Cannon Beach Essence Of The Oregon Coast Found Among Parks And Beaches

Like the trail of Balboa, Highway 26 winds down from the deep woods of Oregon’s coastal mountains to the sea.

Roaring free and strong, Pacific waves dash on rocky cliffs creating clouds of salty spray. As I step from the car, my lungs fill with ocean air and lift my land-locked spirits.

A few miles down the road, Cannon Beach awaits. It’s the weekend and the town is bustling with visitors. We tour art galleries, walk the beach and enjoy a picnic at a nearby state park. With sweeping views, talented local artists and an abundance of things to do, this part of the Oregon coast is a favorite of many.

One reason for the town’s popularity is nearby Ecola State Park, a great place for picnicking, hiking and bird watching. Driving into the park, I was awed by a forest of huge cedar trees preserved in this nine-mile stretch of public land. According to park officials, Ecola was named by Captain William Clark in 1806 after “ekoli,” the Chinook word for whale.

Parking at Ecola Point, I followed a short trail to a clifftop vista that took my breath away. To the north, I could see Tillamook Rock lighthouse, a solitary fortress braced against the constant surf. Using stone carved from a nearby mountain, builders finished the structure in 1880. The lighthouse, known affectionately as “Tilly,” helped keep ships from running aground for the next 77 years. She was decommissioned in the late 1950s, but in 1980 a private owner converted Tilly into a columbarium (a place where ashes of the deceased are stored).

My gaze shifted from the lighthouse to the endless ocean beyond. Haze off the coast increased the feeling that the Pacific stretches forever.

But lifeless it is not. Wildlife is everywhere. Harbor seals basked on rocks far below me and seagulls twirled in the offshore breeze. In Cannon Beach, locals and visitors have fed raccoons so much that their populations have exploded and the animals have become aggressive.

Less eager for a handout are Roosevelt elk, shy creatures of the coastal forests and wetlands around Cannon Beach.

Bird watchers will find an abundance of avian life on the beaches around town, where numerous shorebirds dodge the waves and ocean ducks bob in the surf. Good birding locations include Les Shirley Park, near an estuary at the mouth of Elk Creek just north of Cannon Beach. Chapman Point is a bit farther up the beach and the site of a common murre colony of more than 28,000 birds. Other local favorites include puffins, pelicans and marbled murrelets, endangered because they nest in old-growth forests.

Looking south down the coast from Ecola Point, I could see the trademark of Cannon Beach: Haystack Rock. Geologists say the rock and numerous other outcroppings on the coast are remnants of massive lava flows that originated far to the east and moved toward the ocean about 17 million years ago.

Since 1985, the rock and surrounding area have been protected as a “marine garden,” a designation given to sensitive beach areas with high visitation. An abundance of inter-tidal animals live here: red starfish, green sea anemones, crabs and mollusks. Haystack Rock is also included in the Oregon Island National Wildlife Refuge because a number of marine birds nest on the rock’s 235-foot high cliffs. Visitors are invited to look, but collecting plants and animals is off limits.

For a tour of tide pools and a close look at marine life, ask about the Haystack Rock Awareness Program, active on most summer weekends and on weekday mornings during especially low tides.

As I sat on a hillside at Ecola Point one afternoon, soaking up the sun and sea, I watched a family cooking fresh salmon over an open grill. It was all I could do not to invite myself to lunch! Seafood had been on my mind since leaving my home in Montana, and I was determined to get in on the action. A search for local delicacies took me about 20 miles down the coast to a small marina, where all I found was a few sorry-looking Dungeness crabs for $6 apiece.

Next time I’ll do things differently. Right in Cannon Beach there are more than 20 restaurants offering the best of fresh seafood. Line-caught king salmon is available during the summer, and petrale sole is a yearround favorite. There is also a short halibut season in spring.

Dungeness crab, shrimp and oysters are other local celebrities, but scallops are rare. Scallop beds in the area were fished out in the early 1980s and are just now recovering. They are available on a limited basis. If you want to do your own cooking, Ecola Seafood sells local fish and other ocean delicacies.

After a big meal you may want to stretch your legs on a short day hike. Along with Ecola Point, there are several other scenic trails in Ecola State Park and Oswald West State Park, a few miles south of Cannon Beach. The Neah-Kah-Nie Mountain trail takes you up to 1,600 feet and is a mile each way. Also at Oswald West is the Cape Falcon trail, a four-mile round-trip walk along the shore.

If it’s beach walking or swimming you’re after, there are numerous access points around Cannon Beach. Tolovana State Wayside, just south of town, offers a large parking lot, easy beach access, public restrooms and picnic tables. Three miles south of Cannon Beach is Arcadia State Park, with similar facilities. Whale Park, on the north side of town, is a good entry to the Elk Creek estuary and Chapman Point.

Signs along the shore warn swimmers of rip tides, large waves and hidden logs in the surf. But I had my heart set on an ocean baptism, so I donned a wet suit and fins one morning and flopped in. I lasted about five minutes. The water was really cold, and strong currents kept pulling my body in directions I didn’t want to go. I was there just after a storm, and swimming conditions are highly variable. Check with the local surf shop for the latest on swimming and surfing conditions.

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: If you go For general information (lodging, dining, local parks) get an issue of the 1995 Cannon Beach magazine (free). Cannon Beach, Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 64, Cannon Beach, Ore., 97110 (503) 436-2623. The Chamber also runs an information center, located at 2nd and Spruce. Oregon State Park Guide, park brochures and maps. Parks and Recreation Department 525 Trade St. SE, Salem, Ore., 97310 (503) 378-6305. Haystack Rock Awareness Program. Schedules are available at visitors’ center (above). Cleanline Surf Shop, 171 Sunset Blvd., Cannon Beach, Ore., 97110 (503) 436-9726. Wild Bird Shop, Ecola Square Mall, 123 S. Hemlock, Cannon Beach, Ore., 97110 (503) 436-9806. Ecola Seafood (locally-caught fish, clams and other delicacies), Ecola Square Mall, Cannon Beach, Ore., 97110 (503) 436-9130 Mike’s Bike Shop, 248 N. Spruce, Cannon Beach, Ore., 97110 800-492-1266. Ecola State Park, two miles north of Cannon Beach off Highway 101, (503) 436-2844. Entrance fee: $3 for day use; the one-day pass is valid in any of the Oregon state parks. Be sure to bring binoculars, since sea lions, seals and wide variety of sea birds frequent the park. There are plenty of picnic tables here, and interesting signs explaining local history, flora and fauna. Getting there From Portland, take Highway 26 west. Turn south at Highway 101 and follow the signs. Cannon Beach is a few miles south of the turnoff.