After an enjoyable first day of my travels in Oregon centered around Portland and the Columbia River Gorge, my travel partners and I were excited to get back out into the Beaver State’s wilderness for more exploration. This time we were looking for even more natural scenes than the day prior with a focus on exploring Oregon’s Northwest coastline. While we had originally looked at different public transit methods to get to and from the coast, we ultimately decided to do a first for this project (and me personally) by renting a car to adventure at our own pace. This ended up being a great decision, though not without its own drawbacks, and allowed us to see even more of this beautiful state’s rural areas than would have otherwise been possible.

Without much in terms of an actual plan, just a rough set of places to stop at and a rental car reservation, we were not fully sure of what the day would hold, but that is part of the joy of traveling. The rough idea was to start with picking up the rental car at the airport, following the Columbia River westbound to where it meets the Pacific at Astoria, then continuing south along to the coastal towns like Cannon Beach and Tillamook before turning back East to Portland in time to make our flights home in the evening. It was going to be a long day, but any travel day worth experiencing usually is.

Trip Highlights

• Location: Pacific Coastline, Oregon, USA

• Population (metro): 2.51 million

• Known for: First American Settlement on the Pacific, immense natural beauty, cheese

• Weather during visit: Mostly cloudy becoming mostly sunny, 9-18ºC (48-64ºF)

• Time in Place: 49 hours 39 minutes

But First, Breakfast

Waking up for a second day, we were excited for our travels, but we had a couple of orders of business to attend to first. Chief among them was the need to get breakfast. After little deliberation, we decided to return to Voodoo Doughnut from the previous day. Their menu was large enough and had enough variety that each of us was eager to try something different.

Following the same path from our hotel as the day prior, today we were seeing a different side of Portland. While the previous day had a clear blue sky with a brilliant sun, today it was grey and overcast, at times threatening to open up with a soaking rain. Thankfully, it stayed dry during the walk to breakfast, and the wait was even shorter than it was the previous day, and we were able to just walk into the shop almost immediately. The selections of the day were a raspberry jelly, a frosted M&M, and a guava hagelslag. As with the previous day, the doughnuts were fantastic. If you ever find yourself in Portland, make sure to stop at Voodoo Doughnuts; you will not be disappointed.

Finishing our breakfast, we made our way to the nearest MAX station at Skidmore Fountain to board a red line train to the airport. I mentioned in the previous trip report that we did not have the chance to use the airport station, but today was our one shot to do so. The station was pretty nice and super convenient to the terminal compared to some other air-rail connections like Miami or New York-JFK. Since we were all flying out of PDX in the evening, we decided the best course of action would be to rent a car roundtrip from the airport. Oddly enough, the most affordable vehicle for us to rent was a compact electric vehicle. While originally apprehensive about renting an EV since none of us had driven one before, this ended up being a good decision, and I would recommend it to almost anyone looking to drive in Oregon. The state has a robust public charging network, and since we were exploring in the various towns for around an hour at each stop anyway, there was plenty of time to get topped off again before continuing on. It was also much cheaper to pay for a charge than a tank of gas. Piling ourselves and our bags into the car and booting up the GPS, we were on our way West to the Pacific.

A Day of Firsts

Driving through Portland can be difficult at times, with winding highways and tunnels that give way to bridges and back again, but driving around Portland was not terribly difficult. Leaving the airport, we actually made our way across the river to Washington first, following I-5 along the banks of the Columbia until Longview before crossing the Lewis and Clark Bridge into Rainier, Oregon. The drive along US-30 was stunning, with bands of rain coming and going throughout the drive, occasionally obscuring the tops of the mountains we were driving through until it suddenly would lift and expose the forested ridge or the rest of the river valley below before being plunged back in. There are a few small towns along the way, most notably Clatskanie and Knappa, but there are no larger cities once you are past Longview until reaching Astoria. All told, the drive from PDX to Astoria took a bit over an hour and a half, but we were able to avoid traffic for the most part, and the drive was not too technical for someone used to driving in cornfields.

Astoria, Oregon was the first permanent American settlement built not just on the Pacific Coast but also west of the Rocky Mountains. Named for John Jacob Astor, the founder of the American Fur Company who funded the expedition to develop a trading point on the Pacific, the city has its roots in the roaring fur trade of the early 19th century before shifting focus to fishing and lumber. Today, the city’s economy is primarily built on tourism and light industry thanks to ample access to natural resources and a deep-water port. Astoria has also appeared throughout the public consciousness and media many times since its founding, perhaps best known as the location of the 1985 film The Goonies.

The primary way to get to Astoria is driving, either via US 30 like how we entered the city along the Columbia River, or via US 101 like how we left, following the Pacific Coast. US 101 continues north from the city across the mouth of the Columbia River via the Astoria-Megler Bridge, which has become an icon for the city. There are a few short-distance interstate bus routes into the neighboring communities in Washington, as well as some into nearby Oregon communities as well, though these are fairly limited. Astoria is also home to one of the only cruise terminals along the US mainland Pacific Coast, though use of the terminal is very limited, and is primarily used for ships transiting between Vancouver/Alaska cruises and California. Within the city, there is a passenger rail line, the Astoria Riverfront Trolley, that operates a 3 mi (5 km) heritage service. The trolly used by the service is a fully electric 1913 unit from San Antonio, but there is no electrification along the line; instead, it relies on a trailered diesel generator to provide power. A single fare is $1, and a day pass $2, payable onboard by cash… or Venmo.

We arrived in Astoria, found a public parking spot near the city center where we could plug in for a bit, and began our walk through the town. Astoria is a lovely little city with a large artist movement providing a variety of local businesses to explore. Within the few city blocks we walked, we stopped many times just from the interesting storefronts, including a bookshop, a café, a clothing store, and a European goods shop where we got some authentic Dutch cheese. Many of the older buildings in town were well preserved and still in use, like the Liberty Theatre. We were also able to see the Astoria Column looking down over the rest of the city and port, though we did not end up visiting or climbing up the 164 steps to see the view ourselves.

The main draw in Astoria, however, is the riverfront; it is what brought settlers to the area in the first place, and it is still magnificent. Aside from the Trolley, there are also a series of boardwalks and pathways to walk along the banks and enjoy the sights of ocean-bound vessels leaving the river. There were also spectacular views of the Astoria-Megler Bridge and Cape Disappointment on the Washington side of the river. In addition to the local establishments, there are also a few tourist-focused shops along the way, meaning everyone was able to get their necessary fix of postcards and stickers.

In total, we spent around two hours in Astoria, just wanting to get a taste of what the town has to offer. One could definitely spend longer in town exploring more, and there were a few things we were unable to experience, like the aforementioned Astoria Column. Even beyond the city itself, there are many parks and natural spaces to explore nearby, and plenty of museums to get your fix of history. What we were able to explore, however, was very nice, and I would revisit the city easily.

South by Seaside

Packing back into the car and hitting the road again, we were now headed south on US 101. Immediately after leaving Astoria, we crossed Youngs Bay on a series of bridges. After that point, there was not much in the way of interesting scenery for a while. This section of 101 is pretty bland all things considered, or at least less interesting compared to what we had seen and will later see, but it is more inline with modern highways: straight and fairly flat. We passed through the town of Seaside, another Oregon coastal resort town, but did not feel an overwhelming urge to stop, especially since we had a clear destination in mind for the next leg. Once we were south of Seaside, the scenery improved as we followed the Necanicum River Valley, passing between several state parks and monuments.

After crossing Ecola Creek, we had finally reached our next destination, the seaside town of Cannon Beach, home to Haystack Rock. Quickly parking the car and making a beeline to the beach, we were greeted by one of the most stunning sights I saw on this trip. Haystack Rock is a basalt sea stack rising 235 ft (72 m) from the sandy beach that surrounds it. At the base of the rock lie many tide pools, as well as three smaller formations known as “The Needles”. By the time in the day we were visiting, most of the rain had burned off, and the sun was trying to cut through the clouds and haze. The result was a fairly comfortable temperature, though it was extremely muggy, and an eerie mist obscured much of the beach further down. The relatively low winds kept the water on the beach glassy smooth, only interrupted by waves coming ashore, meaning that there were perfect reflections of the formation on the surface as we walked.

We walked along the beach for a while, enjoying not just the picturesque scene but also the other beachgoers themselves. The water was freezing thanks to the Pacific currents, but that did not stop a few brave swimmers (and a very excited dog) from enjoying themselves. As we approached Haystack Rock, we noticed we would not be able to get too close to the main formation itself as much of the area is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service for bird habitat. Everything above the mean high water level is managed by the US Fish and Wildlife Service as part of the Oregon Island National Wildlife Refuge, while the tide-pools and other areas below are managed by Oregon Park and Recreation. In total, we spent roughly 40 minutes at the beach enjoying the natural beauty, and while we could have spent an entire day at the beach admiring the formation and ocean, by this point, it was midday and we were all getting pretty hungry.

Back in town, Cannon Beach is quite lovely in its own right, with a lively main street where most of the buildings are in a traditional wooden construction. While there were plenty of traditional tourist fare like souvenir shops, ice cream parlors, and rental properties, there were also some signs of a year-round town underneath like the post office and lovely little library. We decided to get lunch at Tom’s Fish and Chips, a local eatery offering a pretty standard American menu of fish, burgers, and fries. My travel companions both got fish and chips while I opted for a chicken sandwich, and we had an enjoyable meal. The food was good with the fish coming fresh out of the fryer, the service was great, and the overall atmosphere was nice and summery, perfect for the trip we were on. We wandered around town after our meal for a little longer, but we did need to keep moving as we were on a deadline.

One thing we noticed on this section of the trip was how having a deadline on a road trip often caused us to feel more rushed than we needed to be. The fear of being late to return our rental car or miss our flights was always in the back of our minds and caused us to bypass some things, like making a few more stops at the many roadside pullouts or spending more time exploring the cities we were visiting. While I often spend limited time in cities during my travels, this trip felt different than normal. This was partially due to the fact that I was in a larger group, with different members who each had something they wanted to experience. This is not something I usually have to worry about when doing solo travels or traveling with a single partner. The other factor was travel time itself. Each destination we had along the way was an hour apart at minimum, with another 90-120 minutes getting to/from Portland, keeping time anxiety running throughout the day. While I enjoyed large parts of the road trip aspect and will definitely do other trips not too dissimilar in the future, I will probably try to structure my trips differently if this is the route we plan on taking to help alleviate the time anxiety we faced.

A Taste of Oregon

Continuing on US 101, we were treated to more of the natural beauty the state has to offer. South of Cannon Beach, the road begins to wind along the seaside cliffs, opening up through the trees occasionally for breathtaking views of the ocean below. Perhaps the best example of this is just north of the town of Neahkahnie. At Nehalem Bay, we split off from 101 to OR-53 before following the Miami River on local roads for a while. Following the road inside the mountain valleys offered yet another view of the region, with narrow forested roads opening up to wider plateaus holding farms, tree-lined slopes rising around us on all sides as we zig-zagged back and forth, to and fro across the river and its tributaries. At times, the road felt pretty similar to what one might find in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, but there was also a certain lushness that even the Smokies do not possess, where ferns and mosses seep through the forests’ cracks whenever possible.

After an hour of driving, we reached our last “must-visit” recommendation our friend had given us, Tillamook Creamery. Having grown up in close proximity to dairies, I was already pretty familiar with the process producers go through to make some of our favorite products like ice cream and cheeses, but this facility took it to another level. For starters, the building is massive compared to most other dairies, and while they do not keep all of the cattle required to produce for the facility onsite (Tillamook is not a single large-scale farming operation but a collective of associated farmers), the facility is designed to walk guests from A to Z through the entire process. There are information exhibits on everything from the milking process to how cheese has been made and distributed by the collective for over 100 years. There are also interactive exhibits such as on how to milk a cow. And, of course, there are samples available. Additionally, there is a large café and shop attached to the facility offering fresh ice cream, including seasonal and special flavors with other Oregon produce like the marionberry ice cream I tried.

After our ice cream picnic and confident the car was charged enough to drive back to Portland, we began our two-hour drive eastward. This was, again, an incredibly scenic drive. One of the most interesting things we noticed during our road trip was just how many different types of scenery there is in Oregon. From the beaches and cliffs along the Pacific to the farm fields of the valleys, to the sprawling forests in-between, there is so much natural beauty in this state it is hard to understate how much we enjoyed getting to explore outside of the city for a while on this trip. Our next (and final) stop on the trip would once again prove this as after getting back to Portland’s metro area, we made our way to Powell Butte Nature Park.

Powell Butte is an extinct volcanic formation in East Portland, home to over 600 acres (2.4 km2) of recreation space. We arrived in the evening as the sun was beginning to set, leading to some incredible views not just within the park itself but also the surrounding peaks. Mount Hood and Mount St. Helens were both very visible from a decent way up the butte, each lit in a lovely orange glow. The park itself was quite nice with lots of wildflowers and long, winding trails that were not crowded. After a long trip with lots of the on-the-go action, it was a nice way to relax by taking a leisurely sunset walk through the park, savoring the last daylight we would have in Oregon.

The sun finally slipped below the horizon, leaving my travel companions and me in the lingering twilight as we made our way down the butte and to the airport. We quickly returned our car and made our way inside the terminal for the third time, experiencing the other side of Portland International Airport. At the time, the TSA facilities at the airport had been consolidated into the single space the new terminal was designed for, but was still undergoing construction work so it was not nearly as magnificent as it currently is. While the PreCheck line was not too long, the processing time felt longer than it should have been, and that was nothing compared to the main line. My travel companions took over 45 minutes to get from the start of the line to waiting for their carry-on baggage, which felt very long considering it was 10 p.m. on a weeknight. Finally through security, we made our way to our gates and were soon off on our flights back to where we came from, tired but ready for wherever our adventures would take us next.

As I mentioned in my previous report on Portland, the city itself was decent, but I found little there that would draw me back in again within a short time period. The same cannot be said of the Oregon coastline; I was simply awestruck at the glorious nature it possessed. While Cannon Beach was my favorite stop of the trip, each place we went to had its own unique attributes that set it apart from the others, and there were many more towns, parks, reserves, beaches, and spaces that we did not have the time to explore on this whirlwind trip. I want to fly back to Portland again soon, not for the city itself, or even for the new airport terminal (though that would be a nice bonus), but as a starting point for other wonders I want to explore. I want to climb the slopes of Mount Hood, swim the shores of Crater Lake, hike the Alvord Desert, and just see more of what the state has to offer in general. Of all the different states I have visited thus far, Oregon sets itself apart as one of my favorites simply for the outstanding natural beauty, and I hope to return again soon.