Grassy sand dunes leading to the beach near Florence, Oregon

Itinerary

A week on the Oregon coast

Inspiration for your next adventure

Tide pools at low tide, a shipwreck on the beach, sand dunes made for sliding and a lighthouse on a cliff. Two easy bases, short drives, and plenty of room for kids to run.

Who this is for

Parents of young kids who want a week outside together without long drives or constant packing. Your kids would rather poke at a sea anemone than stand in line for anything, and you would like a good coffee in the morning and a fire in the evening.

The shape of the trip

Where you sleep, and the rhythm of the days

Cannon Beach, 3 nights · Yachats, 3

Short drives, one moving day down Highway 101 with good stops built in, and every beach day planned around low tide. The splurge is a room with an ocean view, because that is where you will spend your evenings.

Where to go and what to eat

The places

01 · 3 nights
Cannon Beach
Plan the morning around low tide, when the pools at the base of Haystack Rock open up. From late spring through Labor Day, volunteers are on the beach to show kids the anemones, sea stars and crabs, and to keep everyone off the rock, which is a protected nesting site for puffins. Come before mid-July if puffins are the goal. Ecola State Park has the postcard view and an easy walk down to Indian Beach, though it closes after winter landslides from time to time, so we check it is open before you go.
02
Astoria
Half an hour north, at Fort Stevens State Park, the rusted frame of the Peter Iredale, wrecked in 1906, still sits on the sand, and kids can walk right up to it. In town, climb the 164 steps of the Astoria Column and throw a balsa-wood glider from the top. The Columbia River Maritime Museum is the rainy-day backup, and a good one.
03
Along Highway 101
The drive south has good stops. Tillamook's creamery is free to visit and serves ice cream that justifies the detour. At Pacific City, climb the giant dune at Cape Kiwanda and run back down, staying inside the fence at the top. Depoe Bay has resident gray whales from early summer into fall, and you can sometimes spot them from the seawall.
04 · 3 nights
Yachats and Cape Perpetua
This is the most dramatic stretch of the Oregon coast, and it is five minutes from Yachats. Thor's Well, Devil's Churn and Spouting Horn are at their most theatrical in the hour or so before high tide, when the ocean pours in and out of the basalt. Stand well back and keep little ones close. Walk up to the stone shelter at the Cape Perpetua overlook for the long view, then come down for the tide pools at low tide.
05
Florence and the dunes
Drive south past Heceta Head lighthouse to the Sea Lion Caves, where an elevator takes you down into a sea cave where Steller sea lions gather, mostly in fall and winter. In summer, look for them on the rocks just outside. Then rent sandboards in the Oregon Dunes near Florence and slide down hills of sand that seem to go on forever. On the way home, stop in Newport for the Oregon Coast Aquarium and its walk-through shark tunnel.

My take on Oregon coast

To get the most out of an Oregon Coast trip, timing and pacing are everything. Pick up a free tide table the day you arrive—everything here runs on it—and stick to two bases instead of four so you spend fewer mornings packing up with kids. If your children aren't in school yet, September is the ideal month to visit, offering warmer, clearer weather after the summer crowds leave. Your absolute favorite slice of Oregon is hiking Oswald West State Park down to Short Sand Beach, where a lush coastal rainforest walk opens up to a secluded, mountain-framed cove beloved by local surfers. Don't forget to pack plenty of layers to handle the shifting weather, and make sure to stop by Mo's for a classic bowl of clam chowder.

On the flip side, avoid trying to drive all 363 miles of the coast in a single week; focusing on a targeted stretch yields a much better trip for families. Never treat the ocean like a swimming pool—the water is freezing, the surf is powerful, and you should never turn your back on the waves. Instead, embrace the beach for tide pooling, flying kites, and building sandcastles.

My take

Worth it, and what to skip

Worth it

A tide table, the day you arrive. It is free, and everything here runs on it.
Two bases instead of four. Fewer packing mornings make for happier kids.
September, if your kids are not in school yet. It is warmer and clearer, and the summer crowds have gone home.
Hiking Oswald West State Park down to Short Sand Beach. A lush coastal rainforest walk that opens up to a secluded, mountain-framed cove beloved by local surfers. It's the most magical slice of Oregon!

Skip it

Trying to drive the whole coast in a week. Oregon has 363 miles of it. This stretch has the best of it for kids.
Treating the ocean as a swimming pool. The water is cold and the surf is strong. Here, the beach is for tide pools, kites and sandcastles, and nobody turns their back on the waves.