Yes, Latourell Falls is a short hike, just over a mile each way. Super easy

I would not stay at Trout Lake. It is really tiny and is mostly used as a jumping off point for hiking etc. Hood River has way more to offer, especially for what you say you are looking for.

Also, need to make a quick decision between manzanita and cannon beach. I just found Manzanita on this forum and it looks very cute. Shops and restaurants with less tourists...

lasagna--FWIW I much prefer CB over Manzanita. Manzanita has an ok beach, but nothing exciting about it, just a flat beach. The downtown is fine, but is very limited. I think you will find yourselves driving to CB for things to do. We have stayed there, so I am speaking from experience. There is nothing wrong with it, just very limited that is all.

Sounds like you are making progress....

I had also suggested Arch Cape, Tolovana, Manzanita as alternatives because Lasagna was discussing staying in Seaside. Manzanita is indeed smaller than Cannon Beach and would not be my first choice for this poster.

Hi All,
Im sorry to say I switched to manzanita last night before seeing the last two posts. My fault I should have checked. Its OK though....We looked at photos of Manzanita and it reminded us of a beach town we like and the airbnb was very pretty and got good reviews. We will have a car and will travel.

Hey, if you like the feel of the city and your lodgings, just go with it. it's not that far from Cannon Beach. And I do like Manzanita, better than MMS apparently. I just thought you'd want to be by more shopping and restaurants.

A few positives: With the cape at the north end of town, you get a little less wind when on the beach. It feels tucked away from the world. Small but well-stocked grocery store with high quality wine, cheese, produce, meat, one of the best on the coast. (although like everything it's a little spendy).

5alive--I was merely mentioning that there isn't as much there as in CB, mentioning its limitations so they knew what to expect. I didn't say it was bad or anything, but was just looking at what they were looking for.

Many many thanks for all the posts. I do indeed think that Manzanita may well be an odd choice for us coming from so far, but on the upside it does look very cute and we will have a car and can travel. Curious what is the grocery store you are referring to? Any other restaurant recommendations or things to do in the area? I remember there was a post mentioning cape disappointment and ebola state park. Will go back and check...
Once again thank you!!

So lucky to have booked Northup station for Portland!!! Thank You Fivealive and mms.....

Oh, it's the main grocery store in Manzanita. You won't miss it. Looking right now on Google Maps, it's Manzanita Grocery.

Ebola State Park... now that WOULD be disappointing to visit. It's Ecola State Park. I definitely agree withy a run up to Astoria (Astor Column, Fort Astoria and the bridge are all cool).

To the point: I do like Ecola. You are going on a weekend. When it's empty, Ecola can be lovely. But... The line to go to the beach there there can really back up. There's only this small parking lot. When it fills, the ranger stops traffic and you just wait until they start letting more people pay the $5 and go through. And then you have about a mile on a very slow little road to park. So...early in the morning or late in the day, Ecola gets a thumbs up from me. But otherwise, I'm not sure it's worth your limited time.

Instead consider:
1. Oswald West. State Park. You park by 101. If it's full, you know right away.
2. Hug Point State Recreation Area You park by 101. If it's full, you know right away.
3. Some beach time at Manzanita itself.
4. Walking the beach at Cannon and see the tide pools there

PS MMS--I was just joking around.... I almost always agree with your advice

Sorry just seeing this now....thanks 5alive! I can't believe I put EBOLA! Thats so absurd!
Great tips for the parks thanks! Certainly don't want to spend our time waiting in lines. Just wondering now, if we spend one day hanging around cannon beach and manzanita, what is actually best/doable for the 2nd day. Would driving north or south be more scenic? We love scenic rides.... with places to stop along the way. You mentioned Astoria would be worth the trip. If so, should we try to get up to cape disappointment as well?
Sorry for all the quesitons, Its challenging not knowing anything about the area.
Many thanks!

5alive--oops

lasagna--honestly, you could go either north or south. That's the problem, there are great places to visit all up and down the coast. You really can't go wrong

Definitely. Also check out Ilwaco, a surprisingly attractive fishing town.