We plan on going to cannon beach for 2 nights at the weekend following 4th of July. We are wondering perhaps we can make it a (very) long weekend by adding 4th of july to it and making it a 5 day trip (we leave in Seattle). The "problem" is that we are going to the columbia-gorge area in another trip, so we were wondering if there are any other interesting things in the area for which it is worth to extend the trip.

We are not too crazy about big cities so portland is not a big attraction for us.

BTW, do you think that 2 nights in cannon-beach is too short?

No, not too short. We spent the afternoon at the gorgeous Ecola State park today, we had a nice picnic and enjoyed relaxing at the park, it was a beautiful sunny day in CB today. We had appetizers at Mo's and enjoyed some time at Hug Point, where are you considering staying? ***kim***

2 nights will be a nice amount of time to see a few things and get the feel of the place.
I live in Portland and find a day or two at the Coast to be just fine.
Last time we stayed for the night, we stayed at Arch Cape, which is about 10 miles south on 101.
You are going to have to book something now to get anything on the holiday weekend.
I agree that Ecola State Park is beautiful, a picnic there is great..you can get very good take-out from Ecola Seafood in Cannon Beach.
kim, it is so strange that you say it was a beautiful day when our weatherman here in Portland spoke of how cold and overcoast it was out at the Coast .. I bet you wish you had chosen a warmer time of year to visit Oregon

Two nights is fine I would highly recommend making any hotel reservations asap though since the good places get booked months in advance. We really like the Surfsand Resort there. It is right on the water, views out to Haystack Rock, good restaurants on site (the Wayfarer) and a short walk into downtown.

Thanks a lot. Since I posted this I found that there are also interesting parks a little outh of CB, near Tillamook. I think given the 4 hour drive from Seattle we will probably stay for three nights. The only thing I am still not sure about is whether we should stay for three nights in CB or perhaps spend the last night a little bit to the south. Any suugestions?


BTW, we are staying at the Hallmark resort in CB.

Tillamook is only an hour south of Cannon Beach, so I don't know if it would be worth your time to pack up and move to a different hotel. Besides, there aren't that many options, and none I know of as nice as Hallmark Resort.

Are you thinking of Oswald West State Park and Cape Meares? Both are good reasons to extend your stay to three nights.

mark

Indeed, I was considering the three-cape park (or whatever it is called). Good to know that is is worth the extension. BTW, by the time we go there my wife will be 6 months pregnant so we woul love to get recommendations on easy/nice hikes on the coastal area (near CB and Tillamook). Are there any nice restaurants/cafes in the Tillamook area that are worth checking out while we do the look from CB?

You may want to check out the Nehalem River Inn, we have enjoyed a couple of great dinners there in the past. Nice setting, great food and friendly hosts there. ***kim***

I like Cannon Beach but there are some really charming places to stay south also. We liked the Inn at Arch Cape but that might not be far enough South for you.
Have a good time on your visit!!
*and listen to beachbum and mms..they taughte me everything I know about Portland lol*lol, the folks at Nehalem River Inn have some good stories to tell about some of their customers too! Open Table can be a pain in the neck when a restaurant owner wants to avoid dealing with difficult 'diners'