Cannon Beach & Northern Coast: Private Day Trip from Portland

The journey, in full

Your excursion will begin from your hotel in Portland city center, where your driver-guide will pick you up and head westward towards the coast. On the way, you will make a stop at the unique and historical Camp 18 museum. With its open-air exhibits, Camp 18 gives visitors an insight into Oregon’s rich logging history. You will see a range of authentic artifacts and machinery used in the logging industry, which brought great prosperity to the Portland area in the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. You will then journey onwards to your next stop and your first taste of sea air: Ecola State Park. The park is known for its dramatic ocean views and excellent hiking trails. You will be able to enjoy a spectacular view of the famous sea stack-studded coastline, which has served as the backdrop for many Hollywood movies, including Point Break, Twilight, and The Goonies. The next stop of the day will be the charming city of Cannon Beach. Known for its natural beauty as well as its arts scene, you will be given plenty of time to explore the myriad of galleries, boutique shops, cafes, and restaurants, as well as stroll along its wide sandy beaches. Get a closer look at Haystack Rock, the largest and most famous sea stack in Oregon. Rising a whopping 235 feet from the shore, this stunning basalt rock formation serves as a wildlife refuge and is surrounded by tide pools filled with marine life. As such, it is an excellent place for beachcombing and tide pooling. After your in-depth exploration of Cannon Beach, your next stop will be Hug Point State Park, where you will find another wonderful beach with sandstone caves, a waterfall, and a 19th-century road carved into the headland. Visit Oswald West State Park, the largest in Oregon and considered by many to be the most scenic. Within the park, you will find the lovely Short Sand beach, famous for its peaceful atmosphere and ocean views. From there, you will embark upon an enchanting hike through an old-growth forest harboring massive Sitka spruce, western red cedar, and Douglas-fir trees, eventually reaching the secluded Smuggler Cove. Protected by a crescent-shaped bay, you will soon see why this picturesque inlet is popular with surfers and photographers alike. Urban legend suggests pirate treasure lies buried somewhere near Smuggler Cove, although it is yet to be found. Before returning to Portland, the final stop of the day will be at Neahkahnie Viewpoint. Located at the foot of Neahkahnie Mountain and overlooking the town of Manzanita, it enjoys unrivaled panoramic coastal views and is the perfect place to end our enthralling day on the Oregon coast. Your driver-guide will then bring you back to Portland, where you have the option to return to your hotel or another location of your choosing in the downtown area, invigorated from a memorable day discovering some of the most beautiful places in Oregon.