Cannon Beach - Oregon, United States

Jul 31

Cannon Beach is just an hour and a half from Portland, just under an hour from Tillamook, and about 40 minutes from Astoria. The beach itself is very famous, however there are plenty of places to park either in the town of Cannon Beach or just a bit further south in Tolovana Park. You’ll have the most difficult parking the closer you are trying to be to Haystack Rock. The beach has a variety of different access points from hidden stairwells in-between houses to parking right next to the sand. Overall, Cannon Beach is incredibly accessible.

Being one of the most popular beaches in Oregon could make privacy hard to come by if you have nice weather on a weekend. However, if you get away from the town of Cannon Beach itself, I’ve found it very easy to have your own spot to drop your stuff or to set up a beach fire. Northern Cannon Beach is typically very crowded with a combination of locals and tourists staying in some of the nearby hotels. For the most privacy, I’d recommend parking in Tolovana Park and walking a bit north in-between Tolovana Park and the town of Cannon Beach.

On the way to the beach, there are plenty of local places to pick up some firewood for a beach fire. Once you get there, you have a fair amount of options for picking up rentals for surfboards, paddle boards, etc.

The beach is smooth and has enough compact sand where you will find people biking on it with ease. You can take the perfect walk on most parts of the beach depending on the tide and the time. Look out for the occasional jellyfish and make sure, when the tide is low, to check for starfish along the rocks near Haystack Rock!

The beach itself is amazing. I absolutely love Cannon Beach and I went at least 10 times when I was living out in Oregon. If you have a chance, I’d highly recommend checking it out

Ruby Beach - Washington, United States