Favorite cities to visit along the coast. (Portland, Coos Bay: motel, houses)
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I'm planning a trip to see all that Oregon has to offer. What are some of your favorite cities along the coast to visit? I don't know if it makes a difference, but I'm probably going to be there in the summer.
So far I have only been to Astoria, Seaside and Canon Beach. Those are all located along the northern coast, about 80 miles from Portland. Out of all the three, Canon beach is a must see. I think it is one of the most beautiful beaches in North America. Canon Beach has the famous haystack rock, a 235 foot rock located right along the shore. Right next to canon beach is Ecola state park which has a beautiful, fairy tale like view of Canon beach and the coastal range mountains. Below is a picture of the beach, where Haystack rock can be seen in the background. On most days the beach is very quiet(haven't been there in the summer though) and you don't have to worry about a packed beach full of loud out of town tourists, which you will almost always find on the east coast.
Cant wait to hear about other nice towns on the coast. I will be visitng a few in the summer as well.
My visits to the coast are focused on the central part of the state - Lincoln City, Depoe Bay and Newport.
Lincoln City is long and spread-out - it actually used to be five towns that merged a few decades ago. So if one part of town doesn't appeal, just drive on a bit.
Depoe Bay is the smallest of the three - a jewel of a downtown with a wonderful seawall.
Newport has two lighthouses, the cute Nye Beach area, a very active bayfront and the Oregon Coast Aquarium.
oregon has such wonderfully different beaches for each preference. My fav. spots start about Depoe Bay and continue south. Yachats has some incredible places to watch the ocean sprays, w/secluded little sandy beaches spotted here and there. Florence to Coos Bay has got long stretches of wide sandy shores that you can walk on, ride horses or ATVs for miles and miles and miles. Then, it gets back to those rocky shores, w/HUGE rocks dotting the shoreline and looking like small rocky islands just out of reach. Tide pools hold treasures from tiny little crabs about the 1/2 the size of a penny, to huge different covered starfish that can be found bigger than dinner plates. My kids love to find the colorful and interactive sea anemones. My oldest thinks the teeny ones are adorable, and my son thinks the huge ones are the best. He found one recently that was about the size of his head! You can find agates sand dollars sea shells and sea glass. If lighthouses float your boat, you can find some neat ones along the coast. Out of Florence is the larges seacave and its full of noisy stinky sealions. lol you can pay and go down into the cave and see em fairly close (through a wire fence) or you can stop off along numerous spots of the coast and see/hear them that way.
I love the beaches where you can walk for miles and never see another soul. Where you can find agates the size of a childs fist and see only your footprints in the sand. Thats why I like it best from Depoe Bay down. I live here along the coast, and if you look down in the Oregon forum, you'll find some posts about our coastline and some of the opinions of those of us who live along it. OregonBeachLover is up in Lincoln City area and can give some great tips about that area, Im in Coos Bay, and my haunts are DepoeBay thru to Brookings. If you put in Beach or Coast in your Oregon search, you'll find several threads that you might find helpful.
Good luck and I hope you have fun planning your trip!!! Hope youve got a long time to explore our coast!
Amongst the northern cities, I found Cannon Beach to be nice but kind of too cute. Seaside had a chain store/motel feel to it that I found very "meh" (didn't stop for long though). Astoria was cool. Had neat architecture, steep hills, a nice downtown area, and an awesome bridge. In short it had lots of "character". Supposedly there is tower you can go up in with great views, but haven't seen that yet. The only downside is that it's not really on the ocean, despite being surrounded by water. Tillamook is another "meh" town but you don't care cause it's so close to the "three capes loop" drive with is incredibly scenic. Each cape (Mears, Lookout, Kiwanda) has something special to offer. Oceanside and Pacific City are nifty little towns on this route. As for Tillamook there is the cheese factory, and an airplane museum. Manzanita (sp?) is another nice town with a beach tucked off 101 a bit. Very cute, but not in the touristy Cannon Beach way.
In the south I liked Port Orford. Actually I don't remember the town so much, I just loved the drive directly south on 101. The most remote, beautiful part of the coast.
There are too many places to mention, but here are a few things...
In Newport, be sure to visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center. It's awesome & free (they ask for donations).
Heading south, be sure to stop at the visitor's center and general area of Cape Perpetua- my #1 favorite area I'll share with the public. (I know a couple of hidden beaches, but my lips are sealed)
I love the history around Astoria. Lewis & Clark and Fort Clatsop, Fort Stevens, the Astor Column, recognizing all the movie filming sites from Kindergarten Cop & The Goonies.
I think the drive between Cannon Beach (which is too chi-chi for my taste) and Tillamook has the prettiest scenery with some quiet little towns along the way. Seaside's awful touristy, but I remember my youth, when it wasn't quite so crass. And it does have a nice beach and I love the boardwalk.
I could skip over Lincoln City - it's too crowded and I don't care about casinos.
The south coast has great lighthouses. And the Dunes are spectacular.
I love the history around Astoria. Lewis & Clark and Fort Clatsop, Fort Stevens, the Astor Column, recognizing all the movie filming sites from Kindergarten Cop & The Goonies.
I think the drive between Cannon Beach (which is too chi-chi for my taste) and Tillamook has the prettiest scenery with some quiet little towns along the way. Seaside's awful touristy, but I remember my youth, when it wasn't quite so crass. And it does have a nice beach and I love the boardwalk.
I could skip over Lincoln City - it's too crowded and I don't care about casinos.
The south coast has great lighthouses. And the Dunes are spectacular.
My #1 favorite hike on the glorious Oregon coast is the old Masthead (now I think they call it the Cascade Head Trail) Trail. Go to Ecole State Park, head to the parking area at Indian Beach and the trailhead is at the west end. Do NOT take the forest service road, but stay left and you'll have a hike filled with dramatic ocean cliff views, Terrible Tillie (rock island lighthouse), old growth trees... When you reach the boy scout camp (can't miss it as it has a few bunking areas), deviate west from the trail and go to an old WWII bunker area for the coast watch group. Lots of fun!
HOWEVER, when done, go to the fish market/small restaurant across from the library there in Cannon Beachand have the best beer battered fish (or shrimp) & chips on the Oregon coast. Makes for a delicious afternoon!!!
One of the most memorable and best trips I ever made was from about Cannon Beach all the way south to Eureka, CA. I had a few days allotted to it and just stopped at anyplace that looked interesting and took little hikes. The varied beauty of the Oregon Coast can't be beat unless your idea of a coast line is to sunbathe on sand. The southern coast line below Bandon is not very populated but is breathtakingly beautiful. There is a lot of variety so if one place isn't to your liking, just move on and another place will be. In my opinion, it is hard to go wrong with anyplace you go to. It does get crowded in summer.
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