Must Do and Sees in Oregon Coast

I spent a week in Oregon but my favorite was the days I spent by the coast. Olive comes alive by the ocean. Her excitement makes the amount of sand I still have in my car 3 months later thousands of miles away worth it. We went to Newport for a day when we were staying in Philomath for the holiday weekend with some girl friends and later I spent a few days in Seaside Oregon with just Olive.

Newport

Newport was about 45 minutes from Philomath. Newport was so lively and full of tourists (we were there Memorial Day weekend). Most of the restaurants were not dog friendly and needed reservations. We still had lots of fun exploring the outdoorsy part of the city.

Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area

The lighthouse itself was closed due to Covid, but the outdoor part of the park was open. It cost $10 per car to get in. We parked in the parking lot and walked down to the lighthouse and the coast. The weather was crisp and cool but not uncomfortably cold.

If you’re traveling with a pet, the lighthouse section is actually not dog friendly. We didn’t see the sign until we were walking back (whoops). The trail to the lighthouse and back are fine. It’s only the small section right by the lighthouse.

Devil’s Punchbowl

Devil’s punchbowl was a quick stop for us. Parking is very limited and it was extremely busy. We decided to take a little time to take in the view of the coast from the view point but didn’t go down to the bottom

Seaside

We stayed in Seaside, which is a city about 15 minutes from Cannon Beach. There were just a little more affordable options for lodging with a pet. The beach was within walking distance to our hotel.

Cannon Beach- Haystack Rock

This was our favorite beach! We came back every day we were in Seaside to hang out here. There’s a beach parking lot on Helmock Street right next to two coffee shops. I grabbed Coffee from Sleepy Monk Coffee Roaster both days and walked to the beach. Well behaved dogs can be offleash here, which was such a treat for Olive. Something about the ocean brings out something different in her. She full on sprints and is the happiest I’ve ever seen her. The beach is really large and we took advantage and went on a long walk along the coast into the fog.

Ecola State Park - Indian Beach, Indian Beach Trail

The drive to Ecola State Park was so beautiful! The road was pretty narrow and starts off in a neighborhood but as you drive farther in, you’re surrounded more and more with tall green trees. it truly felt like I was driving through the rainforest.

Once in the park, there is a self pay station in the parking lot and the cost is $5 per car. From the parking lot, there is a paved path to a great viewpoint of the coast.

To get to Indian Beach, there is an option of hopping back in the car and driving two miles to the beach parking lot or taking the scenic trail there. We opted to take the trail to get our steps in. The trail was about 2 miles of easy hike with some amazing views of the beach along the way.

Indian Beach was worth the trip! We watched surfers and played fetch for a while and enjoyed the gloomy Oregon weather.

If you get the chance to go to Oregon, I would put Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park high on the list of places to visit! If you’re staying in Portland, its only a 1.5 hour drive, which makes it a great day trip to get away from the city.