Cannon Beach & Ecola State Park [Oregon]

After roadtripping throughout most of the US, during both Spring Break and Summer Break, I think the one place where I would have loved to come back to, with my family for a week’s holiday would be Cannon Beach in Oregon.

Start by picturing colourful wooden beach houses, shops and cute cafés, add lots of personality and a quiet, relaxed vibe plus a stunning beach within a unique State Park. A combination of the Pacific Ocean and the rainforest make for the most beautiful hike, your reward a nice, cool dip in the ocean.

I fell in love with this place the minute we started driving through the lush, windy landscape that leads you from the Pacific Highway to the Ecola State Park. Once there, you are immediately struck by its rugged beauty, with large rock formations, thick vegetation and the Pacific large and slightly intimidating in front of you. We spent the day at Indian beach, exploring the rock formations and tidepools, building sandcastles and looking for shells, our eyes always drawn to the imposing Haystack Rock, in awe of its sheer size and beauty.

We finished with a hike through the Ecola State Park, choosing the 2.2 mile Catsop Loop Trail, which was much harder than we had anticipated. We walked the ‘wrong way’ and endured nearly 2 miles of fairly steep uphill terrain through the rainforest. But the views…oh the views. Once in a while the trail took you to a scenic outlook, where you are able to spot an abandoned lighthouse, or simply watch the vast expanse of Pacific before you.

After our hike, we decided to treat ourselves and poor Charlie who did remarkably well on the walk, with an ice-cream. We drove to the Cannon Beach town and couldn’t believe what we saw! It seemed out of a postcard or one of those nostalgic summer movies. The wooden houses were painted in soft pastels, , the shops were all beautiful and our oasis, the ice-cream shop, was amazing!

Sitting on a lovely bench outside the shop, we slurped our double scoops watching holiday-makers and locals go about their day on a warm late summer afternoon. Wet hair, sandy bodyboards, wide smiles. It was a moment of pure relaxation, nostalgia and a sure wish to return.

+ Download the Ecola State Park Map

+ Find out more about Cannon Beach & Ecola State Park here

Where we stayed: A fantastic airbnb in Tillamook, where the state’s most famous butter, ice-cream and cheese come from! It was a great spot to explore the nearby beaches, and just under an hour from Cannon Beach.