Start your explorations at the not-to-be-missed Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area, site of Yaquina Head Lighthouse, one of the most photogenic and easily accessible lighthouses on the Oregon coast. There’s a lot more to enjoy in Newport before you head back to Portland. Now it’s time to decide on a restaurant for dinner- Local Ocean offers the freshest seafood, but Saffron Salmon will give you the best view of Newport Bay. Here you can enjoy an invigorating stroll on long, sandy Nye Beach. Spend what remains of the day strolling along Newport’s busy Bayfront, and exploring the charming, artsy neighborhood of Nye Beach, the town’s oldest residential area. If you took a whale-watching cruise, you’ll likely be arriving in the late afternoon. In about 13 miles you’ll reach Newport, the most intriguing town on the Oregon coast (you are now on the Central Coast). The tours are offered daily year-round but before booking ask if any whales have been sighted that day, or your only sight will be the surging sea. If you don’t suffer from seasickness, sign up for a whale-watching expedition that will take you out onto the open waters of the bay, where a herd of giant gray whales spends part of every summer, and other gray whales pass back and forth on their annual migration. 101 to tiny Depoe Bay with the world’s smallest harbor. For a casual, fish-and-chips lunch with an ocean view, try Kyllo’s Seafood & Grill at the south end of Lincoln City.Īt Lincoln City, the Central Coast region begins. It’s another 22 miles (35 km) to Lincoln City, a good spot for lunch or a coffee. At Pacific City, the scenic byway rejoins U.S. 101 and winds past three wind-swept capes (one with a lighthouse) with viewpoints, beaches, picnic areas, and hiking trails. Just south of Tillamook, watch for the turnoff for the Three Capes Scenic Loop, a scene-stealing byway on Oregon’s North Coast.
101, in about 40 miles (64 km) you’ll come to Tillamook. If you have time before the light fades, pay a visit to gorgeous Ecola State Park at the north end of town, with miles of beach and forested hiking trails with panoramic ocean views.ĭay 6: Three Capes Scenic Loop/Depoe Bay/NewportĬontinuing south from Cannon Beach on U.S.
The town is the most charming and affluent on the Oregon coast and offers lots of shopping and a handful of restaurants that are among the top dining spots anywhere along the coast. With towering Haystack Rock jutting up from the shore, this flat, sandy beach is one of the best along the entire coast for long walks (no matter what the weather). You’ll get some wonderful ocean/beach time when you reach Cannon Beach, about 22 miles (35 km) south of Fort Clatsop on U.S.
Here, in a clearing in the woods, on a site thought to be just yards from the original fort, stands a replica of Fort Clatsop, the wooden fort built by Lewis and Clark and the Corps of Discovery when they finally reached the Pacific Ocean in 1805 after trekking for 18 months across a wilderness unknown to non-Native Americans. Save another hour to visit Fort Clatsop-Lewis and Clark National Historic Park, 5 miles (8 km) south of Astoria. Astoria is undergoing a long-overdue renaissance and has several good restaurants where you can have lunch. Nearby, and also worth a few minutes of your time, is the Flavel House, an ornate brick mansion built for a sea captain in the 1880s. Here, at the site of the oldest settlement west of the Mississippi, you can spend an enjoyable and enlightening hour visiting the compact and well-done Columbia River Maritime Museum, which outlines the human history of the mighty Columbia with exhibits, artifacts, and heritage boats. The trip to Astoria, depending on your route, will take 1.5 to 2 hours. Today you’ll head west to the Pacific Ocean, but first you’ll be able to marvel at the huge size of the Columbia River where it empties into the ocean at Astoria. Have dinner and a craft beer at one of Portland’s many microbreweries-this is the microbrewery capital of the country, after all.Īs mentioned above, you will need a car for the final 3 days of your whirlwind Pacific Northwest tour. Have lunch at one of Portland’s trend-setting food carts and then continue your downtown urban adventuring by strolling through Chapman and Lownsdale squares and Tom McCall Waterfront Park. On day 4, explore downtown Portland, visiting Pioneer Courthouse Square, the South Park Blocks, and the Oregon Historical Society Museum.