Pacific Northwest: Cannon Beach, OR
How to Spend a Week in Cannon Beach, Oregon
Well let me tell you, when I first told friends and family that we were going to spend a week in Oregon I got a lot of confused looks, I could tell they were thinking “…that’s cool, I guess?” Trust me I know it doesn’t sound like the sexiest vacation spot but hear me out.
If you like being outdoors and getting away from the madness, Oregon will not disappoint, especially Cannon Beach. This sleepy coastal city is about a 2 hour drive from PDX Airport and rests right on the Pacific Ocean, the main attraction is the famous Haystack Rock, a massive rock formation a few feet off the shoreline. When I first mentioned my desire to make this trip my fiance laughed, “you want to fly across the country… to see a rock?” When you put it that way, it sounds dumb, but there is much more to do!
Let’s start with how we got there, living in the NYC area we decided to fly out of JFK and into PDX Airport, tickets were on the high end at $750 for a round trip flight. We prefer to fly Delta I am slowly getting over my fear of flying(moreso crashing, the flying part is fine) but the 6 hour flight was really testing my patience. After landing we picked up our rental car from Alamo, I tend to find their daily rates are cheaper than Enterprise and the line to pick up your car is never as long. After hopping in our Kia Forte we hit the road for our 2 hour trip from PDX Airport to Cannon Beach!
Crescent Beach
The drive itself was breathtaking, rolling hills and trees as far as my terrible eyesight could see. I’ve been up and down the East Coast but have never seen anything like the Pacific Northwest landscape. The empty highways and fresh air was polar opposite from what us folks in the NYC area are used to and boy was I jealous of these Oregonians. We finally arrived at our Airbnb which was in a convenient location, linked here. We technically stayed in Arch Cape, which is 5 minutes away from Cannon Beach. Now I used to be a huge fan of Airbnb, but recently have swayed towards hotels, is it me or do the amount of fees Airbnb charge seem obnoxious? There aren’t many hotel options in the area, which is nice in a way, it helps retain that small beach town vibe, despite not being a fan of Airbnbs, this particular one was fantastic. The hosts went above and beyond making us feel at home with homemade yogurt and granola, the location was perfect, peaceful and quiet but only a 5 minute drive to the beaches and city center.
Now for the fun part, what we actually did! If you are the nature-loving outdoors type, you are going to be mesmerized, the beaches and hiking were out of this world. We spent a majority of our time hopping from beach to beach, bouncing back and forth between Tolovana Beach, Hug Point Preserve and the Arcadia Recreation Site all of which are an easy 5-10 minute drive away from each other. All of these beaches were beautiful in their own way, rolling Green mountains that turned into jagged cliffs, soft sand and fierce waves. We went in mid July and the temperature was mid 60s, clear sunny skies and a gentle ocean breeze. The beaches were not crowded, they were quiet, peaceful and great for families or those who want solitude. Something that we found fascinating was during low tide, the number of tide pools that were teeming with life, specifically starfish! After exploring the beaches we looked up some hikes in the area and there is no shortage, if anything you’ll be overwhelmed by the choices!
First up was the Neahkahnie Mountail Trail, if you are able to pronounce it you’re a better man than me, located near Nehalem, OR this is 3 mile loop, which took us about 90 minutes to complete including stops for water and pictures. By no means do you need to be a seasoned hiker to complete, but the last 50 feet or so require some rock scrambling to get the view so think twice before bringing younger children.
Here is a picture of our viewpoint from the top!
My favorite hike of the trip and maybe of all time so far, was God’s Thumb via The Knoll. This hike is located in Lincoln City, about a 2 hour drive from the Cannon Beach area. Now a few disclaimers, AllTrails, the popular hiking app says this trail is closed, when we went in July of 2023 there were no signs or indication of this trail being closed and we encountered several people on our hike, so choice is yours if you’d like to give it a try, here is some info. Next, the parking situation is apparently very strict, we parked in a cul-de-sac at the address of NE 12th St, Lincoln City, OR, typing in “God’s Thumb” into Google Maps should work fine, but I read reviews that parking anywhere other than this cul-de-sac could result in getting towed. The space was big enough to accommodate 8-10 cars so if you get there early in the day you should have no issues. Lastly, God’s Thumb and The Knoll are basically the same hike, with two different viewpoints, one being God’s Thumb and the other being The Knoll. As you make your way along the trail you’ll reach a point where you can veer left or continue straight to God’s Thumb which took us another 30 minutes or so to reach, and you can always go to God’s Thumb and catch The Knoll on the way back! God’s Thumb is not for the faint of heart, it’s not Denali or Everest, but you definitely need to mind your step, be responsible and avoid doing if the weather conditions are rough, and I highly discourage bringing young children. Overall, you are going to get stunning views from The Knoll or God’s Thumb so if you are pressed for time don’t feel you have to choose one or the other and will miss out! The hike is on the more challenging and physically demanding side so might not be the best for those looking for a casual stroll or beginners. Check out some of the pictures we got on our sunny day:
One of the views from God’s Thumb!
Some people are bold and go all the way to the top! Hike with caution please.
All of this hiking and beach bumming can quickly make you hungry, and there are so many good mom and pop restaurants but we quickly established our two favorites. For breakfast/brunch I highly recommend Lazy Susan’s, the eggs benedict with Dungeness crab was so good I got it not once, not twice but three days in a row it was seriously that good. For dinner our favorite spot was Newman’s at 988. Now please understand that this is not a hyperbole when I say I’ve had the best pasta in my life at this restaurant, I am not a food snob by any stretch, but living in the NYC metro area and having an Italian fiance, I’ve been around pasta a few times and this is hands down the best I’ve ever had, gnocchi with bacon, mushrooms and crab with some sort of four cheese sauce. My fiance and I each got our own plate and were licking it dry at the end, even debating ordering another plate. Now I’m sure there are plenty of restaurants in the Cannon Beach area that have great dessert but our favorite was the Tillamook Ice Cream Factory. Located in the town of Tillamook about 45 minutes from Cannon Beach, this huge creamery and farm is a great place to take the kids and get delicious ice cream. I have to give my fiance credit as initially I didn’t care to visit, but she convinced me and it was so worth it!
The last night we wanted to spend most of our time on the beach watching the sunset. Shortly after picking our spot we were greeted by some locals who decided to make a celebrity appearance. Heads quickly turned and we noticed people running in the same direction, was this a pop star, actor or professional athlete? No, even better, a gang of Elk. These Elk were casually strolling the beach, reminding us that this is their world and we’re just living in it.
Seeing these Elk parading around the beach during sunset was a magical ending to a magical trip, solidifying my love for the Pacific Northwest. Overall this trip was everything I expected and more, from the food, atmosphere, and outdoor recreation, this trip opened our eyes to how beautiful Oregon and this part of the country is. For those who have never been to, or on the fence of visiting Oregon and the Pacific Northwest, I highly recommend, odds are you will not be disappointed!
