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Cannon Beach is a small town on the northern Oregon coast, known for its wide sandy shoreline and the basalt sea stack called Haystack Rock that rises from the surf. The town takes its name from a cannon from a shipwrecked U.S. Navy schooner that washed ashore in the nineteenth century. Its walkable center has a quiet, artsy character, with galleries, cafés and weathered cedar-shingled buildings.
Haystack Rock is the focal point. At low tide, visitors explore the tide pools around its base, where volunteers from the Haystack Rock Awareness Program help explain sea stars, anemones and other intertidal life. In spring and summer, tufted puffins nest on the rock, one of the more accessible places in the lower 48 states to see them. North of town, Ecola State Park offers forest trails and coastal viewpoints from Ecola Point, while Indian Beach is popular with surfers and serves as a trailhead for the Clatsop Loop. South of town, quieter stretches include Tolovana Beach, Arcadia Beach and Hug Point, where a historic road was carved into the cliff.
The town suits couples, families and anyone wanting a slower coastal stay of long beach walks and good meals. Oswald West State Park, a little farther south, adds forested trails and a sheltered cove. Weather is changeable year-round, and summer weekends bring crowds, so shoulder seasons are often more relaxed.
WiserMap travel guideCannon Beach Oregon Haystack Rock Puffins and Tide PoolsPlan a Cannon Beach trip: Haystack Rock tide pools and puffins, Ecola State Park, Hug Point, Oswald West, seafood, where to stay, tides, seasons and a short pla...Read the guide
A small, walkable seaside village of weathered cedar-shingled buildings filled with art galleries, bookshops, cafes, bakeries and seafood restaurants, just a block from the beach. Flower boxes and public art line the streets. Parking can be tight in summer, so park once and explore the village on foot.
A huge basalt sea stack rising about 235 feet from the beach, one of the most famous landmarks on the Oregon coast. It is part of a protected marine garden and wildlife refuge. At low tide you can walk to its base to see tide pools, but climbing the rock is not allowed. Watch for incoming tides.
At low tide, the rocks around Haystack Rock reveal pools full of sea stars, green anemones, crabs and mussels. Volunteers from the Haystack Rock Awareness Program are often on the beach with spotting scopes and tips. Check tide tables, walk only on sand and bare rock, and never pull creatures off the rocks.
Haystack Rock is one of the most accessible places in the lower 48 states to see tufted puffins, which nest in burrows on the grassy upper slopes from about April to August. The best views are in the early morning and evening. Bring binoculars, and look for volunteers with scopes near the rock.
A headland in Ecola State Park just north of town, with sweeping views south over Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock and out to the old Tillamook Rock Lighthouse offshore. Short paths lead along the bluff through spruce forest. A day-use fee applies, and the narrow park road can close after storms, so check first.
Indian Beach is a rocky cove in Ecola State Park popular with surfers and tide pool explorers. From here, the Clatsop Loop Trail climbs about 2.5 miles through old forest over Tillamook Head, following part of a route used by the Lewis and Clark expedition. Expect muddy sections, and wear good shoes.
A quieter stretch of sand just south of Haystack Rock, with a beach wayside that has parking and restrooms. It is a good spot for long walks, kite flying and watching the sunset, with views back to Haystack Rock. At low tide you can walk north along the beach to the rock and its tide pools.
A small state recreation site a few miles south of Cannon Beach, with a short path down to a sandy beach framed by rocky headlands and sea stacks. Tide pools appear at low tide, and it is usually much quieter than the beaches in town. It makes a peaceful picnic stop on a drive along Highway 101.
A beach south of Cannon Beach where a waterfall pours onto the sand and sea caves line the cliffs. At low tide you can walk around the point on an old wagon road carved into the rock, used before Highway 101 was built. Visit only at low tide, as the rising water can cut off the point quickly.
A forested park south of Cannon Beach where a short trail through old-growth trees leads to Short Sand Beach, a sheltered cove popular with surfers. Other trails climb to Cape Falcon and Neahkahnie Mountain for big ocean views. Parking along the highway fills quickly on sunny weekends, so come early.
A small museum in town that tells the story of Cannon Beach, from Native peoples and the Lewis and Clark expedition to early settlers and beach cottages. It explains how the town was named after a cannon that washed ashore from the wrecked naval ship USS Shark in 1846. Entry is low-cost or by donation.
One of the oldest sandcastle contests on the West Coast, held on the beach in Cannon Beach each year since the 1960s, usually in early summer. Teams build detailed sand sculptures at low tide, and visitors walk among them before the tide returns. Check the date in advance and book lodging early that weekend.
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Log in to add photosPhoto: King of Hearts, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
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Photo: Dima Sergiyenko; Please attribute this image as the work of "DiscoverWithDima.", Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Gary Halvorson, Oregon State Archives, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
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Photo: Casey Helton, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: John Brighenti from Rockville, MD, United States, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
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Photo: King of Hearts, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
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Photo: Jeff Gunn from Atlanta, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Jeff Gunn from Atlanta, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Photo: Jeff Gunn from Atlanta, USA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
