Seaside/Cannon Beach/Tillamook

Seaside/ Cannon Beach

On arrival in Seaside... (Promenade, Bumper Cars & Taffy)
Seaside is fun for children and adults. It's Oregon's first seaside resort, dating back to the mid 1800s. With a beachfront stretching 1 1/2 miles, a real Tilt-A-Whirl and the closest thing Oregon has to a boardwalk, you'll be nostalgic for the golden days. It's the standard-issue getaway for Portland kids (& adults) forever. But unlike Portland, Seaside hasn't changed over the decades. It's still full of shops selling kites, Roxy board shorts and trashy T-shirts. Where else can you ride a surrey while eating a caramel-apple and proudly wearing neon-green sweatpants and sweatshirts that say "Seaside".
Possible Seaside Stops

Map depicting the different destinations/ options available at the Oregon Coast.

Cannon Beach coastal area from Tillamook Head
"From this point I be held the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed". Capt. Clark
Credit: Pfl

'Terrible Tilly' from Tillamook Head - Image: "Day 272 of 366" by James_Seattle is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Cannon Beach Area:
On arrival in Cannon Beach...Stops include:

Ecola State Park / Tillamook Rock Light house ('Terrible Tilly') view - Wildlife watching and ocean viewing at Ecola State Park. Certain to please bird-watchers, history buffs & photographers. Ample picnicking and romping space. From here there's a 2 hour RT hike to Clark's Point of View. "From this point I be held the grandest and most pleasing prospects which my eyes ever surveyed".
Historic Downtown, Haystack Rock:
- We'll stop at the southernmost and furthest point visited by Lewis & Clark back in 1806 and...
- HAYSTACK ROCK - Head down to the beach for some selfies. At low tide, there are pools of sea anemones and seastars at the base of the 235 ft basalt tower. At high tide, you can wonder around looking at cool dogs frolicking in the surf.

EATS:

Dooger's or Buoy's Best in Seaside
Tom's Fish & Chips in Cannon Beach & Seaside
All Eateries

Buoy's Best- Freshest seafood in Seaside

Tom's Menu

Friday's all-you-can-eat Fish & Chips
$3 Taco Tuesday's,
$6 Wednesday's Burger, Beer & Fries

4pm-close

South of Cannon Beach

Not far from Cannon Beach is Neakahnie Mtn. & Oswald West State Park- One of the best preserved coastal rain forests in Oregon:
– Experience some of the more breathtaking spots on the entire Oregon coast with guided hikes to Hug Point, Smuggler's Cove, Devil's Cauldron and Neahkahnie Mtn. The 'easy' hikes give an up close and personal glimpse to the connection between land and sea.

Stops may include:

Hug Point -

Walk along the beach to the waterfall, sea cave and old postal road that "hugged' the coastline before HWY 101 was built. Explore Hug Point! View the waterfall, sea caves and tire ruts on the rocks at Hug Point carved into the rocks where the cars drove, “hugging the point” to get to towns further south than Cannon Beach when the tide was low.
Tides: Also, you can only explore the road and caves around Hug Point at low tide. You can check the Oregon Coast tide chart for predicted times of high and low tides.

A SECRET SMUGGLER'S COVE*

Join me or follow the signs on an easy, meandering 1/2 mile path. Hike through old-growth Sitka Spruce on the Old Growth Forest Trail and climb over some handsomely weathered ocean debris towards this picturesque cove . Legend has it there's buried treasure there of the 17th century Manila (Spanish) Galleon Santo Cristo de Burgos - Reader
*The smuggler's cove - Add this easy 1 mile RT hike - "If we had to pick a spot that embodies almost everything that defines the Oregon Coast; the old-growth cedar, hemlock, Douglas fir & Sitka spruce forest culminating with the picturesque, crescent shaped smuggler's cove with never-found Spanish Galleon buried treasures, this is it--which almost no one knows about--a secret location. This forest & cove is as fine a temple as nature can create... This is one of our most treasured places at the coast."

Devil's Cauldron - Overlook & single most incredible setting on the Oregon coast

The Devils Cauldron (AKA Pirate's Treasure cove) is a cliff-backed cove just south of Short Sand Beach. The ocean swells churn and froth around a handful of sea stacks, including Cube Rock, making this a spectacular view on a fine day. The viewpoint can be reached by a semi-steep, rocky and often muddy trail, so wear appropriate footwear. Hike is only about 5-10 minutes each way.

NEAHKAHNIE MOUNTAIN & Neahkahnie Viewpoints

Renowned for its views (right) at Neahkahnie Mtn., we'll pull off at a pull-out or at the 1st pull-out and hike to the 4th for a variety of wonderful views. Hike only takes about 10-20 minutes and is easy. This engineering feat was the largest in Oregon up to that time.
Whale watching* (mid Dec - mid Jan & late February - May) -please inquire.

Sitka Spruce Forest @ Smuggler's Cover

"Oregon Coast: Short Sands Beach" by eliduke is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0

Hug Point

Galleon Santo Cristo de Burgos

Smuggler's Cove

"Short Sand Beach, Oregon" by Bonnie Moreland (free images) is licensed under CC PDM 1.0

Neahkanie Viewpoint
"For scenic value, this new section (above) will be the equal of anything offered along the 400 miles of Oregon's coastline"
The Oregonian, 1941

Neahkanie Mtn.: Author: Oregon Dept of Transportation

4th pull-out

Devil's Cauldron-Treasure Cove

"Devil's Cauldron" by Shutterbug Fotos is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0

If time permits, we can do Tillamook. . .

Tillamook

Villages of Manzanita, Wheeler, Garibaldi, Rockaway Beach & CAPE MEARES

On arrival in Manzanita...

Eat a secret dessert

Save room for dessert at the Sand Dune Pub, which has a killer, silky-smooth peanut butter chocolate pie that sits off-menu, because it was too popular. The pie should be washed down with a $5 pint and enjoyed on the patio.

SEE THE CENTURY-OLD LIGHTHOUSE, OREGON'S BIGGEST TREE & ONE OF THE CHOICEST VIEWS AROUND

Next is the Cape Meares Lighthouse (right) in the Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint & Wildlife Refuge. Cape Meares State Scenic Viewpoint is situated on a headland 200 feet above the ocean. Cape Meares provides an excellent view of a colony of nesting common murres (the site is one of the most populous colonies of nesting sea birds on the continent). Bald eagles and peregrine falcons have also been known to nest near here.
Located here is 'Big Spruce', Oregon's largest Sitka Spruce
& the 'Octopus Tree' are more terrific attractions in the area we will see. The Octopus tree is a giant Sitka Spruce that is 50 feet in circumference, and has six limbs that are 12-feet around, and no central trunk!
Garibaldi - Tucked into a wooded curve of the coastline, Garibaldi sits against the mountains with its face to the harbor and sea... Garibaldi's history is steeped in timber and maritime tradition, and like many Oregon coast communities, geography has played an important role in shaping the city and port that exist here today. Up through the early 1900s, Tillamook, Garibaldi and the surrounding villages relied on ship and rail to support commerce. This dependence on the sea to transport goods and passengers lead to increased concern in the safety and viability of crossing the Tillamook Bay bar. The treacherous waters have claimed several ships and lives over the years, as well as a whole city. More on that later. Once in Garibaldi, we'll visit the historic Coast Guard Boathouse out at the end of the longest pier in Oregon. If we hit the timing right (early afternoons Saturday and Sunday Memorial Day to Labor Day), we can go inside the boathouse. There’s plenty more to explore in the fishing village of Garibaldi. The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad travels past the pier and picks up riders nearby at 306 American Ave. Garibaldi for excursions north to Rockaway Beach. The Garibaldi Museum, within walking distance at 112 Garibaldi Ave., features exhibits on the area’s maritime history. And there's 2 prime seafood markets here we can stop at for fresh seafood to bring home.

- "Cape Meares Lighthouse Oregon" by Bonnie Moreland (free images) is licensed under CC0 1.

TAKE IN A FOREST FIRE
If time permits; a visit to the Tillamook Forest Center (about 35 minutes east of Tillamook along Route 6; milepost 22; Hours) is worth the stop-FREE. The highlight is a 15-minute film about the series of massive wildfires from 1933-1951 that scorched 350,000 acres of old-growth forest beginning in 1933, known collectively as the Tillamook Burn. There's also exhibits and a fire lookout. The movie is played in a surround-sound theater that glows an infernal red and is scented with smoke. If you had a 3rd round of drinks last night it may be too much for you--in which case a hike along the Wilson River may be at hand (link below).
Possible Tillamook Stops
Check out the ASTORIA area

DISCLAIMER: Not all stops listed above are on your itinerary. Time restraints and other factors typically limit the sights we see. Above are only potential stops. Priority stops should be communicated to My Chauffeur ahead of (preferred) or during your tour so we can make time for them. No stop is guaranteed.