Pacific Northwest Road Trip — Day 4

May 2023

Oregon Coast

Hotel Elliot had a complimentary continental breakfast. It was all we needed. After our bellies were full, we packed the car and headed to our next destination.

1^st Stop: Haystack Rock, Canon Beach, Oregon

It took about 45 minutes via US-101 S to get to Haystack Rock.

Haystack Rock is the most recognizable landmark on the Oregon coast. That’s because it was in novels and movies such as the Goonies and Kindergarten Cop. This sea stack rises 235 feet. It’s an amazing sight. At low tide you can walk out on the soft sand and get close to the gigantic sea stack.

If you’re lucky you can see Tufted Puffins along with lots of seabirds. We didn’t get there during low tide, but if you do the tidepools around the sea stack are home to sea stars, anemones, crabs, and other inter-tidal animals.

Tips:

Canon Beach is beautiful and popular. Get there early if you can.
Check tide charts if you want to walk out to Haystack Rock. https://www.tideschart.com/United-States/Oregon/Coos-County/Haystack-Rock/Weekly/

2^nd Stop: Indian Beach in Ecola Beach State Park

Ecola Beach State Park is a short drive on the north end of Canon Beach. Ecola Park Road is worth the drive which meanders through a beautiful Sitka spruce forest. When the road opens up, you’re treated to breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. Ecola State Park has 9 miles of coastline. The views are spectacular and there are lots of hiking opportunities.

If the weather is clear, you’ll be able to see Tillamook Head Lighthouse. It’s located about 1 mile offshore from Tillamook Head perched on a rock formation. The offshore lighthouse, built in 1881, was deactivated in 1957 because of the treacherous commute to get to it. I cannot begin to imagine what life was like for the lightkeepers. Very lonely and scary.

We took a short walk to secluded Indian Beach which is popular with the surfers. We had fun watching them catch waves. The cliff-side views were beautiful.

3^rd Stop: Twin Rocks at Rockaway Beach

The drive to Rockaway Beach was 45 minutes via US-101 S.

This Beach town is small. It was lunch time for us, and a lot of places were closed. We found some roller food.

Twin Rocks is a landmark on the Oregon coast. These two mammoth rocks used to be one super giant rock. It took 45 million years to erode the rock into two iconic rocks. It’s very impressive especially the hole in the rock which is wide enough to fly a helicopter through.

Tips:

Go down Minnehaha Street to get the best view of twin rocks. Head toward the beach.

4^th Stop: Tillamook Creamery

https://www.tillamook.com/

This was a great stop. It was about a 20-minute drive down US-101 S.

It was hot and we felt we needed to treat ourselves after our roller food lunch. Who can pass up ice cream?

Tillamook factory is huge. They offer tours, have food, yummy ice cream and a store where you can buy all their products. We were tired, low on time, so we skipped the tour. We sat outside devouring our ice cream.

5^th Stop: Devil’s Punchbowl in Otter Rock, Oregon

The ice cream was just enough pick up for our next stop. It took 1 ½ hours via US-101 S.

Devil’s Punchbowl (yes, another one) was created when 2 sea caves eroded into one large cave. The cave composed of sandstone continued to erode and grew larger causing the top to fall in.

We watched from the cliff side, the swirling sea as the waves would fill up the bowl. It’s a very photographic site.

Last Stop for the day: The Newport Belle, Riverboat Bed and Breakfast

https://www.newportbelle.com/

1 night

It was a short drive, 20 minutes from Devil’s Punchbowl via US-101 S

We splurged and booked The Newport Belle BnB for the night. It was worth the experience. The Newport Belle is a 97-foot paddlewheel boat. It is permanently moored in the marina in Newport, Oregon. There are 5 remodeled staterooms with private baths, a main salon, and a sundeck.

From 5-6pm there is a Happy Hour with complimentary wine and light appetizers. The owners will join you. It was nice getting to meet the owners, Randy and Paige. You can sit in the enclosed sunroom and look out at all the boats in the marina while the sun goes down.