Portland Sidetrips: To the Coast

Don't get your hopes up: The Oregon Coast will never be
this sunny for you. 

The first thing you should know about Oregon's western edge (and this is true even in the height of summer) is that it is the “coast” – not the “beach,” the “shore,” or the “sea.” You do not lay on a beach blanket or play in the surf. Instead, you admire the raw beauty of the coastline before heading indoors for some clam chowder.

The second thing you should know is that the entire shoreline is public - there is no such thing as a private beach in Oregon. You are entitled to wander wherever, whenever, you want. This also means that there are state parks up and down the coast where you can rent a yurt or cabin right next to the beach for $30 a night (b.y.o.bedding). 

The third thing you should know is that the coast is easy-peasy - just a day trip away from Portland (though I recommend a full weekend). If you head due west from Portland on Highway 26, you dead end into the coastal highway, Highway 101, in just under 1.5 hours. But where to go from there? Here are the highlights, from north to south.

Astoria

View of Astoria (in February) from the Astoria Column.

Turn right and head north on Highway 101, and you will dead-end in Astoria, made famous by The Goonies and Free Willy. Sitting at the mouth of the mighty Columbia River, and once the largest city on the West Coast (stop and think about that one), Astoria is still a working fishing port with an old-school feel. Compared to what else the Oregon Coast has to offer, Astoria would not be my first pick for visitors, but it has its charms - and a very different feel than all the other towns on this list. 

Stroll down the main drag and loop back along the docks; climb the Astoria Column; if you have kids in tow, check out Fort Clatsop, a replica of the small compound where Lewis and Clark wintered in 1806. And before heading out of town, stop by Home Bakery (2845 Marine Drive), a traditional Finnish bakery with hearty danishes and (my favorite sugary treat) doughnuts. Or stay for the night: cabins can be rented at nearby Fort Stevens State Park.

Breakfast/heart attack at Home Bakery.

Seaside

Before you reach Astoria on Highway 101, you will pass through Seaside, Oregon's closest relation to the Jersey shore. This is your best bet for entertaining kids: arcades, bumper cars, salt water taffy, and ice cream parlors abound. And then there's the beach - a long, flat, wide stretch of sand bordered by a well-maintained boardwalk. 

Cannon Beach

If you prefer your beach towns cute, turn left on Highway 101 for Cannon Beach, popular among the grown-up crowd for its little art galleries and less kitschy shopping.

In between Seaside and Cannon Beach is the ever-popular Ecola State Park, a beautiful stretch of undeveloped shore that epitomizes what locals think of when you say “the coast” (small day use fee required). And just south of Cannon Beach is Haystack Rock, a favorite of Jeff’s that is particularly dramatic at sunset. 

Contemplating Haystack Rock on a typical Oregon Coast day.

(Seaside and Cannon Beach are close enough together - and to Portland - to visit both in the same day.)

Manzanita and Nehalem

Further south along Highway 101, through the misty forests of Oswald West State Park, you reach the trendy little town of Manzanita - think Carmel, but colder. The beach here is long and straight, ending in the gentle dunes of Nehalem Bay State Park (yurts available for rent). Meanwhile, Highway 101 curves inland through the delta of the Nehalem River, a scenic estuary that is a soothing contrast to the drama of the coast.

Rockaway, Tillamook, and Netarts

Now we are reaching a "real" part of the coast, more work than play. Rockaway is a distinctly non-yuppie town with a lovely beach. Bay City is home to Pacific Oyster Company, an oyster-shucking warehouse with a small storefront selling plates of no-frills seafood (I can vouch for anything with oysters in or on it). Highway 101 detours from the coast a bit here, heading inland to Tillamook (home of the famous cheese factory) and skipping over Netarts Bay. If you hug the coast instead, you'll reach Cape Lookout State Park, where more yurts are available for rent.

Sunset at Rockaway Beach.

Lincoln City

Here starts my favorite stretch of the coast: Lincoln City to Yachats. To get here directly from Portland, take Highway 99W to McMinnville (heart of wine country) and then Highway 18 south to Otis (home to the classic Otis Cafe). This is a long enough drive that you will probably want to spent the night somewhere between here and Yachats before heading back. In Lincoln City, yurts can be rented at Devil's Lake State Park.

While not particularly quaint (understatement), Lincoln City is famous for its kites. If you are looking for a good souvenir, this might be it - besides which, when was the last time you flew a kite? 

Depoe Bay

So I can make no promises – but when Jeff and I came through Depoe Bay in July a couple years ago, there were multiple whales cavorting in the bay. Yes, whales. It’s worth pulling over here regardless to check out the promenade along the old stone seawall.

Devil's Punch Bowl

A slight detour from Highway 101 brings you to my favorite pit stop as a kid: when the tide is in, water crashes around Devil's Punch Bowl like, well, a punch bowl. Pause here for a (windy) picnic, or to explore tide pools. Nearby Beverly Beach State Park has yurts right alongside a particularly beautiful beach.

Newport

Work still gets done in Newport.

Newport - the biggest town around these parts - has a gentle bay, a lovely bridge, a long stretch of sandy beach, and a high concentration of campy kitschy shops and old-school tourist attractions (wax museum! underwater gardens!). For those with kids, the classiest joint in town is the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Our favorite memory from our last trip to Newport: dinner at Local Ocean Seafood, right at the end of Newport’s main drag.

On the other side of the bridge is South Beach State Park, with more yurts for rent a short walk from a long beach and, in season, kayak tours of nearby Beaver Creek. Another favorite of mine is the Sylvia Beach Hotel, a book-themed B&B right on the beach in Newport.

Cape Perpetua and Yachats

South of Newport on Highway 101, the coastline gives Big Sur a run for its money. Much of the land here is volcanic rock – Newport’s sandy beaches are quickly replaced by dramatic cliffs, prickly black shoreline, and frothy crashing waves.

Frothy crashing waves and tide pools.

Plus, porous volcanic rock + frothy crashing waves = tide pools! We had great luck pulling off at Cape Perpetua (south of Yachats) and scrambling around the rocky shoreline, hunting down starfish and anemones and sea snails and other assorted funky critters.

Yachats is a good turning around point – if only because you won’t believe how the locals actually pronounce the name of their hometown. Head back north to Newport and take Highway 20 east over the mountains to Corvalis to catch I-5 back to Portland.

Or keep heading south - the coastline continues to be lovely along here, with countless state parks and scenic lighthouses. The next big town is Florence, which I haven't visited since college and thus am not in a position to write about. But high on my personal list of places-still-to-explore-in-Oregon is the reputedly surreal Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, just south of Florence. If you go, let me know what you think.