Cannon Beach, Oregon

Cannon Beach is located just 90 minutes from our home in Portland, and is one of the more popular beach destinations in Oregon. We visited last week and enjoyed exploring the beach, tide pools and the roaring sounds of the Pacific Ocean’s crashing waves.

It is named for a cannonade which washed up on the beach after the sinking of the US Shark in 1846. The Navy schooner was attempting to cross the Columbia Bar when it hit land and sunk. This area is known as the Graveyard of the Pacific since hundreds of ships have sunk here since European explorers arrived in the area in the mid 18th century.

Today, Cannon Beach is famous for its beautiful beach with many rock formations, with Haystack Rock being the most famous. In 2013, National Geographic named it “one of the world’s 100 most beautiful places”. The town is also quite popular for its restaurants, shops and other amenities.

Located 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from the town of Cannon Beach, Haystack Rock stands an impressive 235 feet (72 meters) tall. There are some caves at the base of the rock which I found quite intriguing. It’s prohibited to go in them, but I tried to get some close-ups.

The group of rocks next to Haystack are called The Needles and also have some caves. Maybe someone left a treasure chest in them years ago; hmm.

The beach was most appealing for us. Beach combing has always been one of my favorite activities and I walked close to 5 miles each day just wandering along the beach.

The tide pools were packed with sea life including brightly colored sea stars, also known as starfish.

There was a marine biologist at the tide pools near the base of Haystack Rock one day. It was very interesting to listen to her and view the little sea critters she pointed out to the large group that had gathered around her.

I’m always amazed by the various things I find along the beach; driftwood in interesting shapes, various creations people leave behind (but not the garbage); there’s always so much to see.

The pattern made by the stream below as it meanders to the ocean is like a work of art.

Even though the weather was chilly during our stay, and the wind was wild, we saw many people walking barefoot and playing in the waves.

There are lots of dogs on the beach as well.

The town itself is filled with shops, restaurants, art galleries and a plethora of activities to enjoy, like wine and whiskey tastings.

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Cannon Beach. In fact, we’re going again next week, this time to a resort near Lincoln City.

What do you think of this stretch of the Oregon Coast? As always, I would love to hear from you, so leave a message if you’d like.

Check out theTravelsketcher’s recent posts to learn more about our recent activities.

Wishing you grand adventures,

Tricia