So you’ve been dreaming of going on a PNW getaway to Cannon beach to see the notable Haystack Rock? But you don’t know how many days to spend there or what to do? My mom and I visited Cannon Beach this year and I’m going to tell you what we did, all the do’s and don’t of Cannon Beach, and plan for best 2 days in Cannon Beach!
How many days should you spend in Cannon Beach, Oregon?
Truthfully, I think 2 days or a weekend getting away is enough time at Cannon Beach.
Tide Pooling at Cannon Beach, Oregon
I’m not saying you have to go tide pooling at Cannon Beach, but Cannon Beach has some AMAZING tide pools. I think you need to plan your visit around the tide schedule so you can experience it. I’m originally from the midwest, so we obviously don’t have tide pools there. And when I found out you could see COLORFUL STARFISH I was immediately sold. You need to go tide pooling for your Cannon Beach getaway!
So what do you need to know about tide pooling at Cannon Beach. First of all you need to know the TIDE SCHEDULE.
In order to have the best tide pooling experience you need to go during negative (minus tides). When you’re looking at the tide schedule you’re going to want to see a tide less than 0.0 feet. The lower the number the better tide pool experience. Plan to arrive a 15 ish minutes before low tide if you want the best opportunity to see the most stuff!
Minus tides start in the spring time at Cannon Beach and summertime offers the lowest minus tides.
What you’ll see at the Cannon Beach Tidepools
- purple and orange Sea Stars
- Anemones
- Lots of Mussels and Barnacles
- Tufted puffins
Tufted Puffins at Cannon Beach
During the summer time Haystack rock becomes home to around 70-100 tufted puffins! They make Haystack rock home for their babies. While I was there Friends of Haystack Rock were volunteering so I was able to see the tufted puffins through a telescope! They have their burrows on the oceanside of Haystack Rock so they can be hard to spot!
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Wild Domesticated Rabbits
Cannon Beach has a bunny problem. Many years ago someone release their domesticated rabbits outside and these rabbits went on to reproduce. Now Cannon Beach is home to feral domesticated rabbits. The bunnies are cute and fun to look at but they are harmful to the environment and don’t get the proper care that they need. If you’re curious about the bunnies and want to learn more Cannon Beach Bunny Rescue is an excellent resource and providers a lot of information about the feral domesticated bunnies in Cannon Beach.
Restaurants and Coffee shops to visit in Cannon Beach
Here’s the thing if you’re going to Cannon Beach it’s a small town of roughly 1,500 people. The coffee shops and restaurants aren’t open every day. When you’re making your itinerary be mindful of when the restaurants you want to visit are open or closed!
Coffee shop Talk: When visiting Cannon Beach you have to visit the Sleepy Monk Coffee Roaster and Insomnia Coffee Co. I thought Insomnia Coffee Co was slightly better than Sleepy Monk Coffee Roaster. But Sleepy Monk Coffee Roaster is closer to beach point access to see Haystack Rock while drinking your coffee.
Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters is only open 8am-3pm Friday through Sunday. So, if you’re planning a weekday trip to Cannon Beach you won’t be able to try they’re coffee.
Insomnia Coffee Co is open 7am-3pm but CLOSED on Sundays and Mondays!
Lazy Susan Cafe is the most popular breakfast restaurant at Cannon Beach. They’re open from 8am-230pm and CLOSED Mondays and Tuesday. Lazy Susan is CASH ONLY!!
Getting the Cannon Beach photos
If you want to get the iconic Cannon Beach photo you’re gonna want to find the Cannon Beach Access point on Google maps. So if you get Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters you’re going to turn on S Helmlock St and head SOUTH you’ll drive up a will with a curve and you’ll see small parallel parking spots on one side of the road. You can park there and walk to the entry point! Please note there is limited parking and if does fill up fast because it popular.
Parking in Cannon Beach
The cannon beach parking lots can fill up fast especially if you’re arriving after 10am. The main and largest parking lot is located on Spruce street near the visitor information center.
There is a small parking lot near the Sleepy Monk Coffee Roasters on S Hemlock St but it’s significantly smaller than the main parking lot. Plan on arrive earlier in the day if you are wanting to Park here.
The last main parking lot is Tolovana Beach State Recreation Site. It’s a more south than other main access points to cannon beach but you can walk on the beach to Haystack Rock.
What to Pack for your 2 days in Cannon Beach
You need layers! This isn’t a warm tropical beach. The average temps during the summer time range with highs of 60-70F and lows of upper 40s-50s. So it’s best to have some layers and a good windproof or jacket.
Hiking near Cannon Beach
If you’re looking into some possible hikes for your cannon beach getaway consider going to Ecola State Park which is right next to Cannon Beach. Ecola Point to Crescent Beach, Ecola Point to Indian Beach, and Tillamook Head Trail are popular hiking trails in Ecola state park.
Oswald West State Park is also near by Cannon Beach. Cape Falcon Trail, Necarney Creek to Elk Flats, Neahkahnie Mountain Trail are some popular trails. For more information about hiking, check out the Cannon Beach website.
I’m not an experienced hiker and my mom does the have the mobility to do the hikes so I did not any hikes in the area.
If you’re interest in reading about Olympic National Park and Cape Flattery I have recent blog posts about those!
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