oregon seacoast
 

we are planning a trip to oregon late summer. Plan to spend a few days driving and sightseeing down the coast. will start at Astoria or seaside and go as far as Florence or a little past.(should we go further)?

How many days should we allow?. no hiking. Just birding, nature, scenery, photography relaxing a bit are on the agenda.

any suggestions on what to see and where? have been researching but not sure we have everything.

thanks

It would help to have you entire general itinerary. That way we can be of more help.

That said, Astoria is not on the coast, but rather on the river. You can start there and take in the history, then head over and down to the coast for the scenery.

In the summer many places have 2 night minimums, so I would suggest making hotel decisions asap and getting those reserved.

Astoria to Florence would give you a good taste of Oregon's coast, but a couple reasons to go a bit further would be the Oregon Dunes, and the beautiful drive along the Umpqua River from Reedsport inland. There's an elk reserve & viewing area a few miles upriver along that road, too.

When you mention birding and nature, my first thought is Cannon Beach and nearby Ecola State Park. Haystack Rock is a protected bird and sea life sanctuary, and Ecola is.... well, beautiful. Both places have a lot to offer for photographers, too.

Other personal favorites include Three Capes Scenic Loop, particularly Cape Meares St. Park, Cascade Head, Newport bayfront, Yachats, Cape Perpetua, and Haceta Head.

That said, I agree with mms; if we know more about what you're thinking, we can be of more help. I'd give the Oregon coast at least three days, and I doubt you'd regret giving it three weeks.

IMHO, the most mind-boggling scenery (seascapes) is from Port Orford south to Gold Beach. A little farther than Florence, but worth it.

I agree, Bobmrg. That section of the coast sometimes takes your breath away. Trouble is, there's not much to see from US 101 between Florence and Port Orford....

probably won't go much further than florence. also will be spending a few days in portland and take the gorge drive one day.

time for trip is a bit flexible 8-10 full days not counting travel days.

still curious how much time we need for coast (realize personal - but like to do it leisurely).

came across a birding trail guide ot the coast. so a lot of time could be spent at stops along the way.

Considering the constraints you mention, I suggest you concentrate on the area between Cape Perpetua (just south of Yachats) and Cannon Beach. A good guidebook (Fodors, Frommers, etc.) will clue you in to what to look for along the way.

I suggest dinner at Gower Street Bistro in Cannon Beach.

South of Florence, Highway 101 isn't along the coast much until you get to
Port Orford.

We did a similiar trip.
In Astoria be sure to see the Museum right on the water. Fort Stevens has a nice easy ewalk to a bird blind.
and if interested in birds be sure to do 3 capes loop.. we accidentally ran into a man who was at the Cape Meares lighthouse path who had a long range camera set up on a tripod and was allowing others to look at the perrigrine falcons nesting on the cliff...a very rare treat
oregonstateparks.org
nice easy path to the lighthouse too with tours

I bumped into a couple on Oregon's south coast a couple years ago, who were doing something similar to what you're planning Joanel, except they were in a motor home. They found that 75 miles/day was about all they could do, given planned and impulse stops along the way. Using that model, you should plan on four days to cover Astoria to Florence. The complicating factor for you will be the minimum stay requirements mms mentions.

So, maybe two nights in Cannon Beach, and two in Yachats? If you can spare another night, add it to Yachats.

do they have minimum stays in sept during the week? will check. thanks for the great ideas so far.

I'd expect minimum stay requirements go at least thru Labor Day, and maybe longer in north coast towns (Cannon Beach and Seaside) because of proximity to Portland's population. It'll be less of a problem on the central coast.

You don't want to push this trip too far into September. It's usually a great month weatherwise, but rainy season starts in mid-October.

The majority of places do not have minimum stays during the week in September. Things slow down on the coast a bit after Labor Day. :)

Love the suggestion for the Maritime Museum in Astoria, you also don't want to miss the Astor Column, the drive up to Coxcomb Hill is very scenic with views of Saddle Mountain. Let me know if you would like more info on Astoria, we have a second home here and have been enjoying the area way before it was a major travel destination, so many changes to this cool little town on the Columbia River over the past few years! ***kim*** ((*))

Oh, I also totally agree with the previous poster about Gower St. Bistro, very upscale eatery located in the Cannon Beach Hotel which is full of charm. Bistro, Wayfarer (next door to Gower St.), Newman's @ 988 and Driftwood Inn are also great places for dinner in Cannon Beach. If you want the "wow" factor, The Stephanie Inn is producing some of the best food on the Oregon Coast right now. They offer a Fixed Prixe menu each night, so call ahead to see what they are serving, you will need to guarantee your reservation with a credit card here, there are two seatings each evening. :)

Make sure you go to Ecola State Park for your photograpny, take the pretty drive through the rain forest to Indian Beach. You may also want to check out Oswald West State Park, take the short walk to Short Sands Beach and you will be in photographer's heaven. ***kim*** ((f))

kimamom,

I'm curious.... If when in Oregon you stay only in your "cottage" in Seaside or your "second home" in Astoria, and are always back home in California before September, how do you know about minimum stay requirements?

Author: Joanel
Date: 02/21/2008, 09:29 am
we are planning a trip to oregon late summer. Plan to spend a few days driving and sightseeing down the coast. will start at Astoria or seaside and go as far as Florence or a little past.(should we go further)?

How many days should we allow?. no hiking. Just birding, nature, scenery, photography relaxing a bit are on the agenda.

any suggestions on what to see and where? have been researching but not sure we have everything.

thanks




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Author: mms
Date: 02/21/2008, 09:58 am
It would help to have you entire general itinerary. That way we can be of more help.

That said, Astoria is not on the coast, but rather on the river. You can start there and take in the history, then head over and down to the coast for the scenery.

In the summer many places have 2 night minimums, so I would suggest making hotel decisions asap and getting those reserved.



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Author: beachbum
Date: 02/21/2008, 11:37 am
Astoria to Florence would give you a good taste of Oregon's coast, but a couple reasons to go a bit further would be the Oregon Dunes, and the beautiful drive along the Umpqua River from Reedsport inland. There's an elk reserve & viewing area a few miles upriver along that road, too.

When you mention birding and nature, my first thought is Cannon Beach and nearby Ecola State Park. Haystack Rock is a protected bird and sea life sanctuary, and Ecola is.... well, beautiful. Both places have a lot to offer for photographers, too.

Other personal favorites include Three Capes Scenic Loop, particularly Cape Meares St. Park, Cascade Head, Newport bayfront, Yachats, Cape Perpetua, and Haceta Head.

That said, I agree with mms; if we know more about what you're thinking, we can be of more help. I'd give the Oregon coast at least three days, and I doubt you'd regret giving it three weeks.



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Author: Bobmrg
Date: 02/21/2008, 11:42 am
IMHO, the most mind-boggling scenery (seascapes) is from Port Orford south to Gold Beach. A little farther than Florence, but worth it.



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Author: beachbum
Date: 02/21/2008, 12:17 pm
I agree, Bobmrg. That section of the coast sometimes takes your breath away. Trouble is, there's not much to see from US 101 between Florence and Port Orford....



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Author: Joanel
Date: 02/21/2008, 07:16 pm
probably won't go much further than florence. also will be spending a few days in portland and take the gorge drive one day.

time for trip is a bit flexible 8-10 full days not counting travel days.

still curious how much time we need for coast (realize personal - but like to do it leisurely).

came across a birding trail guide ot the coast. so a lot of time could be spent at stops along the way.



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Author: happytrailstoyou
Date: 02/21/2008, 09:44 pm
Considering the constraints you mention, I suggest you concentrate on the area between Cape Perpetua (just south of Yachats) and Cannon Beach. A good guidebook (Fodors, Frommers, etc.) will clue you in to what to look for along the way.

I suggest dinner at Gower Street Bistro in Cannon Beach.

South of Florence, Highway 101 isn't along the coast much until you get to
Port Orford.






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Where is the 3 capes loop?

if we try to stay one night between cannon and yachts- where? any place really nice to stop or we could jsut push it down and then go back up part way to sight see.



Author: 1JAR
Date: 02/22/2008, 11:03 am
We did a similiar trip.
In Astoria be sure to see the Museum right on the water. Fort Stevens has a nice easy ewalk to a bird blind.
and if interested in birds be sure to do 3 capes loop

If I've correctly picked this apart....

Three Capes Scenic Loop is a road with Tillamook on the north end and Pacific City on the south. It loops from US 101 passing Capes Meares, Lookout, and Kiwanda. Beautiful scenery..... From Cannon Beach to the end of the loop would be about 80 miles. Not many lodging choices along that part of the coast; Inn at Cape Kiwanda is probably the most popular.

For Cannon Beach, I'd recommend Stephanie Inn as a place to stay, but not necessarily to eat. Expensive though. And in Yachats, Overleaf Lodge is the obvious best choice.

any suggestions for places to stay between cannon beach and yachats?

Not of the same caliber as those places, IMO. It's just a few hours between those places although obviously you can spend lots of time. I drove from Yachats to Cannon Beach a couple years ago and had time to do the aquarium in Newport in the morning, lunch at Pelican Bay on the south end of the 3 capes loop, the hike out to Cape Lookout, stops at a couple of lighthouses, and I still got to the Ocean Lodge (another nice choice in Cannon Beach that's next to the Stephanie) by late afternoon in time for a walk on the beach.

Here's a vote for spending some time in Newport on your way down the coast. The Yaquina Head Lighthouse just north of Newport is a great place to stop off for a look. There is an indoor display area as well as outdoor viewing areas, lots of rocks, birds and a big lighthouse you can climb.

http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/recr...uina/index.php

Newport is a nice spot to visit for the night. It's the home of the Oregon Coast Aquarium, which is worth a visit. There are good shops. The Sylvia Beach Hotel is a fun experience, and the dinner is fun. You meet interesting people. It is served family style and they have ice breakers with people at your table.

Inn at Cape Kiwanda is between Cannon Beach and Yachats.