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Spring and Spring Break in Cannon Beach, Oregon

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) - It's time to get your spring on.

Cannon Beach, the rustic yet classy little town on the north Oregon coast, has a special twinkle in its eye for the spring season. Check out these events for the coming season in Cannon Beach....

March 22 to March 29: Spring Whale Watch Week. Watch the great beasts make their way past the Oregon coast during their peak migration time. Trained volunteers at 28 "Whale Watching Spoken Here" sites help visitors spot gray whales. The volunteers are on duty 10 a.m.-1 p.m. to help visitors see the marine animals and offer information about their migration. On the north Oregon coast, you’ll find them at Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, Ilwaco, Washington; Ecola State Park (Cannon Beach). 541-765-3407. www.whalespoken.org.

March 26. Spring Break Olympics. All sorts of fun, games and activities are planned, including pizza. 5 to 11 years old. 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Free. Adult must accompany child. 503-436-2623. Cannon Beach Chamber, downtown Cannon Beach.

March 29. Great Oregon Spring Beach Cleanup. Volunteers meet in every city on the coast to help clean up its entire 362 miles of beaches. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Contact SOLV to volunteer. 1-800-333-solv. www.solv.org

March 29. String of Pearls. Jazz concert. A stroll through American popular music, from the ‘30s to the ‘50s. 7:30-9:30 p.m., as part of the Acoustic Folk! Music Series. Tickets can be purchased at the door: $5 for adults, $2 for kids (suggested donation). Cannon Beach History Center. Corner of Spruce and Sunset in Cannon Beach. (503) 436-9301.

April 26. Kinzel & Hyde, a blues duo highlighted by harmonica. Cannon Beach History Center. Corner of Spruce and Sunset in Cannon Beach. (503) 436-9301.

May 31 – June 1. Cannon Beach Film Fest. Spotlighting movies that featured Cannon Beach as locations, such as the classic “Goonies” and “Point Break.” Four films on Saturday and three films on Sunday. Traditional movie snacks and a raffle drawing. Coaster Theatre. Hemlock, in downtown Cannon Beach. 503.436.1242.

For more events, see www.cannonbeach.org.

Haystack Rock	"Goonies Rock," from the end of the cult film (courtesy Seaside Helicopters)	Ecola State Park

A Cannon Beach Travel Guide in Words and Pictures

Downtown Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach sits up against this rather spectacular stretch of beach, with an upscale vibe that evokes Carmel, partially because of the proliferation of cedar-shingled siding. It’s a long, thin town, meandering a few miles, with Hemlock as the main drag. This street, from north to south, carries a huge array of art galleries and specialty shops, and a cavalcade of can’t-miss restaurants. Loads of individualistic, classy and pretty lodgings and eateries populate this cozy hamlet with their refreshing takes on their particular industries.

Most of the time, the beach is one long stretch of sandy repose, accentuated by the monolith called Haystack Rock, which often serves as an icon for Oregon beaches in the national press. It’s the third largest such basalt structure in the world. Like in Seaside, sticking to the extreme northern and southern beaches will keep you away from the masses and let you bound around the beach with a little more privacy.

Fiery sunset from Downtown Cannon Beach

Ecola State Park is another highlight, with its variety of rock cliffs overlooking dramatic vistas, and a great view of the mysterious Tillamook Head Lighthouse about a mile offshore. This ancient sentinel was built on a precarious perch out to sea back in the 1800’s, and many lives were lost doing so. In fact, workers housed in Seaside at the time, waiting to begin their shifts there, were sequestered from the general public so they couldn’t hear how many others were actually getting killed on the construction project. It was decommissioned in the 50’s and is now a wildlife refuge. It also houses the ashes of the deceased who have paid ahead to make such final arrangements.

Ecola contains the amazing crescent-shaped beach of Indian Beach, with its mix of rocky slabs and sandy tracts. It also draws many surfers.

Somewhere between Ecola and the northern end of Cannon Beach is a magnificent hidden cove called Crescent Beach (which can be seen from the cliffs looking south, towards the town). It’s only accessible via a mile and a half hike that begins along the road going into the state park.

From Cannon Beach to the Arch Cape Tunnel and Oswald State Park, you’ll find bunches of beaches slightly cloistered from the throngs, especially on either side of the tunnel. 101 becomes a winding, slithery drive, along high cliffs with breathtaking views. You’ll discover Hug Point here, with its assortment of eye-popping pleasures: a waterfall, freaky sea caves and that wondrous remnant of a road blasted out of the rock back in the beginning of the century. You can find the last hints of an ancient traffic light and electrical system embedded in this rock, still frozen there in time.

At the northern edges of Cannon Beach, looming above it all is Tillamook Head, where a stunning hiking trail takes you six miles over the headland, past amazing viewpoints and over to Seaside. There’s a primitive campsite lurking along this route, a major historical site marking the Corps of Discovery’s stop along here, and the spooky ruins of a small army outpost sit cloistered in the forest somewhere.

For more information on Cannon Beach, see www.cannonbeach.org.

Haystack Rock during last winter's spectacular freeze (photo courtesy Seaside Aquarium)	Mysterious southern end of Cannon Beach, where it's said the famed "singing sands" happen	Arch Cape, just a few miles south of town

For more details and photos of the Cannon Beach area, see the Cannon Beach Virtual Tour

Inn at Cannon Beach. Beautifully wooded natural setting at quiet south end of Cannon Beach. Great during winter storms with a new book by the fireplace – or when the sun is out for family fun and beach strolling. Handsome beach cottage-style architecture. Lush flowering gardens and naturalized courtyard pond. Warm, inviting guest rooms. Continental buffet breakfast. Warm Cookies. Family and Pet Friendly. Welcome gifts. Smoke-free. Complimentary Wireless Connectivity. Wine and book signing events. 800-321-6304 or 503-436-9085. Hemlock At Surfcrest, Cannon Beach, Oregon. www.atcannonbeach.com.

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