7 miles S of Seaside, 112 miles N of Newport, 79 miles W of Portland
When most people dream of a vacation on the Oregon coast, chances are they're thinking of a place such as Cannon Beach: weathered cedar-shingle buildings, picket fences behind drifts of nasturtiums, quiet gravel lanes, interesting little art galleries, and massive rock monoliths rising from the surf just off the wide sandy beach. If it weren't for all the other people who think Cannon Beach is a wonderful place, this town would be perfect. However, Cannon Beach is suffering from its own quaintness and the inevitable upscaling that ensues when a place begins to gain national recognition. Once the Oregon coast's most renowned artists' community, Cannon Beach is now going the way of California's Carmel -- lots of upscale shopping tucked away in utterly tasteful little plazas along a neatly manicured main street. Despite the crowds, it still has a village atmosphere, and summer throngs and traffic jams can do nothing to assault the fortresslike beauty of the rocks that lie just offshore.
Cannon Beach Trivia
Cannon Beach was named for a cannon that washed ashore after the U.S. Navy schooner Shark wrecked on the coast north of here in 1846.
Cannon Beach's Haystack Rock, which rises 235 feet above the water, is the most photographed monolith on the Oregon coast.
The offshore rocks are protected nesting grounds for sea birds. Watch for tufted puffins, something of a Cannon Beach mascot.
Tillamook Rock is the site of the Tillamook Rock Lighthouse (aka "Terrible Tilly"), which was subject to huge storm waves that occasionally sent large rocks crashing through the light, 133 feet above sea level. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1957 and is now used as a columbarium (a vault for the interment of the ashes of people who have been cremated).
