We drove up the Oregon shore to Cannon Beach from Tillamook along US Route 101. The route hugs points on the coast and has some great views of the Pacific Ocean as well as coastal communities. We enjoyed the drive so much that we managed to fit it twice into our visit! How can you resist views like this:
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| Majestic view of the Pacific Ocean from an overlook on US Route 101. |
We ended up in Cannon Beach for a big slice of the day. I long have had the goal to see Haystack Rock because it reminds me of Iceland. If you head to Cannon Beach, I do recommend arriving early if possible. We arrived midday and it took a bit to find a good spot. Once we did, we made a beeline for the beach. The beach was incredibly expansive and just as beautiful as I thought it would be.
Even though there are plenty of beach houses around and tourists visiting for the day, everyone seemed well spread out and there was plenty of space to enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean and Haystack Rock.
From the beach, we also had a nice view of Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. Such a beautiful sight in the distance!
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| Tillamook Rock Lighthouse slightly in the distance in the Pacific Ocean. |
While walking along the beach, pay attention for wildlife. We found plenty of sand crabs:
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| Sand crab emerging after the tide went out. |
We enjoyed watching the antics of sandpipers as they navigated the tide while snapping up food:
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| Sandpipers finding some nibbles. |
We did wait for low tide to take a peek at the tide pools. Before visiting, you will want to check out the tide schedule to note when low tide is for the day of your visit. Low tide will give you the opportunity to view the tide pools nestled along the rocks of Cannon Beach. You even can walk out to Haystack!
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| Visiting the tide pools and Haystack Rock. |
When you visit tide pools, it is important to walk on the sand and make sure you do not walk on organisms or on the rocks. During the summer, there are naturalists that help interpret and protect the tide pools. Unfortunately, too many people were allowing children to walk on the rocks so the naturalists had to close of the pools while we were there. Fortunately, we were able to see some earlier where we saw sea anemones:
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| Sea anemones in a tide pool. |
If you take a peek at the rock below, barnacles, mussels, snails and more should pop out:
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| Barnacle covered rock at Cannon Beach. |
Tasty Bites at Cannon Beach:
On our first visit to the beach, we sampled Pelican Brewing Company. Of course, we did need to sample craft beer brewed on the Oregon Coast. We ordered the sampler which I think was the perfect way to try Pelican's offerings. Being on vacation, my husband and I enjoyed the time to relax and sample beer. For our meals, I had the fish tacos which were a perfect lighter meal while exploring. My daughter had the Haystack Salad which among other ingredients featured Oregon hazelnuts. My husband savored the Tri-Tip Sandwich featuring slow smoked tri-tip topped with crispy onions.
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| Great menu and fabulous beer sample at Pelican Brewing! |
Shopping:
There are quite a few artisans in the Cannon Beach area. Some are near the main beach area and others are a bit further afield. So, Cannon Beach offers a great opportunity to bring home a unique made in Oregon gift. Near the beach, we found Icefire Glassworks which has been a working blown glass studio since 1971.
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| Icefire Glassworks in Cannon Beach, Oregon |
Cannon Beach definitely provided us with some of those true "wow" moments of our vacation. We loved it so much we visited twice! However, we tacked on some extra excursions with each visit. One visit led us to Ecola State Park and another to Cape Meares Wildlife Refuge which I will share about in future posts. The Oregon Coast is truly amazing and should be on your travel list!
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