Highway 101 is marveled and even mimicked around the world. The 363
You should just throw your timetable out the window if you haven’t planned to make stops at all the pullouts! You won’t be able to resist. An Oregon coast trip is not a journey to be rushed. Along the Oregon Coast Highway, you can expect to find delicious cheese factories (Tillamook), amazing microbreweries, scrumptious seafood, and plenty of charmingly quirky motels and bed & breakfasts. After all, it wouldn’t be Oregon if not just a bit quirky!
Let’s Pack For This!
We’ve planned for a 3-day road trip down (southbound
As for the drive itself and your vehicle, prepare for a long road trip. Unlike the Washington Coast on the Olympic Peninsula (which is quite remote), you will travel through lots of little towns. You’ll readily have access to gas and snacks. Regardless, for safety reasons pack accordingly (snacks, water, a blanket) and make sure you have checked your car’s fluids, tires, and lights. Also, pack an empty Growler to be filled at one of the many breweries to enjoy at your nightly stopping point!
If you are looking to forgo the hotels and camp along the way, kudos to you! Camping along this coastal stretch is magical. To help you out with booking ahead (imperative if you are actually staying in a campground and not doing incognito Sprinter Van camping!), here is a helpful link to plan your attack! There are camping options all up and down the Oregon coast. You can find a helpful list of them here https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=visit.dsp_find
Day 1 of your Oregon Coast Road Trip
Astoria
This coastal city seems like it was plucked right out of a storybook. What a great way to start your picture-perfect Oregon Coast road trip. Astoria is an old fur trading port with a Scandinavian flavor. As a port town, it is perched on the three rivers that meet up with the Pacific, a stone’s throw away. It has shops, restaurants, an old theater and yes, breweries.
- Downtown, you will find the Fort George Brewery.
- A great place for a snack before hitting the coast. On the Pier, there’s our favorite Astoria stop, Buoy Brewery. This place has such a cool vibe and you can’t get closer to the water! In fact, they have a plexiglass portion of the floor for visitors to watch their resident sea lions come visit!
- The third option for some great pizza or a cold pint is Roque Ales Public House on the Pier. 10 years ago they transformed the former Bumble Bee Tuna cannery on Pier 39 into this little gem! It features over 30 Rogue Ales on tap, Rogue Spirits, a Columbia River view, and PIZZA! https://www.rogue.com/
Seaside
Just south of Astoria and north of Cannon Beach, you’ll come across Seaside. It is one of the most touristy spots on this trip. Even with the crowds, this city is worth at least a quick visit. After all, it must be popular for a reason. Get out and walk their famous 1.5-mile Promenade. Looking to grab a snack for your Oregon Coast road trip? Long known for sweets like elephant ears, ice cream, and salt water taffy… this is the place to do it. I promise to have you 5 lbs heavier at the end of this stretch of scenic highway! https://www.seasideor.com/
Cannon Beach
40 minutes south of Astoria you will find Cannon Beach. This is one of the most inviting towns on the coast. Cannon Beach has dozens of quaint galleries, shops, and restaurants, along with several inns and cabins to rent. However, the main draw here is the stretch of beach and, just offshore, the famous Haystack Rock. A 235-foot-high basalt dome, Haystack is impressive from every angle, and a favorite with photographers. You’ll find this image on the majority of Oregon Coast postcards. At the risk of dating myself… side note, this is where The Goonies was filmed. https://www.cannonbeach.org/things-to-do/beaches-and-parks/haystack-rock/
A great restaurant to grab lunch and a cold microbrew is Pelican Brewing https://pelicanbrewing.com/. You may notice a “Brewery” theme happening. Let’s just get this out there… good things happen around good
Stretch your legs and roam around this quaint seaside town. You could grab a coffee before heading down to the beach! You still have a couple of hours of driving today ahead of you. Side note… ice cream is coming at your next close by stop.
Tillamook
Less than 1 hour south of Cannon Beach you will find Tillamook Creamery. Stopping at Tillamook is essential to any Oregon Coast road trip! It is open from 8 am to 6 pm every day. It has everything from a yogurt bar and an espresso counter to giant scoops of ice cream. The Dining Hall is the perfect place to refuel if you already need another snack! For something more substantial, their menu has everything from innovative takes on mac & cheese to melty, surprise cheese curds in your tomato soup. We had the tomato soup and a melty, gooey, delicious grilled cheese. If it’s ice cream you’re after (I did promise you ice cream didn’t I?), they have a ridiculous number of flavors!
Back on the road, heading south to your stopping point for the night. On the way, you will stay inland for a few miles before merging back over to the coast. Keep right at Hebo staying on 101.
Lincoln City … your stopping point for the night
From Seattle, if you were to drive straight through on today’s route, it would take you 6 hrs. From Portland, 1st heading north to Astoria, it would take you almost 5 hrs. We all know there have been MANY stops… so this has made for a LONG day. Time to put it in
Wouldn’t be prudent to leave you hungry now, would it? No excuse for your tastebuds to be bored in this town! There are more restaurants here than you could experience in a lifetime I think! Everything from Asian (Thai, Nepalese, Chinese) to American grub, to seafood… the list is endless. Here is a great link to help you decide. Click Here.
If it is some of the best clam
Where to stay in Lincoln City is dependant on what type of accommodations you are looking for. Depending on the time of year and day of the week, 3-star hotels start around $60. Keep in mind, aside from a beach, there is a casino in town as well. They say Life is Better at The Beach… maybe so is your luck! Chinook Winds Casino. You could stay here, try your hand at cards and come out paying for your trip! Dream big my friend… dreaming is what got you on this trip in the first place!
Day 2 of your Oregon Coast Road Trip
Devil’s Punch Bowl
Waking up early (sleep when you’re dead, is my motto on these types of trips), grab some fuel (for your body too) and hit the road! 15 minutes south of Lincoln City is Otter Rock. Here you will see Devil’s Punch Bowl. If you hit it when the tide is right and it is filling up, you’ll see waves enter the bowl and violently churn swirl, and foam. If the tide is out, you can walk inside of it. It is believed it was formed as two sea caves collapsed. Look out to sea and note the surfers attempting to catch a wave. Perhaps you will see some of the migrating whales which is a popular site here. Popular hikes around this area are found here. Click Here
Newport
What better way to learn about this coastal area than to visit an outstanding Aquarium? The Oregon Coast
Seal Rock
20 minutes south of Newport, you will come across Seal Rock. Get yourself out to the State Park Beach area. There is one little round ‘pill box’ rock on the south end of Seal Rock State Park beach where you can see sea lions lounging and sunning themselves every day. Adorable. They stay with their bodies touching side by side on the rock as long as the rock is exposed and then they get washed off the rock by the incoming tide. They must not mind being tossed around as they come back the next day and the sunning starts all over again. This pill box rock is not accessible by humans (lucky sea lions!), but it is very visible.
Yachats … your stopping point for the night
A shorter day today in the car leaves more time to explore Yachats. The central coastal town is a haven for tourists, with restaurants, shops, outdoor adventures and lucky for you, a very impressive trail system. After checking into your hotel/Airbnb take off for a short 5 min drive down 101 to Cape Perpetua overlook.
If you’d like to take the easy way, it’s a quick windy drive to get there. A short walking path takes you to
If you like the idea of hiking along the Oregon coast, you won’t find many better places to do it than Yachats. Amanda’s Trail hike is perhaps the most famous. You’ll need time though as it is over 6 miles roundtrip starting IN Yachats. The moderately difficult hike is a beauty. Consider if you have time and energy to do Amanda’s Trail. The elevation gain is about 1000 feet and will take you about 3 hrs. It will take you through lush forest and ferns and drop you off at a viewpoint high above the ocean at Cape Perpetua. Alternately, you could see if you can grab a ride to Cape Perpetua and take in the views, then hike Amanda’s Trail BACK to Yachats, cutting the length of the hike back to just 3 miles.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd562046.pdf
Accommodations in Yachats are inexpensive starting under $100/night. One of the most superb options which guests love is the Fireside Motel. This motel offers ocean view rooms with fireplaces starting under $150/night.
Day 3 of Your Oregon Coast Road Trip
Thor’s Well (Devil’s Churn)
Leaving Yachats on Day 3 of your Oregon Coast Road Trip, you will want to hit up Bread & Roses bakery for some pastries and coffee. It is located at 238 4th St in Yachats. Turning south we are off to Thor’s Well. This is just a minute past Cape Perpetua so only a few minutes south from Yachats. This seemingly bottomless (actually only about 20 feet deep) sinkhole in the ocean is best seen leading up to high tide. This way you can see it sitting empty and then filling as the water goes rushing into it.
This sight is most spectacular at high tide, or during storms when water washes violently over the rocks and funnels into the hole. At high tide, the waves roll underneath the bowl, filling it from the bottom until it bubbles out the top or bursts up in a violent spray. The water then rolls back into the hole, making Thor’s Well appear to fill and drain endlessly. Park on the West side of Highway 101 to see it below.
Sea Lion Caves
15 minutes south of Thor’s Well along the Oregon Coast Highway, you will come upon the Sea Lion Caves. This is a fun stop for sure! For $14 ($8/kids) you will be treated to a spectacular (and noisy!) site! Sea Lion Caves is America’s largest sea cave and the year-round home of the Steller sea lion. You will get to go into the cave and sneak a peek into the lazy life of a sea lion!
However, sea lions are not always in the Cave. They are wild animals and this place is not a zoo so these protected animals come and go as they please, as is their nature. Winter months will usually find hundreds of sea lions in the cave and when spring arrives, breeding and birthing time, the sea lions will move from the cave to the rookery areas (the rock ledges out in front of the Cave) and will remain there through the summer. Regardless of the time of year, stop in to get a glimpse of these entertaining chubs!
Florence and Dunes City
Stop in Florence (30 minutes south of the Sea Lions Caves) and grab a picnic lunch. Either eat in Florence down on the beach (watching kite flyers or maybe do a horseback ride!) or continue south a few minutes to the Dunes. Here you have quite a different option to explore the 40 miles of sand dunes. How about ripping around in dune buggies? If hurtling up, down, and around hills at 65 mph is your cup of tea, this one is for you!
Tours are offered so no skills necessary… just a certain degree of trust! 30 min tours run about $35. Click Here
In contrast, they also offer Big Buggy Tours which still get you out there, but not at break-neck speeds! 40 min tours run about $15. Click Here
Charleston
Once you get the sand brushed out of your shorts, time to hit the road again. 1 hr south of Dunes City, you will find yourself in Charleston. Just outside of Charleston, Sunset Bay State Park affords dramatic and beautiful views that make the rugged South Coast famous. This park is adjacent to Shore Acres State Park and Cape Arago State Park, each offering opportunities for hiking, whale watching (seasonally) and storm watching.
Gold Beach
Looking for one last adventure to round out your adventure down the Oregon Coast Highway? 1.5 hrs south consider a Jet Boat ride in Gold Beach. This exhilarating, scenic and informative experience will leave your heart pounding! They have 64, 80, and
Brookings… your last stop on our Oregon Coast road trip
Depending on what time of year you visit Brookings, you will be greeted by opportunities for whale watching, music festivals, art walks, shopping
Let’s Unpack This!
So you’ve just oohed and aahed your way down the Oregon Coast portion of Hwy 101. This is fitting because the greatest part of a road trip shouldn’t be arriving at your destination. This is a perfect example of “The Journey IS The Destination”.
We hope we’ve helped you plan to make footprints in the sand or simply be captivated by a winter storm from inside a cozy beachfront lodge. No matter the season, the Oregon Coast is a rejuvenating getaway and we are excited for you to discover it!
