Exactly What to Do in Cannon Beach: A Complete Guide

Spend a Morning Hiking in Ecola State Park

While Cannon Beach itself is nice, the thing we really like about the town is its strategic location between two of the Oregon Coast’s best State Parks. 

The first of the duo that we’re going to talk about is Ecola State Park, which is on the point to the north of Cannon Beach. 

Lewis and Clark wrote about coming up and over Tillamook Head, the high point on the little peninsula that juts into the Pacific that is now home to Ecola State Park, and wrote “…from this point I beheld the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed…”

And it’s true that the view from Ecola Point, one of the most iconic views in Oregon looking out over Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock in the distance, is magical.

You can find it here on Google Maps (it’s the first parking lot you encounter driving into the park). 

But the real star of the show, we think, are the hikes within the boundaries of the park. 

There are essentially three hikes to choose from in Ecola State Park; The Crescent Beach Trail, the hike from Ecola Point to Indian Beach, and the Clatsop Loop Trail from Indian Beach. 

We’ve done all three, and we have some opinions on which hikes you should prioritize while you’re in Cannon Beach. 

First of all, skip the Clatsop Loop Trail, whose highlight is the view of Terrible Tilly, the tiny lighthouse off the coast, which is not really that magnificent or interesting. 

It’s a nice hike through a picturesque Sitka Spruce forest, but there aren’t many great views to be had, and there are other hikes we’d prioritize. 

Which leaves you with two hikes that start from the park’s main parking lot and go in opposite directions: the hike to Crescent Beach and the hike to Indian Beach. 

I’m going to give you the exact same advice that I gave the couple from Texas we met in the parking lot who asked me which hike they should do. 

Between the two beaches, I strongly prefer Crescent Beach because it’s one of the few beaches on the northern Oregon Coast that you can’t drive right up to, which makes it a much nicer place to be. 

However, the hike down to Crescent Beach is fine, but it’s completely forested until you get to the beach, and it’s basically straight downhill to the beach (via a set of switchbacks), and then straight back up. 

In terms of the trail itself, the hike to Indian Beach is better in almost every way: it’s more of a gradual climb and descent, it has better coastal views in a few different parts, and the forest of Sitka Spruce with the ferny undergrowth is about as nice as it gets. 

Indian Beach is definitely beautiful, but the fact that you can drive right up to it and the fact that it’s a big surfing destination means that it’s a little less serene than Crescent Beach. 

You could totally do both, since they’re not particularly long or difficult hikes, and enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the picnic tables looking out at Ecola Point. Sounds like a lovely morning to us!

Keep in mind that you will need either an Oregon State Parks Pass, which is a great investment for Oregon residents, or pay a day use fee of $10-$12 ($10 for Oregon residents, $12 for everyone else). 

If you’re visiting Cannon Beach as part of a broader road trip down the Oregon Coast, it would make financial sense to buy an annual pass, because there are countless areas that require it to park up and down the coast that will pay off financially.

If you’re just visiting Cannon Beach and the area nearby, there are machines onsite where you can pay for a day pass. 

Hike Out to Cape Falcon for Great Coastal Views

The second of the two state parks that sandwich the city of Cannon Beach is Oswald West State Park, which is a short drive south along Highway 101 from downtown Cannon Beach. 

Our favorite thing to do in Oswald West is to hike out to Cape Falcon, the point on the northern side of Short Sand Beach. 

The hike takes you through a dense Sitka Spruce forest en route to the tip of Cape Falcon, where you’ll have a great view out over Short Sand Beach and Smugglers Cove, with Neahkahnie Mountain in the distance. 

The hike itself is relatively easy, covering 4.5 miles with only 600 feet of elevation gain. There’s also a detour that you can take down to Short Sand Beach, which we’d do on the way back. 

It is absolutely worth noting here that the first time we did this hike, it was June and it was the muddiest hike we had ever done in our lives. 

Every single step for the first mile or so was through ankle deep mud. Do not wear anything – shoes, pants, shorts, shirts – that you are not okay with getting mud splatters on. 

It is also worth noting that we have done this hike during a dry period in the spring, and it was totally fine with just a couple of spots of mud that we were able to skirt around. 

Our advice is to check trail reports on AllTrails to see what you’re getting yourself into before you head out there. 

If you don’t take the detour down to Short Sand Beach, it’s worth stopping by the main parking lot (here on Google Maps) and walking out there after your hike.

It’s a nice beach, especially at low tide when there’s some marine life to see (at high tide, there’s not much beach to speak of!). 

Learn About Cannon Beach’s History

I love a good museum put together by the local historical society, and I highly recommend stopping in at the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum at the south end of town to take 15 minutes to learn about the story of the town, which has origins with Lewis and Clark’s famous expedition west. 

The best part? It’s completely free! 

First of all, I didn’t actually know why the town was called Cannon Beach until reading the very first signage here at the museum. Back in the 19th Century, a ship called the USS Shark capsized and washed ashore on what we now know as Cannon Beach (everyone survived). 

They went to go retrieve cannons, the most valuable part of the ship, and were able to get two of the three, but by the time they came back for the third, it had disappeared with the tide. 

Over the next few decades, that cannon played peek-a-boo with local residents, appearing at seemingly random times, which is how the area came to be known as Cannon Beach. 

They have the actual cannon that the beach was named after here at the museum, which was dug up by one of the homesteaders and displayed outside their house. 

Lewis and Clark famously came up and over Tillamook Head, which is to the north between Cannon Beach and Seaside, and Clark wrote the now-famous quote about the view of Oregon Coast; “From this point I beheld the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed…”

They came to the beach now known as Cannon Beach in search of whale oil, which they found and assigned the name “Ekoli” to the area, which is a Chinook word for whale and later became known as “Ecola”. 

The first homesteaders began to arrive later in the 19th Century, carving up the land around modern day Cannon Beach into 160 acre homesteads. 

The point is that it’s well worth stopping by the Cannon Beach History Center and Museum to spend 15 minutes learning about the origins of the town, and reading about the town’s history over the course of the last 200 years (ish). 

Enjoy the Coastal Views from the Top of Neahkahnie Mountain

If you’re looking for the best view of the Oregon Coast around Cannon Beach, there are two views that immediately come to mind for us. 

The first is Ecola Point, which is in Ecola State Park and is somewhere near the place where Clark wrote his famous quote about the majesty of the view that sprawled out in front of him. You can basically drive right up to that viewpoint, so it’s a popular one (for good reason). 

The second view that comes to mind is one that you can only reach by hiking three and a half miles of switchbacks to reach, and that is the view from the top of Neahkahnie Mountain, which looks south along the coast towards Manzanita and Nehalem Bay (and beyond). 

It’s a magnificent view, and the juice is worth the squeeze here. 

Now, we should say that the hike itself is nothing particularly interesting or special. It’s a set of forested switchbacks without any views along the way.

However, we’re big fans of a great view that you have to work for, and this hike absolutely checks that box by climbing 1,000 feet over about 1.7 miles, which puts it in the moderate or difficult category, depending on your fitness level. 

We want to reiterate that you shouldn’t underestimate this hike and attempt it in flipflops and swimtrunks, because there are places where footing is uneven and it gets muddy. Make sure to wear sturdy shoes, bring snacks, and have plenty of water. 

It’s important to note that there are actually two different trailheads for this hike, and one of them is significantly longer and more difficult. 

You want the southern approach, which starts from a trailhead that is a short drive along a dirt road off of Highway 101 (here on Google Maps). 

Admire Haystack Rock Around Sunset

Haystack Rock is probably the most famous sea stack on the west coast, and might also be the most iconic natural landmark in Oregon (although Multnomah Falls and Crater Lake may take that particular award). 

Once you see it for yourself, it’s pretty easy to understand why this 235 foot tall sea stack has captured the hearts of photographers, painters, writers, and other artists over the centuries. 

Every time we’re in Cannon Beach, we try to make it out to Haystack Rock around sunset, because the huge sea stack awash in the golden sunlight as the sun dips towards the horizon is really magical. 

Will it be busy? Yes. Is it worth braving the crowds? Also yes. 

If you come at low tide, there are some good tidepools at the base of Haystack Rock, though you should remember that this is a protected marine area, and you can’t take anything home (nor should you even touch things). 

Haystack Rock is also a really good bird-watching spot.

The rock is home to a colony of puffins, and there are usually ecologists on site that you can talk to if you want to learn about them and the other birds that call this area home. 

On our first trip to Cannon Beach years and years ago, we actually managed to catch a bald eagle being attacked by puffins after it had (allegedly) stolen an egg from them.

It was wild, and it was a good reminder that bald eagles are massive birds. 

Explore the Shops in Downtown Cannon Beach

Downtown Cannon Beach is a perfect example of the idea that “things can be two things.” 

On the one hand, it’s a charming little town with places to eat and drink, shops featuring work by local artists, and a nice beach a few blocks from the center of the downtown core. 

On the other hand, it’s absolutely packed to the gills with tourists, and the result is a lower hit rate on places to eat and drink that are actually good. 

It’s sort of like eating near the Eiffel Tower in Paris – you’re going to pay a lot for your meal, and the quality is probably going to be fairly average (because the location means there are always people around to eat there).

In this scenario, I guess Haystack Rock is the Eiffel Tower? 

Anyway, we do enjoy Cannon Beach, but it’s important to know where to go, because there are definitely some extremely overrated spots that have high prices and mediocre food. 

Here are some spots that are a combination of personal favorites and places that have been recommended to us, but we haven’t been ourselves (mostly because Matt has Celiac Disease and can’t eat gluten). 

Sea Level Coffee + Bakery: While it’s not in the downtown core (it’s a short drive south, but still in Cannon Beach), this is the best coffee shop in Cannon Beach, we think, and we make an effort to stop here every time we’re in town. They use Heart coffee (our favorite coffee roaster in Portland), and make their baked goods in-house. 

Insomnia Coffee Co: This is the best coffee that’s actually in downtown Cannon Beach, and there’s a perpetual line out the door.

Cannon Beach Smokehouse: A BBQ spot that gets constantly recommended, specifically for their brisket sandwich. We can’t eat here, but we’d be excited about it as an option in Cannon Beach if we could.

Ecola Seafood: Skip Mo’s down on Tolovana Beach and come here for fresh seafood, including chowder and fish and chips. 

Public Coast Brewing: The personal favorite, Public Coast is the place we go most often because they have great gluten free fish and chips, fried fish tacos, and onion rings that are made in a way that is safe for Matt to eat (they have dedicated gluten free fryers). Never had their beer, but we like their food, particularly if you need to eat gluten free. 

Anna’s Table: The place to go for a fancy dinner in Cannon Beach. Make a reservation, because it’s a small place and it does fill up. 

Cannon Beach Book Co: The locally owned bookstore in Cannon Beach. Worth a peruse if you’re a book lover like us! 

Visit the Tiny Town of Manzanita

Prior to our most recent trip to Cannon Beach (which was midweek in July), we realized that we had really never been to the town itself at peak time during the summer.

We often head out to Cannon Beach, but almost never during the summer because we know it’s a bit of a zoo. 

On this latest trip, it was, in fact, a zoo, but we spent most of our time down around the town of Manzanita, which is about 15 minutes south on 101. 

Manzanita feels like a place where people actually live, while Cannon Beach is very much a tourist town. There are certainly tourists in Manzanita, but the proportions definitely feel different, at least to us. 

Plus, the beach at Manzanita (including Neahkahnie Beach on the northern end) is our favorite stretch of wide, sandy beach on the northern coast (though there are several others to choose from that we’re going to cover below).

The main drag in Manzanita is Laneta Ave, which runs from Highway 101 all the way out to the beach. 

There are several coffee shops (we like Manzanita Coffee Co), some places to eat and drink (go to Steeplejack Brewing for craft beer and pub food and Manzanita Mudd Dogs for Chicago-style hot dogs), and a few boutiques that are fun to poke around in (including a pet store that our dog Lupine immediately keyed in on and dragged us into). 

There’s also a bookstore – Cloud & Leaf – where I managed to find a book that I had been meaning to grab at Powell’s in Portland, but hadn’t gotten around to it yet (the first Dungeon Crawler Carl book – support local bookstores!). 

We think it’s definitely worth spending a few hours in Manzanita, grabbing some food and a drink (or coffee) and taking a nice walk on the long stretch of beach that is accessible right from town. 

We’d also say that we prefer staying down on this stretch of the coast, where things tend to be a little cheaper and more low key than staying in Cannon Beach itself.  

Hit the (Other) Beaches

For obvious reasons, Cannon Beach (the beach itself) gets by far the most fanfare out of any of the beaches on this stretch of coast.

We’d put it down to the fact that Haystack Rock is, as we already covered, one of the most famous natural landmarks in the state. 

However, if you come to this stretch of coast and the only beach you visit is Cannon Beach, you’re missing out.

There are some really nice beaches south of Cannon Beach that see a tiny fraction of the crowds and are, in our opinion, equally spectacular. 

We’re going to give you our favorites, starting with the closest to Cannon Beach and working our way south to the Nehalem Spit. 

Worth noting that we’ve already covered Indian Beach and Crescent Beach in Ecola State Park, which we’d also include on this list. 

Tolvana Beach: This is basically the same beach as Cannon Beach, but the southern end.

You can get to Haystack Rock from here, and parking is a little less hard to come by than in Cannon Beach itself (parking at the lot itself requires an Oregon State Parks Pass or a day use fee).

This is a “bring your stuff and hang out” kind of beach. Find it here on Google Maps. 

Arcadia Beach: A really nice beach a few minutes south of Tolvana with parking for 15-20 cars and some nice sea stacks.

We happened to be here around low tide, when you can go around the corner to the north, where another sandy beach opens up in front of you. Find it here on Google Maps. 

Cove Beach: We tried to come to this “secret” beach on our last trip and found that all of the four parking spots were full (and there’s nowhere to park that isn’t on private property), so we had to bail. 

However, we were most excited for this beach because of the fact that there are so few parking spots, so there are far fewer people here. Find it here on Google Maps. 

Manzanita / Neahkahnie Beach: A long, sandy beach that is very similar to Cannon Beach (minus Haystack Rock), but sees a fraction of the crowds. We like the area furthest north (technically Neahkahnie Beach) which is more low key.

For what it’s worth, this was almost literally our first stop on our latest trip to the area. Find it here on Google Maps. 

Nehalem Bay: Our favorite beach of the bunch in terms of the scenery because it has the best example of dunes transitioning into the beach.

Drive to the end of the day use road and park at the big parking lot (here on Google Maps), which is a short walk over the dunes out to the beach. 

The only issue with the beaches here is the fact that they are always EXTREMELY windy. To the point where you can see the moving sand in most of Matt’s photos. 

It’s not a place to set up your umbrella and towel and chill on the beach, but it is one of the most scenic beaches on the northern coast with the nice dunes. 

Take a Day Trip: Astoria and the Three Capes Scenic Route

One of the other things we like about Cannon Beach is that it’s a central location for exploring the rest of the northern Oregon Coast, which includes two of our favorite stretches on the coast; Astoria, and the Three Capes Scenic route near Tillamook. 

If you have an extra day in Cannon Beach, both are worthy excursions, and which you choose kind of depends on what you’re into. 

Here’s a mini-guide to each. 

Drive North to the Northwest Tip of Oregon, Astoria

If you’re into learning about Lewis and Clark’s expedition to the Pacific, then Astoria is the place to go because it’s the place where they set up their home base. 

As someone who loves Oregon, but concedes that winters with the dreary weather and short days can be awful, I always find it funny that Lewis and Clark showed up to the area near Astoria in November, spent three wet months on the Oregon Coast constantly damp and freezing, and packed up to head back to St. Louis saying “this place sucks.”

We love Astoria in no small part because Matt read the book Astoria a few years ago, which is about how a financier from New York had the bright idea to make Astoria the New York City of the West Coast. 

When you think about it in the mindset of someone from the 19th Century, it sort of makes sense (this was before San Francisco and Los Angeles had been established as major ports). 

The fur trade was one of the most profitable businesses in the Pacific Northwest, and it had been dominated by the British. 

Astor set out to get a cut of that business, and then take those furs to Asia, bringing back goods from China to sell in American markets to create a nice little trade loop that would make him even richer than he already was. 

What followed was an unfortunate, but slightly amusing, series of events that saw two separate expeditions – one by land, one by sea – crash and burn (almost literally) as they ventured west.

And, SPOILER ALERT, Astoria did not, in fact, become the NYC of the west coast. Mostly because they were completely unprepared for dealing with, well, anything they found in the Pacific Northwest. 

However, Astoria is well worth your time as a visitor because it has a nice waterfront promenade, two of Oregon’s best O.G. craft breweries (Buoy and Fort George), the consistent pick for the best fish and chips on the Oregon Coast (Bowpicker), and plenty of charm. 

We have an entire guide to our favorite things to do in Astoria, which you should read for more detail on what to do and see in town.

Drive the Three Capes Scenic Route (+Tillamook)

If you head south from Cannon Beach, you’ll hit another of our favorite stops on the Oregon Coast, Tillamook and the Three Capes Scenic Route. 

First, let’s talk about Tillamook. In our humble opinion, the only reason to stop in Tillamook itself is the Tillamook Creamery, which we always make an effort to stop at when we’re nearby. 

You can get a huge variety of their cheeses (including cheese curds, which are only available at the factory) and scoops of their ice cream (Matt’s family’s favorite is chocolate peanut butter with the thick and gooey ribbons of peanut butter). 

The real magic of Tillamook is the coastal route that takes you to three capes; Cape Meares and the cool lighthouse, Cape Kiwanda and the sandy dunes and surfers, and Cape Lookout with a nice beach and a great coastal hike (the Cape Lookout Trail). 

It’s a nice scenic drive that will take you about half a day (not including hiking time), and you’ll cover one of the most impressive stretches of the Oregon Coast. 

You definitely want to stop at the beach at Cape Lookout State Park (even if you’re not hiking the trail), along with the sand dunes to the north of Cape Kiwanda and the lighthouse at Cape Meares. 

We also really like Tunnel Beach in Oceanside, which is a cool beach that you have to pass through a tunnel to access along the route just south of Cape Meares (here on Google Maps). 

For a perfect day trip, head out in the morning along the coastal route, hitting the three capes and beaches along the way, and then drive Highway 101 back north, stopping at the Tillamook Creamery for a good post-hike treat before returning to Cannon Beach.

This is what it looks like on a map.

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