Visit Cannon Beach

With incredible scenery, activities, shops, restaurants and festivals to keep visitors around, Cannon Beach is a classic Oregon Coast destination for good reason. This quaint oceanside town is the home of Haystack Rock, an iconic 235-foot-tall sea stack, and it’s a great place for tidepooling and beachcombing (and, of course, those Instagram moments). People love seeing the tufted puffins at Haystack in spring and summer, but the rock offers great birdwatching year round. The first thing many do in Cannon Beach is head straight to the shore, which offers many public access points. Popular activities here include surfing, wildlife watching, hiking, kite-flying and more. Be sure to head to nearby Ecola State Park, Crescent Beach, Indian Beach, Hug Point, and Oswald West State Park. In town, spend your time art gallery hopping, museum browsing and enjoying world-class beer, wine and spirits in local breweries, restaurants and bars.

While summer is the most popular time of year in Cannon Beach, many love to visit year-round. In spring and fall, weather is typically mild but you may find that beaches and parks are less crowded. In the winter, known by locals as the Quiet Season, there is still much to explore in Cannon Beach. Storm watching is a veritable activity on the Oregon Coast – whether you choose to do that from the warmth of an oceanfront room or out in the wild conditions on the cliffs of Ecola State Park. Winter also happens to be peak season for whale-watching on the Oregon Coast, so be sure to visit this area in all seasons.