Haystack Rock, coastal trails, and arts and history offerings give Cannon Beach several distinct travel highlights. The monolith, formed as a sea stack, rises 235 feet above the Pacific and is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge and a state-protected marine environment. When planning your trip, you can focus on tides and coastal scenery, walks, or culture.
Coast, Tides and Nature
Ecola State Park stretches along nine miles of coastline between Seaside and Cannon Beach. At the northern end of Cannon Beach, the park is accessible via Ecola Park Road. In the park, the Tillamook Head Trail follows the route explorers used to reach Cannon Beach—a trail with a historical connection to the coast.
At Haystack Rock, the tide pools are accessible at low tide; time your visit around the tides. The Haystack Rock Awareness Program runs its Beach Interpreter Program each year from February to October. Interpreters are present on the beach during the day at every low tide. Because seasonal operations may change, check the current program status before your visit.
Wildlife is also seasonal: Bird Rocks at Chapman Point are home to a dense colony of common murres from spring through midsummer. Gray whales can often be spotted just offshore, though sightings are not guaranteed. Along the Oregon coast as a whole, the typical spring gray whale migration peaks from mid-March to mid-April; specific sightings vary from year to year.
Trails with Different Highlights
The Clatsop Loop Trail is a three-mile loop starting at Indian Beach. It passes through rainforest to a viewpoint overlooking Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. The Cannon Beach Nature Trail offers different features: a boardwalk through wetlands, a path through a spruce forest, and views along a creek.
Another option is the public art walk in Cannon Beach. It is 1.4 miles long, takes 45 minutes, and visits seven public art installations. Its stated duration and distance make it easy to distinguish from the three-mile Clatsop Loop Trail. The two trails have different focuses—public art on one, rainforest and a viewpoint on the other.
Local History, Theater and Art
At the Cannon Beach History Center & Museum, you can explore interactive exhibits. The museum also houses the cannon that gave Cannon Beach its name. The Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest is considered Oregon’s first and oldest sandcastle competition. It was founded in 1964 after a tsunami triggered by the Good Friday Earthquake washed away the Elk Creek Bridge. For the 2027 contest, the beach west of Ocean Avenue near Madison Street is listed as the event venue; future details may change.
Galleries also shape the cultural calendar. The Cannon Beach Gallery presents new exhibitions every month and regularly hosts juried shows. At the Spring Unveiling Arts Festival, art galleries showcase the latest work by their featured artists each spring; dates and participating galleries may vary. The Stormy Weather Arts Festival includes artist demonstrations, a concert, hands-on workshops, artist receptions, and performances by street musicians around town. Program details change from year to year.
The Coaster Theatre is a nonprofit organization in Cannon Beach, Oregon. It presents live theater and events for residents and visitors of all ages on the North Oregon Coast. Performance schedules change seasonally. So you can plan around the town’s cultural offerings—exhibitions, theater, and events—as deliberately as its coastal scenery and trails.
Discover more destinations: Seaside, Warrenton, Astoria, Arch Cape, Gearhart.
Return to the regional travel overview: Clatsop.
