Which direction to head along the coast?

Hello,

We%26#39;ll be over in late April. Which direction would you

recommend? Would like to go from Cannon Beach

to Florence. I originally planned on going to Florence

first and heading back up north, but what do you locals

think? Also, we%26#39;ll be there from Weds. morning to

Sat. night, so how long would you recommend

staying in each part of the coast? We%26#39;ve been to

Cannon Beach two times already, but never further

south than Tillamook. Ideally, we%26#39;d like to see many new things,

but opted to also include Cannon Beach because Ecola

State Park is one of my favorite places to visit. Thanks for

all your help and advice.

T. from Idaho

Which direction to head along the coast?

From what I understand and our preference..you want to drive on the side that is by the ocean, so from Cannon Beach South is the direction I would take. That makes it easier to just pull over to take photos and look at the phenomenal views!

Which direction to head along the coast?

phenomenal :O)

Scarlett is absolutely correct. Not only will you see more, it is safer b/c you will not be crossing south-bound traffic to get to the many sights on the west side of the highway.

Here%26#39;s part of a blurb I wrote recently:

';Cannon Beach: Ecola State Park and Haystack Rock are two of the biggest draws here and should not be missed.

Oswald West State Park: On Hwy 101, 11 miles south of Cannon Beach. You have to get out and walk to really appreciate what ';Os West'; has too offer, buit after a 1/3 mile walk into a beautiful rainforest, you will get your just reward! The Most beautiful spot on the Oregon Coast IMHO! Just south of the main developed areas of the park, Hwy 101 crosses over Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain. AT THE VERY LEAST, stop and take in the views from one of the many pullouts. If you%26#39;re up for it, a three mile hike to the top of teh mountain will certainly be a highlight of your trip.

Three Capes Scenic Route and Cape Meares and Cape Lookout State Parks, southwest of Tillamook. Beautiful drive, especially north to south. Visit Cape Meares Lighthouse.

(I%26#39;ll let phirl and others fill in the Lincoln City-Newport section).

Yachats. Spend a little time here. It%26#39;s a small town but it really is a gem. Right on a rocky bluff built out into the ocean. If fact, I hightly recommend staying here. The Overleaf consistently sits at the top of Oregon%26#39;s ranking for motels. If it too much for your budget, there are several others: The Fireside, next door to the Overleaf; The Adobe just a little further south; The Shamrock Lodgettes just south of the river. Aside from being charming and beautiful, it%26#39;s also centrally located to Newport and Florence. Just south of here is Cape Perpetua with arguably the best tide pools on the coast. They also have a wonderful visitor%26#39;s center and lots of hiking. If you like fish-n-chips, Try Leroy%26#39;s Blue Whale on Hwy 101 or for more ';fancy'; fare, The Drift Inn just south of Leroy%26#39;s.

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint, between Florence and Yachats. Considered the most photographed lighthouse on the entire west coast, you%26#39;ll see why!! There is a B%26amp;B in the Historic Keeper%26#39;s House as well.

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area (ODNRA) stretches from Florence, 42 miles to Coos Bay. Sand dunes are not normally associated with beauty, after all, they%26#39;re just sand dunes. But these are truly beautiful. I hightly recommend taking some time to view. Take a buggy ride or rent a quad if your up for it!';

Hope this helps!

~Den~

Certainly going south the best. but suggest you get south of Florence in 4 days trip. See the Dunes NRA.

If i had been to Cannon Beach twice and never south of Tillamook I would start in Tillamook. But since you have decided to go to Ecola SP, I suggest you don%26#39;t dally there and see some more of the coast. Think you will like that too.

Thanks for your reply phirl and everyone else

Phirl,

Is the central area of the coast equally

as beautiful as Ecola? I know, I%26#39;ve been

to Cannon before, and quite frankly the

town doesn%26#39;t mean that much to me,

so I am open to suggestions.

Here%26#39;s what I know so far-

Flying into Portland from Boise on

April 24, arrive around 7 pm, get rental

car and head out.

The 25th is our anniversary and I want to

stay somewhere special for that night,

the other nights I can budget.

We%26#39;re celebrating our 20th, so we%26#39;re not

partiers, however we enjoy wineries.

We don%26#39;t like crowds and I don%26#39;t want to stay

where there is a dog yapping next door to me.

We leave on Sun. the 29th in the morning from

Portland.

Plan on heading south as far as Florence and

returning to Portland via Eugene.

So, what do you recommend?

I keep looking at all the lodging and locations

and when I think I have my mind made up I change it

again, because something else looks better.

I%26#39;d love an expert to suggest a great

itinerary for us. Thank you so much.

T. from not so gorgeous S. Idaho

And yes, the dunes look fun!

Plan on stopping there.

I grew up on central coast. so where I go. though I don%26#39;t live there never really left were there this week-end and spend next week there.

I say I but also my wife prefers central coast.

Three Capes in Tillamook co can be most of a day. Pacific City still sort of unknown. neskowin in S Tillamook co also good stop.

Skip on by Lincoln City and spend time in Depoe Bay, Cape Foulweather, Otter Rock, Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Then nepwort can be a cull day Nye beach, Historic Bayfront, Aquarium. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse and SP

Several nice beaches between Newport and Yachats. Seal Rock is my favorite. Good tide pools.

You can take all day Yachats to Florence. Heceta head LH, Cape perpetuat, Dvils churn. I could go on, but south bound for all that stopping so much better.

I don%26#39;t know if this is in the area you are interested for your anniversary night, but just in case...10 miles South of Cannon Beach is Arch Cape. We stayed at the Inn@Arch Cape a couple of nights this past fall.

Every room has a huge bed and a fireplace..you can walk about half a block to the beach..Even windy and cold, it was wonderful and that fire at night..bliss.

Wow! Scartlett~

That looks perfect!

Thanks a million.

T.

Agree with the other writers--heading south is the way to go. Be sure to take the Three Capes drive, it gets you back along the coastline when Hwy 101 turns inland at Tillamook. We spent a couple of days over Thanksgiving at the Inn at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City--loved it! The Pelican Pub just across the street has very good food. Understand that there are several other good eateries in Pacific City, but most were closed when we were there on Thanksgiving Day.

We also liked the D Sands Condomium Motel in Lincoln City (right on the beach), Tyee Lodge B%26amp;B in Newport and Sea Quest B%26amp;B in Yachats.

Lots to see and do around the Lincoln City/Newport area. Also if you have not already been to the Blimp Hanger museum in Tillamook, so sure to check that out.