Campfire by the Beach - Cannon Beach, Oregon

Tunes by the waves, tunes by the fire

Cannon Beach is a picturesque stretch of sand along the Oregon coast, just a short drive away from Portland. After a late night arrival and a fruitless search for a campsite, we were fortunate to find a room at Tolovana Inn.

The beach, reflecting our souls like a mirror

The next morning, we woke up to the sounds of the sea, but jumped straight into the pool and enjoyed the spa of the hotel before heading out onto the beach for waves pouring crystal clear mirrors on the sand. But even the simple act of filling up our water bottle and cooking fettuccine on the hotel grill (read our unbelievable fettuccine story) felt like a treat after camping for so long.

Cannon Beach, the Town!

Despite our comfortable stay at the hotel, we still longed for the feeling of sleeping in our car. So, we set off in search of a campsite and were lucky to find a resort-style campground that allowed us to park our car and use their facilities, including an empty spa that we had all to ourselves.

With the sun shining and the beach calling, we explored the small town of Cannon Beach, checking out the local shops and making our way to Haystack Rock, the iconic natural wonder famous for its tufted puffins.

Haystack Rock is in the background!

ℹ Beach weather can get very unpredictable. We were well prepared, so we put on some layers as soon as it got colder, cloudy and drizzly.

Sparks by the sea

As the light began to fade, we built our first beachside campfire and enjoyed a grilled shell pasta dinner, sang and played the ukulele, and even tried to spot some puffins in the night sky. It was the most peaceful and memorable evening we'd ever had.

More Things We Did in Cannon Beach

Birds on the beach!

Haystack Rock on Cannon Beach is a popular destination for tidepooling and birdwatching. During the next morning, we did not spot any puffins, but volunteers guided us with birdwatching equipment and patiently explained the birds, the tides and the water to us.

Before we left, we got a bag of fresh blackberries from the cute local farmers market.

With 🐝 by Evelyne.

Useful Information

This blog post is part of our one month USA West Coast road trip blog series. Feeling inspired? Here are some resources you might find useful if you would like to follow our footsteps:

• Haystack Rock, the famous monolith rock for birdwatching
• Tolovana Inn, the hotel we found for the night
• RV Resort at Cannon Beach, the friendly campsite where we could stay
• Cannon Beach Farmers' Market