Cannon Beach: Perfect 1-Day Itinerary
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When people learn I write a blog about travel in the Pacific Northwest, the question they ask most often is where to take a day trip on the Oregon Coast. The short answer: Cannon Beach. I live in Portland and visit the coast as often as I can. I've been through every beach town and have spent at least a day in most of them. Cannon Beach has a winning combination of convenience, charm, and natural beauty. Only 90 minutes from the city, it’s a place to find great wildlife watching while still being close to shopping and restaurants. The long sandy shoreline has cool cliffs and sea stacks. The beaches nearby look like they’re straight out of a nature calendar. The main drawback is the crowds, which can be intense in the summer. Here’s my one-day Cannon Beach itinerary, planned to maximize your sightseeing and minimize headaches like circling for a parking spot. Enjoy!
Morning
Breakfast and coffee
Sleepy Monk Coffee
If you’re taking a day trip to Cannon Beach, you’ll have to rely on public parking rather than a hotel lot. The good news about parking in Cannon Beach is that it’s free and close to public restrooms. The bad news is that there aren’t enough spots on beautiful summer days, even on weekdays. Since the town gets more crowded towards the middle of the day, I’d suggest parking the car when you arrive and exploring on foot. Cannon Beach is very walkable and has easy access to the ocean from most places in town. If you leave Portland around 8:30 AM, you’ll be in Cannon Beach in time for a late breakfast. For something quick and easy, like coffee and a pastry to take to the beach, check out Sleepy Monk Coffee or Insomnia Coffee. For an excellent sit-down breakfast, try Lazy Susan’s or Sea Level Coffee.
Walk along the beach
Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach pops up all the time on lists of the most beautiful beaches in Oregon and beyond. Spending time by the ocean is an essential part of any day trip. The long sandy shore is perfect for a stroll, but the more rugged elements of the coastline are what make it special. Cliffs and sea stacks around Chapman Point frame the beach to the north. Headlands to the south fade gently from view in the marine layer. The main event is Haystack Rock. This 235-foot monolith is so distinctive that it’s become a symbol for the Oregon Coast. Part of its appeal is how close it is to shore. At low tide, you can walk up and admire the tidepool life at its base. Just don’t climb on the rocks. It’s a protected marine environment and also a favorite nesting site for seabirds. Bring good binoculars to look for common murres, cormorants, and tufted puffins perched on Haystack Rock.
Local tips
If you have trouble finding a parking spot, try Tolvanna Beach at the south end of Cannon Beach. It’s a little farther from the center, but you can still walk to Haystack Rock easily. As of October 2025, parking at Tolvanna requires an Oregon State Park Pass ($10/day). You can use the same pass for Ecola State Park (below).
If you use a mobility device or want to avoid walking on loose sand, check out Ocean Ave. The flat gravel road runs parallel to Cannon Beach for about six blocks and has views of Haystack Rock.
Walk through town and have lunch
Shops on Hemlock Street
Cannon Beach is one of the most charming towns on the Oregon Coast. Weathered cedar shingles cover the houses and shops along the pedestrian-friendly streets. In summer, flowers spill over from hanging baskets, window boxes, and front yard gardens. The town center has easy access to the beach, while still set back far enough to keep the coastline looking fairly natural. The center of the action is on Hemlock St, about a block away from the beach. Art galleries, restaurants, and boutique shops line either side of the street, making for great window-shopping on a stroll through town. My favorite way to explore Cannon Beach in one day is to walk down the beach in one direction and then come back through town as a little loop. For lunch, you have options. The first is to stock up on supplies and bring a picnic to one of the parks. The other is to stop at one of the restaurants in town (more on that below).
Afternoon
Ecola State Park
Ecola Point
Pass required: Oregon State Park Pass or Oregon Coast Passport. You can buy a day pass with a credit card ($10).
My favorite part of any Oregon Coast day trip is visiting the parks. You don’t have to go far from the center of Cannon Beach to feel like you’re somewhere wild and remote. The most photogenic spot is Ecola State Park at the north end of town. A short drive on Ecola State Park Road will bring you to one of the coast’s most famous viewpoints, Ecola Point, which gives you an incredible overhead view of Cannon Beach and its sea stacks. Below is Crescent Beach, which is only accessible on foot. To the west is Oregon’s most notorious lighthouse, Terrible Tilly, perched on a small basalt island about a mile offshore. After taking in the views, hike or drive to Indian Beach, where rugged cliffs surround a narrow bow-shaped strip of sand and cobbles. The viewpoints in Ecola State Park have great picnic areas with ocean views. For an active day, check out the hiking trails. Options range from the short but muddy Crescent Beach Trail to the long trek across Tillamook Head ending in Seaside, Oregon.
Learn more about Ecola State Park.
Explore the coast
Arcadia Beach
The rest of the one-day itinerary is flexible. You’ve seen the sights in town and are ready to explore more of the coast. You can head in either direction from Cannon Beach and find beautiful places, but I think the most interesting ones are to the south. Arcadia Beach is only a 5-minute drive from the town center. It has much of the same rugged beauty as Cannon Beach without the development. At low tide, look for some tidepools at the north end of the beach. If you peer past the rocks on shore, you’ll see Haystack Rock in the distance.
Hug Point
If you can find a parking spot around low tide (questionable), I highly recommend making Hug Point part of your Cannon Beach day trip. This nondescript stop along Highway 101 is full of hidden wonders. You can visit the beach anytime, but high tide will block access to the most interesting parts. At a low to medium tide, walk north around the first small headland to find a cove with a waterfall and sea caves. The next, larger headland is Hug Point, which has a manmade ledge around its base. Before the construction of Highway 101, early automobiles and wagons used this ledge to travel along the coast. You’ll see the wheel ruts once you get close. You can walk around Hug Point at a very low tide to reach the south end of Arcadia Beach. Make sure to keep your eye on the tide while you’re here to keep from getting stuck on the wrong side of the headland.
Learn more about Hug Point State Recreation Site.
Short Sand Beach
Pass required: As of October 2025, parking at Oswald West State Park requires the Oregon State Park Pass ($10/day). If you bought a pass for Ecola State Park, you can use it here, too.
If you only have one day to spend in Cannon Beach, I doubt you’ll have time to make it to Oswald West State Park, but I’m including it as an option just in case. About 15 minutes south of Cannon Beach, this park has unforgettable hiking trails, old-growth forests, and a gorgeous surfing beach. A good starting point is the family-friendly trail to Short Sand Beach. A 0.6-mile hike will take you past some enormous mossy Sitka spruce trees to a secluded beach ringed with forested cliffs. Since it’s tucked back in a cove, you’ll have shelter from the ocean winds. At low tide, look for tidepools at either end, especially around Blumenthal Falls, the waterfall that tumbles over the cliffs to the north. If the weather cooperates, you might want to bring a picnic and watch the sunset.
Learn more about Oswald West State Park.
Rainy day plans in Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach gets a lot of rainy days. Your best bet for good weather is in the summer, but it’s never a sure thing. Here are some suggestions for waiting out the showers.
The Cannon Beach History Center is a hidden gem of a museum with information about everything Cannon Beach-related, from history to ecology. It’s free to visit. When I went, there was coffee and cookies for visitors. The museum has old photos of people in Victorian dress visiting the Oregon Coast before the highway. You can also see the town’s namesake cannon, which washed up onto the beach near Arch Cape.
The shops in town offer more than the standard beach kitsch. Walk down Hemlock St to shop for anything from dog sweaters to books and artisanal soaps.
Visit the art galleries. Cannon Beach is best known for its glass blowing studios, but also has paintings, sculptures, jewelry, and such.
Check out the restaurants. Wayfarer is a good choice for a rainy day because you can sit by the window and watch the ocean without getting drenched.
Cafes and bars can be cozy places to wait out a storm. I’m partial to The Wine Shack.
Where to stay in Cannon Beach
Lodging in Cannon Beach is expensive in the summer and fairly reasonable the rest of the year. If your budget allows it, here are some great lodging options to check out.
The Tolvanna Inn has some of the most affordable oceanfront rooms in Cannon Beach. They overlook Tolvanna Beach, a little outside of the town center. It has an indoor pool, hot tub, gym, and parking.
The Cannon Beach Hotel Collection is centrally located on Hemlock Street and a block away from Haystack Rock. It has some of the more reasonably priced rooms in town while still being cute. Parking is included, as is an on-site cocktail bar.
The Surfsand Resort is right on the beach near Haystack Rock and next to the town center on Hemlock Street. It has a pool, hot tub, gym, and parking included. It also provided lounge chairs and umbrellas to bring to the beach.
The Hallmark Resort is an oceanfront property near Haystack Rock. It has a fantastic location, plus a spa, pool, hot tub, gym, free bike rentals, and parking.
Wildlife at Cannon Beach
Sea stars at Silver Point
One of the great things about a day trip to Cannon Beach is that you can see a lot of wildlife, even in a developed area. Here’s where to look.
At low tide, you can find tidepools around Haystack Rock, the sea stacks at Silver Point, and Indian Beach in Ecola State Park.
Ecola Point is the best whale-watching spot near Cannon Beach. It helps to be above the coastline to see more of the ocean.
Look for seabirds pretty much anywhere, especially Haystack Rock and Ecola State Park. Pelicans visit in the summer. Tufted puffins nest on Haystack Rock in late spring and early summer.
It’s possible to see seals or sea lions in and around Cannon Beach, but I see them more often in other places on the coast.
Elk visit Cannon Beach often. They walk through town and graze in front of businesses. I’ve seen them most often in the winter, especially a little after sunrise and a little before sunset. Make sure to keep your distance. They’re not shy, but they’re also not friendly.
Elk at Ecola Point
Cannon Beach packing list
Camera
Layers, including a waterproof rain jacket, like these for women or men.
If you’re hiking, the trails around Cannon Beach can get very muddy. I’d recommend hiking boots instead of sneakers. I love my Keen hiking boots. Here’s the men’s version.
Restaurants at Cannon Beach
The Driftwood has one of the most inviting patios in Cannon Beach
Cannon Beach has a solid restaurant scene. Here are some great spots to check out.
For being right on the beach, it’s surprisingly hard to find a restaurant in Cannon Beach with an ocean view. The exception is Wayfarer, which has big windows and a small patio overlooking Haystack Rock. The upscale pub food and drinks are good, although you pay a little more for ambiance. The other spot by the water is the Mo’s Seafood & Chowder by Tolvanna Beach. Think fish and chips, burgers, and such. Mo’s is polarizing among locals. I’d say the views are the draw here rather than the food.
If you’re not set on a beach view, I’d suggest Public Coast Brewing, a spot on the north end of town that focuses on seasonal and local ingredients. Some of them come from the farm off Highway 26 that you pass on the drive between Portland and Cannon Beach.
For the best fish and chips (by reputation, I’m a vegetarian), try Ecola Seafood Restaurant. On nice days, their upstairs patio is a treat.
The Bistro is a cozy restaurant tucked back in an alley. The Asian-inspired cuisine is great for special occasions and romantic dinners.
Getting there
The easiest way to reach Cannon Beach from Portland is by car. Take Highway 26 W to Highway 101 S. Continue for 3 miles, then take the exit for City Ctr/Ecola State Pk. The drive takes about 90 minutes.
You can also take the bus from Portland to Cannon Beach. The ride takes about 2 hours. The price is reasonable and you don’t have to worry about parking. Once you get to town, it’s very walkable. The downside is that it’s hard to explore much outside of town. Learn more about the Point bus or, on the weekends, the North Coast Express.
Enjoy your day in Cannon Beach!
With love,
Emma
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