The entire coast of Oregon would take 7 hours to drive without making any stops, but the drive from Florence to Cannon Beach is under 4 hours. Add in a dozen amazing places to stop, and you have yourself a pretty spectacular road trip day between two of the cutest Oregon coast towns!
And this itinerary is local-approved! We chatted with a couple different people in Eugene who asked what we had planned and their eyes lit up when we mentioned we were driving up the coast! We’ll start in Florence, and drive up north to Cannon Beach. Here are 15 things to do in Oregon on a coastal road trip.
Where to Stay – Oregon Coast Road Trip Hotels
Finding the perfect hotel or VRBO Oregon Coast means deciding how you’ll be spacing out your drive through these Oregon coast towns. Stopping in multiple places gives you the most time to enjoy Oregon coast beaches. Since we’re focusing this road trip on the drive between Florence and Cannon Beach, you’ll probably want to spend the first night of your trip in Florence. Home rentals and hotels in Florence Oregon are a really great and affordable option to stay. But if you’re looking for Florence Oregon hotels with oceanfront views, you should check out the Heceta Lighthouse B&B.
Popular Cannon Beach hotels include the Cannon Beach Hotel, The Courtyard, Hallmark Resort Cannon Beach Hotel, and The Waves Cannon Beach. Cannon Beach is a great place to stop overnight at the end of your Oregon Coast road trip, but during peak season, hotels will have 2 or 3 night minimums. If you have time, we’d recommend spending a bit more time here. Staying overnight will allow you to fully enjoy Hug Point and Haystack Rock by visiting at the appropriate tide. Maybe you’ll even get a sunny evening and a beautiful sunset over Haystack Rock.
If you’d like to slow down and enjoy the sights even more, you can stay overnight in Yachats or another town near the halfway point to maximize your time exploring some of the best beaches in Oregon. Overleaf Lodge would be such a dreamy spot to spend the night right on the water.
Things To Do on the Oregon Coast:
Sea Lion Caves – $14 per adult. This is one of the most popular things to do in Florence Oregon.
Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint – $5 to park. Lighthouse tours also available.
Hobbit Trailhead – Take a short half-mile out and back hike to a quiet beach. This quiet path is one of the best things to do in Florence Oregon.
Neptune State Scenic Viewpoint – Driving north, we stopped at a sign for Neptune State Park, which is a nice viewpoint and small picnic area, but we preferred the view from the parking lot .4 miles up the road. A path and stairs lead down to the rocky beach. Florence stretches up the coast quite a bit and has several great Oregon coast beaches, and this one is a great spot to explore.
Spouting Horn & Thor’s Well – These are two very well-known spots at Cape Perpetua, but I would only recommend stopping here if you are hitting the highest tide of the day. Unfortunately, during our trip this was in the middle of the night. If you come at the wrong time, you will not see the water effects that have become so famous.
Devil’s Churn – $5 parking fee. Best seen at high tide, but the water churns pretty well whenever the tide isn’t low.
Cape Perpetua Lookout – Drive up and take Whispering Spruce Trail to the lookout.
Seal Rock State Recreation Site – Best accessible at low tide as the water reaches the cliff walls at higher tides. A great spot to look for sea stars as well as seals.
Yaquina Head Lighthouse & Cobble Beach – This is one of the best things to do on the Oregon Coast.
Devils Punchbowl – View from above at high tide. If you go at the lowest tide, you can explore from below.
Depoe Bay – Spouting Horn – This one was a little more active than the one at Thor’s Well, but it would have been better at highest tide.
Boiler Bay State Scenic Viewpoint – This outcropping offers wide views of the Oregon Coast beaches.
Proposal Rock & Neskowin Ghost Forest – We parked at the Neskowin Beach State Recreation Site (the parking lot across from Village Scoop at the Proposal Rock Inn). To reach the Neskowin Ghost Forest, we had to walk across a lengthy section of beach and cross the Neskowin Creek that runs around Proposal Rock. We thought the walk was well worth it, but if you’re not going at low tide, just enjoy Proposal Rock and save yourself the long walk on the sand.
Tillamook Creamery – Take a free self-guided creamery tour and then visit their Dining Hall and Shop for some ice cream. If you go during the week, you’ll be able to see the employees working during your tour.
Rockaway Big Tree Trail – Walk along a boardwalk through this old growth forest preserve.
Hug Point State Recreation Site – Before the highway was built, stagecoaches had to use Hug Point and you can walk part of this original path. You’ll find several great tide pools here, as well as a few caves, and a small waterfall if there’s been enough rain. Hug Point is inaccessible during high tide, so you’ll want to go 30-60 minutes before lowest tide. Keep an eye on the tides, or you’ll find yourself getting wet on your walk back, and don’t try to go if it’s not low tide.
Haystack Rock – Visiting this famous rock is one of best things to do on the Oregon coast. Haystack Rock is the centerpiece of Cannon Beach and a great place to look at tide pools. If you go at low tide, you’ll see the rock reflected in the shallow water.
Ecola State Park – A beautiful overlook and a great spot for hiking. $5 parking fee. If you’re going in the summer months, get there early in the morning to find parking.
Tips for Oregon Coast Towns
If you want to continue your coastal Oregon road trip, two beautiful stops past Cannon Beach are the Tillamook Lighthouse and Seaside Beach. There are so many family friendly things to do in Seaside Oregon. It’s one of the best Oregon coast towns for families looking for activities to enjoy together.
Several of these stops are best seen at either high or low tide. We used this site to help us map that out and knew that we wouldn’t hit every spot at the opportune time. Both Spouting Horn sites, Thor’s Well, and Devil’s Punchbowl are best seen at the highest tide of the day and might not look that impressive at other times. I’ve read that you can hike down and explore Devil’s Punchbowl at the lowest tide of the day, but be very careful not to get caught by sneaker waves and the incoming tide.
The best time to visit Oregon coast towns like Florence and Cannon Beach is a summer week day if you can. You’ll love this Oregon coast road trip on any beautiful summer day, but a week day would keep traffic at a minimum! And that will be very helpful for finding parking at so many small roadside stops.
See more of our Oregon Series:
Four (+ More) Day Oregon Itinerary
Crater Lake National Park
Oregon Coast Road Trip Scenic Stops
Cannon Beach
Portland Area Waterfalls
When you buy something using the links in our posts, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
