This day keeps your drive-time down, emphasizes natural beauty at Ecola and Oswald West State Parks, and includes time in and around Cannon Beach, with its gallery-and-boutique-laden main street. Don’t miss Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, a local institution!

To get a bit of a sweat up, we can lead you at Saddle Mountain, Tillamook Head, Cape Falcon. What do they have in common? Beautiful coastal rainforests and dramatic sweeping views of rocky headlands and ocean beaches. Most hikes are half-day adventures, leaving time to combine activities.

Astoria, near the mouth of the Columbia River, is the oldest American settlement on the west coast. It’s also the site where early American explorers Lewis & Clark overwintered 1805-1806 in the lands of the Clatsop Native Americans. For those with an interest in the history and industry of the coast, this is the town for you.

South of Neakahnie Mountain and past Tillamook and its famous dairy (yes, we’ll stop for ice cream!), lies a photogenic scenic route along the waters edge that touches on Cape Meares, Cape Lookout, and Cape Kiwanda, with its challenging sand dune and views of Proposal Rock. Traveling the loop also means the less-frequented route to the coast, along the scenic Wilson River Highway.

In and around Tillamook Bay are numerous coastal wetlands, rivers, and lakes. Experienced paddlers will thrill in a new landscape, and newbies will enjoy a little instruction, and getting a little boost from the tides. Paddle-boarding is also possible for those who want to try their hand at something new.

If you dream of road-tripping the length of the dramatic Oregon Coast, our guides can lead you to the gray whales of Depoe Bay, the Newport riverfront, Florence’s sand dunes, the crashing waves of Ocean Shores State Park, and the rocky drama of the state’s southernmost beaches.