Kids, Cannon Beach and Grownups: Highlights and Best Times of the Year

Published 01/12/25 at 5:05 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Cannon Beach, Oregon) - A mix of the rugged and the civilized,of the elegant and the wild, and from hiking to hidden beaches: there's a lot to Cannon Beach in any season. Spring, however, is when the north Oregon coast gem becomes a moody wonder. Plus, if you're planning ahead for spring break – or for a less busy getaway – the place is perfect. (Arcadia Beach, all photos Oregon Coast Beach Connection)

Cannon Beach is an oasis of many distractions for parents and the kids, especially if you like the finer things. Microbrews, famous indie-brewed coffees,, gourmet cuisine and ruggedly beautiful architecture in many older and newer buildings provide the fun for adults, but kids of any age will dig the long expanse of beaches, the mysterious lighthouse just offshore, and the myriad of semi-hidden spots just south of town.

The charms of this north Oregon coast icon's downtown stretch through time: it's part Anytown, USA from ages past and part nods to the future with some fun and funky, even innovative shops. Not a single corporate fast food joint in the mix, leaving you to wander a wide array of retail and scrumptiously downhome indie eateries.

Among them – and perfect for kids – is Fultano's Pizza. While it is part of a small chain, each has their own menu item or two that's unique to them. In the case of Cannon Beach Fultano's Pizza, there's a truly exquisite homemade pasta sauce that stands out, developed by owner David Johnson and friends from the legendary Monte Carlo Italian joint in Portland. It's a multi-layered delight that's feels like grandma made it. www.CBfultanos.com (503) 436-9717.

The beach is the real pinnacle of Cannon Beach, of course, and this includes the more popular areas that stretch from the Tolovana area, to Midtown and the famed Haystack Rock, to the northern area near downtown and Ecola Creek. But at the extreme northern and southern ends you'll find less multitudes and more solitude – and some unique scenic treasures.

Ecola State Park houses some massive, impressive cliffs and viewpoints, including the surfer's paradise of Indian Beach and the legendary Keyhole Rock (sometimes erroneously called Goonies Rock – but it was not the rock at the end of the film.) This spot was also featured in a scene from the Twilight movie.

Wander just south of town and you start to hit those arresting viewpoints from which all great beach trip photographs are made. From here, you'll find the unique stretches of sand such as Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site and then Hug Point, with its dizzying array of attractions such as a waterfall, a couple of insanely cool sea caves, and that irresistible ancient road going around the point. Arcadia Beach Tour

Hug Point to Arch Cape

Just south of there you start to enter the quiet village of Arch Cape, which features bundles of stunning beauty all its own along a surprisingly small width of a strand. Nearby, some seriously incredible secrets lay just before Oswald West State Park (between there and the tunnel), at Falcon Cove Road. It's a semi-private neighborhood, so be courteous with the minimal parking. It is one of the more unique beaches on all the Oregon coast, however, nicknamed “Magic Rocks” Beach for the intriguing noises the polished stones make when stirred by the tides.

Best Time of the Year for Cannon Beach?

Winter tends to be stormy and thus attract stormwatchers, yet even with its extremely low prices for this down season, the area is generally not packed by any means. However, just after the big spring break weeks of late March, another kind of spring break erupts: with less people but more things to see.

April and early May are generally almost bereft of crowds (except on occasion), and the unique weather patterns of Oregon coast springs create the most interesting skies to photograph. It's extremely active: darting from rainy to calm sun sometimes within minutes, so you're not going to always get the relative warmth of an Oregon coast summer (indeed it's all very relative). You'll have to walk the beach prepared for sun and rain squalls, but the wave action, beachcombing finds, and stretches of sunny glow make mid to late spring the best time to go.

There's always Second Summer as well, with slightly less crowds by far the best weather of the year. Oregon Coast in Summer and Second Summer

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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