Manzanita: Perfect Day Trip Itinerary
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The best way to visit Manzanita isn’t with a jam-packed travel itinerary. Instead, it’s a peaceful place to enjoy time by the ocean without a pressing agenda. Small and compact, you’ll have plenty of time to see the highlights on a day trip, although the beauty of the area might tempt you into a long weekend. Don’t get me wrong. It can get busy on summer weekends. If there’s a heat wave in Portland, it’ll be packed, but it will always be a quieter alternative to Cannon Beach. I live in Portland, and Manzanita is one of my favorite day trip spots on the Oregon Coast. Here’s how to plan a relaxing yet memorable one-day itinerary.
Manzanita Beach
Morning
Coming from Portland, it takes about 90 minutes to reach the Oregon Coast, then another 15 or so to Manzanita. On the way, you’ll pass through Oswald West State Park, one of the most popular and stunning in Oregon. If you leave Portland around 8 AM, you’ll arrive before 10 AM, which is a great time to snag a parking spot before the lots start filling up. If you have trouble walking on unpaved trails or aren’t into hiking, skip ahead to the viewpoints section. Otherwise, I’ve got a few suggestions for short hikes with big rewards.
Local tip: Oswald West State Park added a parking fee in October 2025 ($10/day). You can buy a day pass with a credit card when you arrive or use an annual Oregon State Park Pass. I think the park is worth the fee, but if you have a tight travel budget, skip ahead. The beach at Manzanita is free.
Short Sand Beach
Short Sand Beach
From the parking lot next to Highway 101, an easy, 0.6-mile trail leads through a mossy old-growth forest to the spectacular Short Sand Beach. If it’s your first time visiting Oswald West State Park, I’d suggest starting here. Conifer-covered hills surround this hidden cove, protecting it from strong ocean winds and making it a popular surfing destination. Besides the little picnic area, you won’t see signs of human development. It’s just you and the cliffs and the waves. Well, and often quite a few other visitors, but you’re getting there early, so it won’t be too packed. On the south side of the beach is Neahkahnie Mountain. On the north side, Blumenthal Falls tumbles down the cliffs of Cape Falcon. At low tide, look for tidepools at either end. Restrooms are at the parking lot and at the picnic area by the beach.
More in Oswald West State Park
Devil’s Cauldron
Most people who visit Oswald West State Park stop after seeing Short Sand Beach. If you’re only spending one day in Manzanita, you might want to head into town at this point. I’ll quickly mention a few more of the hiking trails in the park to give you your options, and because the nature things are my favorite part of a Manzanita day trip.
The Cape Falcon Trail continues from Short Sand Beach to a viewpoint at the end of the cape, about 5 miles round-trip. Heads up, this trail is VERY muddy for most of the year. Expect to return so covered in mud that you’ll be a little embarrassed to go into a restaurant afterwards.
The Elk Flats Trail branches into two trails right away. To the right is the Devils Cauldron Viewpoint (kid-friendly). To the left is a viewpoint overlooking the Neahkahnie cliffs (not kid-friendly). If you do both, it’s about a mile of hiking. This hike starts from a separate trailhead that doesn’t require a parking pass.
The hike up Neahkahnie Mountain leads to phenomenal views from the summit. You can get there in several ways. The shortest and easiest is from the south trailhead, about 3 miles round-trip. The trailhead has a parking lot that doesn’t require a parking pass.
Learn more about Oswald West State Park.
Manzanita viewpoints
Manzanita looks tiny from the viewpoints
If you’ve been skimming up until now in hopes of a non-hiking activity, I've got you. After leaving Oswald West State Park, Highway 101 wraps around the side of Neahkahnie Mountain before descending to Manzanita. A series of viewpoints next to the highway overlooks the coastline from 700 feet above the waves. Pull over at any or all of them to gaze down at Manzanita, looking like a cluster of white specks in the forested hills. To the south are the Nehalem Spit and Cape Meares.
The road itself is almost as impressive as the views. It runs on top of what looks like the wall of a castle that got swallowed by a mountain. Skilled masons built this stretch of the highway in the 1930s as part of the Works Progress Administration. Standing at the viewpoints, it seems impossible that workmen could have set the stones in place without the help of heavy machinery or sophisticated safety equipment. Yet, build it they did, and with an eye for beauty as well as function.
Afternoon
Laneda Ave
Laneda Ave
Unless you tackle a long hike in the morning, you’ll arrive in Manzanita in time for lunch. Head to Laneda Ave, the one street with almost all of Manzanita’s shops and restaurants. Like a smaller version of Cannon Beach’s Hemlock St, Laneda Ave is an inviting and walkable town center set away from Highway 101. Street parking is free, but gets busy on summer weekends.
Local tip: Look for public restrooms at the Visitor Center near the beach access at the end of Laneda Ave, and at the corner of Laneda Ave and 5th St by the basketball court.
Moxie Fair Trade
The first stop is lunch. Restaurant options vary depending on which day of the week you visit, but you can always find a good meal somewhere, like the giant burritos at Left Coast Siesta or the brunch sandwiches at Yolk. After lunch, taking a stroll down Laneda Ave is one of the highlights of a Manzanita day trip. Between Highway 101 and the beach are about six blocks of tourist-friendly shops with a little of everything from candy stores to art galleries.
Cloud & Leaf Bookstore has a little reading nook tucked back behind the shelves.
Moxie Fair Trade has a fun collection of products that support small-scale artisans and makers. The shop’s goal, in the words of the owner who was working the register when I visited, is to make people leave feeling better than when they entered.
Manzanita News & Espresso is a coffee shop with a wonderful covered patio out front.
Manzanita Grocery & Deli is a small family-owned grocery store with a hot bar for takeaway food.
Dixie’s Vino is a cozy bottle shop and tasting room.
The sculpture garden on Laneda Ave is one of Manzanita’s best hidden gems. It’s part of the Hoffman Center for the Arts, the art studio across the street. If you have more than one day to spend in Manzanita, check out their classes and events.
Winery at Manzanita
Huzzah, we’ve reached the happy hour part of the itinerary. One of my favorite spots in town is the Winery at Manzanita. The front patio has comfy Adirondack chairs and fire pits. Looking west, you see a sliver of the ocean at the end of Laneda Ave. The wine comes from Pacific Northwest grapes sourced from the Willamette Valley and the Columbia Valley. If you visit on a typical drizzly day on the Oregon Coast, the inside space is a warm escape from the rain.
Manzanita Beach
Manzanita Beach
If you’re on Laneda Ave, you don’t need to move the car to get to the beach. Just head west until the end of the road, and you’re there. The shoulder along Ocean Rd also has free parking.
Manzanita Beach is around seven miles long. It’s a similar experience no matter which beach access you use. Grassy dunes line the sand. To the north, Neahkahnie Mountain looms large. Unlike Cannon Beach, you won’t see sea stacks here. Instead, it’s a peaceful place to take a walk, watch the waves, do some beach-combing, or build a sandcastle. Manzanita Beach enjoys some protection from Neahkahnie Mountain, so there’s often less fog here than in other nearby parts of the coast. Depending on when you need to wrap up your day trip, it can be a great place to watch the sunset.
Local tip: If you’re returning to Portland after your day trip in Manzanita, the traffic coming into town can be gnarly, more so on weekdays during rush hour. If you have an early-ish dinner in Manzanita, say around 6 PM, then leave at 7, you’ll miss the worst traffic and get back to Portland around 8:45 PM. Weekends are more flexible.
Manzanita Beach
Where to stay in Manzanita
Hotels and vacation rentals
Beyond day trips, Manzanita is a great home base for a long weekend. Since it’s a small town without a ton of lodging, I’d suggest booking your stay as soon as you know your travel plans, especially in the summer. Other seasons are easier to find last-minute rooms. Lodging is also much cheaper during the off-season.
The Spinn is a good budget option with a great location. It’s on Laneda Ave, a block from the ocean.
The Inn at Manzanita is a more deluxe option across the street from the Spinn. Some rooms have partial ocean views.
The Sand Dune Inn is just off Laneda Ave. It’s a little farther from the beach, but still an easy walk.
Besides hotels, Manzanita has some cool vacation rentals, like this house with fantastic ocean views.
Camping
Just south of Manzanita is the Nehalem Bay Campground. This large year-round campground is on a sandy spit between the ocean and Nehalem Bay. It’s a short walk to the beach, and the dunes give the campsites protection from the wind. It has restrooms, hot showers, a dump station, and playgrounds. Besides the RV and tent sites, it has 18 yurts.
Getting there
The fastest and most convenient way to travel from Portland to Manzanita is by car. The drive takes about 1 hour and 45 minutes from downtown. Once you’re in Manzanita, things are pretty walkable. You’d need a car to get to most of the beaches and trails outside town.
It’s possible to travel from Portland to Manzanita on the bus through the NW Connector. You take a bus to Cannon Beach, then transfer to the bus to Manzanita.
Explore near Manzanita
How to spend a perfect day in Cannon Beach.
Visit the hidden waterfall and old stagecoach road at Hug Point.
