Road Trip Along the Oregon Coast Day 1 - 2: Seattle to Newport
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The first two days of our Oregon Coast road trip took us from our home in Seattle to Newport, OR. We explored the cute towns, tide pools and gorgeous beaches of Oregon’s north coast and made it to the central coast. Below details each stop we took along the way, the best places to stay and additional stops to add to your itinerary. We did this road trip with our two kids, aged 3 & 4, but it can be modified for any group. For the full itinerary and the overview of our entire trip along the Oregon Coast, visit our article here.
Overview
Day 1 - Seattle, WA to Seaside, OR. 4 hours total driving depending on traffic. Stops at:
Astoria Column
Seaside Beach
Day 2 - Seaside, OR to Newport, OR. 3 hours total driving. Stops at:
Cannon Beach
Hug Point State Park
Tillamook Creamery
Three Capes Scenic Loop
Otter Crest Loop
Newport
map of route
Where to spend the night
Look back at our article about the overview of planning a trip along the Oregon Coast if you need help deciding how to break up your road trip along the coast. If you are following this itinerary with the pacing of your trip, here are some places I would recommend staying at for the first two nights.
Night 1
I would recommend staying in Astoria, Seaside or Cannon Beach – or anywhere between. Which of these cities you pick depends on what your goals and price range are. This itinerary is a fairly fast paced trip down the coast, trying to maximize on variety rather than slowing down and getting a deeper look at each place. Both Seaside and Cannon Beach – especially due to their proximity to Portland – are great destinations in their own right for an entire multi-day stay to just relax and enjoy the coast. Many hotels and resorts around here are meant for families staying more than just one night. If you are wanting to take the Oregon Coast slower, it might be worth doing two nights in this area and having more time to relax on the beach.
Cannon beach is the most expensive of the three and has a more relaxing and upscale feeling. Cannon beach has the best scenery and a cute downtown. In Cannon Beach, the Hallmark Resort and Schooner’s Cove Inn are both excellent properties.
Astoria is a great choice if you are traveling to the Oregon Coast from a farther starting point and want to minimize the hours in the car on your first day. Or if there is a lot of activities you want to do in Astoria. Astoria definitely has the most activities out of these options. You can also typically get a better value on a hotel. The vibes here are less touristy beach escape and more a quaint historic town. There is a wide range of food options in Astoria for dinner and breakfast the next day. In Astoria, Astoria Riverwalk Inn and Hotel Elliott offer a great location, views and amenities.
We stayed in Seaside. Seaside is the more kid-friendly of the three, has access to a nice beach, cute downtown and lots of casual food options. We were able to find the best value accommodations for the night we would be there, on the edge of Seaside. We stayed at the Quality Inn right off of highway 101. While it was not beachfront, it was a short distance from the beach. We were looking for an accommodation that is nice enough for the short time we were going to actually in the room. Meaning, just the time we were sleeping. If you are wanting a beach front hotel, Ebb Tide Oceanfront Inn is a great option.
Night 2
If you are following our pace, Newport and close by is the prefect place to stop. Newport has a lot of activities and sights worth spending longer at. If you are taking the Oregon Coast at a slower pace, I would recommend spending more time on the Three Capes Loop and stopping there at a place like Pacific City.
In Newport, we stayed at The Comfort Inn, which was just a short walk to the beach and was the most affordable when we went. It had a basic free breakfast in the morning as well. We often looked for places with free breakfasts to reduce our food charges and to save us time.
Newport has several other great options if you are looking for something a bit more upscale like Ocean House or moderate like Hallmark Resort.
Seattle to The Oregon Coast
Penny Playground
The drive from Seattle to the first stop along the Oregon Coast takes about 3 hours depending on traffic. To minimize traffic, especially around Seattle, plan to leave between 10am - 2pm on weekdays or before 7am. On weekends, lowest traffic is typically experienced in the mornings before 10am. Most of the drive follows I-5 till you get close to the border where you take US-30 to Astoria, OR.
Possible stops along the way
If you wanted to break up the drive or visit some of the unique places along the way, here are some options for stops. While none of these are must-sees for this road trip, they are all great places to see.
Pacific Bonsai Museum and Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden – Just before Tacoma. These two gardens are right across from each other.
Tacoma – Can visit the Museum of Glass for live glassblowing demos or Point Defiance Park for the zoo and gardens or a quick stop for lunch
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge – Flat boardwalk trails to do some birdwatching and enjoy the nature.
Penny Playground – Near the halfway point, great large accessible playground. This is where we stopped and played and ate our picnic lunch we packed from home.
Lake Sacajawea Park – beautiful city park to explore in Longview, WA with a Japanese garden and playground. Right before heading over the bridge to Oregon.
Astoria Column
Astoria, Oregon is our first stop along the Oregon Coast. Astoria is the oldest settlement west of the Rockies and sits right along where the Columbia River meet the Pacific Ocean – one of the most dangerous river mouths. Astoria is also well known for being the filming spot for The Goonies. Astoria is a very cute town with Victorian style colorful old homes, often foggy weather, a massive bridge and a large column on a hill above town. While you could spend a whole day exploring all the gems of this town, we focused just on the Astoria Column.
The Astoria Column sits atop Coxcomb Hill and honors the Pacific Northwest and those who settled here. The 125-feet high column was finished in 1926. You can climb to the top of the tower and get a beautiful panoramic view of the start of the Oregon Coast, the Columbia River, Washington and the city of Astoria. If you stop by the gift shop before heading up you can buy a glider that you can launch off at the top of the column and watch it float in the wind. Visiting and walking up the column is free, but parking does cost $5. The parking is valid for the whole year, so if you are staying in Astoria or coming back another time, you won’t have to pay again. The illustrations on the column itself tell the history of the area from the Lewis and Clark Expedition to meetings with the Chinook and Clatsop Tribes.
Other places to visit in Astoria:
Columbia River Maritime Museum – excellent museum with a large collection of maritime artifacts of the Pacific Northwest that tell the history of people interactions with the Columbia river and Pacific ocean in this area. Admission is $18 for adults.
Fort Stevens State Park – this large state park is the home of the Peter Iredale shipwreck, a military fort, beaches, a lake, and hiking and biking trails. There is a $10 parking fee or you can invest in a 12-month Oregon State Park Pass ($60 for Oregon residents or $75 for non-residents). Count how many state parks you plan to visit on this road trip and it might pay for itself just this week alone. If you are into camping, you can spend the night here - just note that reservations book up early.
Astoria Riverfront Trolley – 3 mile street car ride along the bank of the Columbia River
Goonies House – the house that was used in the outside filming of The Goonies is now a private residence. You can park down the road and walk to it and observe it from the outside.
Flavel House Museum – Historic Victorian style mansion that was once the home to Captain George Flavel.
SEASIDE BEACH
About 30 minutes down Highway 101 from Astoria, OR is the town of Seaside. Seaside is a cute resort town that is popular in the summer for its long beach, promenade and shopping streets. Seaside is the official end of the Lewis and Clark Expedition and is commemorated with a statue along at the Turnaround at the end of Broadway Street.
Seaside beach is a really lovely long wide beach that gives families plenty of space to run around. Depending on when you arrive, you can enjoy some breath taking sunset views before or after having dinner in town.
We stayed in the town of Seaside, but if you are following this itinerary - staying in Astoria, Seaside or Cannon Beach are great options depending on what you want out of your accommodation: price, amenities, etc. We found the best deals on hotels in Seaside.
MORE POSSIBLE STOPS
While in Seaside, we visited the beach and strolled a bit on Broadway Street and the Promenade. If you have more time, here are some other stops in or near Seaside:
Seaside Aquarium – This small aquarium is right next to the beach and home to lots of smaller marine life and seals you can feed. Admission is $11 for adults and you can probably explore everything in the aquarium in 45 minutes.
Funland Seaside Arcade & Seaside Carousel Mall – Seaside has lots of fun indoor attractions for families
Ecola State Park – Just south of seaside, this state park has 9 beautiful miles of coastline. Tidepooling, hiking, surfing and observing wildlife are the main draws of this park. One of the best places in the park to stop is Indian Beach for its large rocks out in the ocean and great tide pooling.
We originally planned to visit Ecola State Park on this day, but decided to just stick to heading straight to Cannon Beach. While we were there, low tide was at 6:30am. While our kids wake up early, I don’t think we would have been up early enough to hit low tide at both Ecola and Cannon Beach. Especially since we had an out of character rainy morning in August. We decided to pick the one we were most excited about – so we just did low tide at Cannon Beach.
Day 2
CANNON BEACH
Cannon Beach is just 15 minutes south of Seaside. We arrived at Cannon Beach a bit after low tide at 8:00am as we waited till the rain died down. We were very fortunate that the tide was still low enough to be able to see quite a lot of sea stars, anemones, crabs and much more. We parked at a public parking lot on the corner of Hemlock st and Gower Ave and walked towards the Wayfarer Restaurant to access the beach. There might also be street parking on Pacific Dr or elsewhere in the town. Cannon Beach is notable for its Haystack Rock, a 235-ft tall seasick that is accessible at low tide. There are some great tide pools in this area and they are often well protected by volunteers. Depending on the time of the year, you can also see puffins nesting on the grassy northern side of Haystack Rock. We were able to see them in mid-August, and peak season runs between early April and August.
Since tide was rising when we arrived, we quickly headed towards the sea stack to see the tide pools before playing on the beach. Cannon beach has plenty of soft fine sand, nice enough that it hosts an annual sandcastle contest. At low tide, there were several shallow pools made from sand bars around the beach that were perfect for little kids to play in. The water was calm and a lot warmer than the ocean.
More Quick stops along the way:
Hug Point State Park – Just a short drive south of Cannon Beach. This state park offers a short walk down to the beach that has caves to explore and a little waterfall that flows right on the beach. It might be just a trickle in the summer, but is more active during the rainy seasons.
Neahkahnie Viewpoint – A quick pull off photo stop that offers beautiful views of the ocean and coastline.
TILLAMOOK CREAMERY
It is a bit less than an hour drive from Cannon beach to Tillamook Creamery. If you are from the Pacific Northwest, you’ve sure to have seen Tillamook in stores. Even elsewhere in the US, Tillamook is becoming more of a household name. Tillamook is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative that is headquartered in Tillamook, Oregon. Its flagship facility is right along highway 101 and is a very popular spot for those road tripping the coast or for cheese lovers coming in from Portland. Tillamook makes delicious cheese and ice cream, along with many other dairy products. At the Tillamook Creamery, you can take a self-guided tour of the factory and get some free samples of cheese.
At the Creamery, they also have a Tillamook ice cream counter and a hot food counter. There is also a huge gift shop with both food items and merchandise. The creamery is open everyday but Christmas and New Year’s day, but the factory is not always operating to observe them making their cheese. We visited on a Sunday and saw a couple people working but mostly the factory was not operating. If you are able to schedule it so you are visiting during the week, it is worth it. On the weekends it is also very busy. We had to wait in some long lines for food and checking out in the gift shop.
Along the drive, before and after the creamery you can see multiple farms with cows that likely contribute to Tillamook’s products.
Three Capes Scenic Loop
Here is where we deviated from highway 101. The Three Capes Scenic Loop is an alternative to highway 101 right after Tillamook that takes you to Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda. This 40-mile route hugs the coast and offers beautiful views of the ocean, lighthouses, beaches, and more. You can spend hours exploring this loop and all the stops on it. We stopped at a couple to give us time to keep moving along down the coast. If you have more days in your trip, this day would be a good one to split into two separate days. If you are blanking on the meaning of the geographical term cape - it is a high, pointed piece of land extending into the water. Think like a small peninsula.
Cape Meares
The northernmost cape of the three, most notable for its lighthouse. If you were to make just one stop along this road, make it the Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint. Not only does it have the Cape Meares Lighthouse, it also has beautiful ocean views and a cool octopus-shaped Sitka Spruce. We were also told this was a good place to watch whales and other marine mammals, but we were not quite patient enough to see any. The Cape Meares lighthouse is a cute little squat lighthouse that is open for tours. Due to its small size, only 5 visitors are allowed to tour it at a time. There are amazing volunteers that talk through the history of the lighthouse and answer your questions. Note that you may have to wait a while to get your turn to tour the lighthouse.
The walk from the parking lot to the lighthouse is just 0.2 miles each way. After visiting the lighthouse, it is worth taking the short walk to Sitka Spruce. Here you will see the Octopus tree, an old-growth forest and more gorgeous views of the coast and Pacific Ocean.
In total, we spent about 40 minutes walking around here and enjoying the views. The wait for the lighthouse was going to be an hour, so we skipped that to save for a subsequent trip.
After Cape Meares, we drove through Oceanside - an adorable scenic beach town. We did a quick photo stop before continuing on. Oceanside is a great place to stay if you are taking more time to road trip down the coast. There is great beach access with good tide pooling. There are also stunning sea stacks.
Cape lookout
Cape Lookout State Park is an amazing park for its nature and beautiful views. The Cape Lookout Trail is a moderate 5 mile out and back trail that lets you walk the entire cape. You will see old-growth forests, stunning cliffs, and possibly whales out in the water once you reach the end of the cape.
Cape Lookout also has over 200 camp sites and cabins for rent.
We briefly stopped at Cape Lookout to enjoy the views. Because of time and our two little kids, we skipped on the full 5 mile hike.
Cape Kiwanda
Cape Kiwanda is the smallest of the three capes but equally as beautiful. It is known for its sandstone cliffs, sand dunes, and dramatic ocean views with its impressive sea stack. Cape Kiwanda is also known for its large fleet of Dory boats which are used in fishing.
This is the last stop before heading back onto Route 101.
OTTER Crest Loop
Another alternative route along highway 101 is the Otter Crest Loop. This is a far shorter scenic detour at just 4 miles, compared to the three Capes Loop. This loop is best accessed if you are coming from the north (as this itinerary outlines). There are several points along the loop to stop and take pictures. The largest being the Otter Crest State Scenic Viewpoint. Here there are a couple a great lookout point and a gift shop. You can occasionally see whales here as well.
DEVIL'S PUNCHBOWL
As you drive down the Otter Crest Loop further, you reach the Devil’s Punchbowl State Natural Area. The drive there takes you through the small community named Otter Crest. There are a couple restaurants here that are worth checking out if you are getting hungry.
Devil’s Punchbowl refers to a unique geological hollowed out rock formation that looks like a punchbowl. During rough waters, the water spins around the bowl and is an engaging watch. If you visit during low tide, you can walk inside the punchbowl. You will first need to walk down to the beach and head right over rocks till you get to the bowl. Only attempt to walk into the bowl if you have a good understanding of the tide and know to leave before the tides rise. Obviously the rocks in and around it can be slippery. There are some tide pools around the punchbowl as well.
This is a spot that benefits from stormy weather. When we visited, it was sunny skies but it was still a worthwhile quick visit. This is also a great area to watch surfers and potentially see whales. There are several picnic tables to enjoy a picnic as well.
NEWPORT - Nye Beach
When then had a 20 minute drive to Newport, OR where we were staying the night. Newport is a cute town with lots to see. When you get into Newport, you can spend sometime on the docks observing the sea lions or head to the beach. After dinner, we headed to the beach to enjoy a gorgeous sunset on a fairly empty beach. We stayed within walking distance of Nye Beach - a very wide sandy beach.
We will be exploring more of what Newport has to offer on Day 3.
MORE POSSIBLE Day 2 STOPS
Tillamook Head – a 3.6 mile loop hike that can be done in its entirety or just a short section of it. Tillamook head was technically the farthest point reached by the Lewis and Clark expedition. You will find beautiful scenery, ocean viewpoints, and remnants of WW2 concrete bunkers.
Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site – Just after Cannon Beach, this beach is a nice wide sandy beach with great views. The walk down to the beach can be a bit tricky.
Oswald West State Park – An old-growth rainforest with several short hikes. Most of the main sights at this park require walking - including Short Sand Beach, Devil’s Cauldron, and Neahkahnie Mountain
Oceanside Beach State Recreation Site – South of Cape Meares and part of the Three Cape Scenic Loop. Beautiful area and a great beach for beach combing, flying kites or watching the waves.
Lincoln City – town known for its kite-flying and glass float events. If you happen to be visiting during one of these events, they are a must-see. This is also a great city to stop in for a meal.
Cascade Head – Beautiful area to hike with two popular trails. The lower trail is a 4.9 miles and the upper trail is more family friendly at 2.7 miles.
Devils Lake – Near Lincoln City, this lake is popular with fishers and paddle boarders.
Drift Creek Falls – 3-mile waterfall hike through an old-growth forest and features a 240 foot suspension bridge. Spring is a great time to see this waterfall in full force.
Depoe Bay Whale Watching Center – Depoe Bay is known as the whale watching capital of Oregon and it is a great place to observe whales. You can go to the whale watching center here or join a whale watching tour. The most common type of whale spotted here is the Pacific Gray Whale. There is a group of a couple hundred residents and thousands that migrate past here twice each year.
Beverly Beach State Park – just North of newport, here is another great state park with a nice beach and campgrounds.
