Hot spring camping near Cannon Beach with campfires
Browse art galleries, eat fresh seafood, and go puffin-watching in this North Coast town.
- Cannon Beach
Popular camping styles for Cannon Beach
Hot spring camping near Cannon Beach with campfires guide
Overview
Popular with day-tripping Portlanders, the coastal community of Cannon Beach offers a delightful mix of boutiques, art galleries, and seafood restaurants, along with easy access to a wide, sandy expanse of Pacific Ocean shoreline. It’s also the site of one of Oregon’s most iconic natural features, Haystack Rock, a basalt sea stack that provides a refuge for seabirds and tufted puffins. While many overnight visitors stay in the town’s many cozy inns, state parks dot the area offering tent and RV camping, either in the forest or right by the beach.
When to go
Cannon Beach attracts visitors year-round, though summers are by far the busiest time to visit. If temperatures are high in the Portland area, you’re pretty much guaranteed to encounter crowds, even on weekdays. September weekdays after local schools are back in session offer an ideal mix of relatively pleasant temperatures without big crowds. If you don't mind cooler temperatures, come in the first weekend of November for the annual Stormy Weather Arts Festival’s live music and art demonstrations.
Where to go
Oregon's North Coast
Cannon Beach is set in the heart of Oregon's North Coast, making it a great base for exploring nearby communities such as Astoria, Seaside, and Manzanita. The region is also home to tons of great hiking spots, and Ecola State Park is just a few minutes’ drive from Cannon Beach's town center.
The Columbia River
Marking the border between western Oregon and Washington, the Columbia is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest with miles of boating, fishing, and riverside hiking, plus tons of fabulous viewpoints. Head up to nearby Astoria to see the point where this massive river meets the Pacific.
The Tillamook State Forest
Occupying a wide expanse of woodlands, just inland from and south of Cannon Beach, the Tillamook State Forest is spread out over 360,000 acres of forest land, with miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding.
