bookshops and cafés. The mood is quiet and artsy, and there are no big chain hotels. There are three ways to explore the area. To the north, hike the headlands of Ecola State Park and look out to the offshore Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, nicknamed "Terrible Tilly." To the south, Highway 101 passes Tolovana, Arcadia Beach, Hug Point and Oswald West State Park, then continues to Manzanita and the Tillamook Creamery. Heading north again, Seaside's Promenade is 15 minutes away, and Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia River is about 40 minutes away. In Astoria you can see the Astoria Column, the Columbia River Maritime Museum, Lewis and Clark's Fort Clatsop and the wreck of the Peter Iredale. The weather stays cool all year. July–Sep has the most sunny days, and the rest of the year is often rainy and foggy. Winter is the time for storm watching. Public transit options are limited, so driving is recommended. Plan on 2–3 days. If you head out on the beach, check the tide tables, because rising tides can cut off some headlands. The water is cold and rip currents are strong, so swimming isn't advised.

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