With small towns, craft breweries, and quiet beaches, the Oregon Coast is tailor-made for road-tripping.
“My wife did it once, like, three years ago as a joke,” he said.
“But I liked how it looked.
From left: Chief Kiawanda Rock, offshore from Pacific City; the skeleton of the Peter Iredale, a 1906 shipwreck, in Fort Stevens State Park, near Astoria.Celeste Noche
I guess it stuck.”
The breeze picked up; paddling got harder.
Fox pointed to a van parked by a modest waterfront house.
From left: Prosciutto-wrapped sturgeon, compressed melon, and roasted pimiento purée at Restaurant Beck, in Depoe Bay; De Garde Brewing’s pintsize tasting room.Celeste Noche
Oregon’s 362 miles of publicly accessible coastline offer one of themost scenic drives in America.
Our first stop on the weeklong trip was the northernmost city on the coast, Astoria.
I gloated that my hypothesis had held up, but Mike was not impressed.
From left: The terrace at Pelican Brewing, in Pacific City; trailside in Cape Arago, one of several state parks on Oregon’s coast.Celeste Noche
He suggested that there were more obvious indicators that our meal would be goodlike the menu.
Like San Francisco’s cable car, the Astoria trolley is today used more for touristing than for transportation.
Another similarity toSan Francisco: a devastating fire in 1922 forced Astorians to rebuild the city.
Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa’s front desk.Celeste Noche
“I have to warn people they’re not like grocery-store cupcakes,” Nedd explained with a smile.
Like New Yorkers with pizza and Texans with barbecue, Oregonians can be snobs when it comes to beer.
To visit, we took a windy stretch of Highway 101 an hour and a half south from Astoria.
The historic Liberty Theatre, in downtown Astoria.Celeste Noche
Super dry but noticeably hoppy, it tasted like a crisp ale crossed with a white wine.
To taste it, you have to come to Tillamook.
The result is, as Rogers puts it, “a pretty unique representation of place.”
From left: A glimpse of the 118-year-old First Presbyterian Church, in Astoria; Depoe Bay, which locals claim is the world’s smallest natural navigable harbor.Celeste Noche
Her care was indicative of the attention to detail we’d enjoy during our stay.
Our trip led us past too many stunning overlooks and blissfully open state parks to count.
After kayaking, we hiked up the Great Dune at Cape Kiwanda.
The Clubhouse at Bay Point Landing, a camping resort in Coos Bay.Celeste Noche
(“At least that’s what people call it,” Fox said.
“It doesn’t really have a name.")
(You never know when a working knowledge of the topography ofStar Warsplanets will come in handy.)
Summer blooms at Shore Acres State Park, near Coos Bay.Celeste Noche
From the peak, we took in a dizzying panorama of cliffs, ocean, and forest.
Teenagers hurtled down the dune while their friends took pictures.
As we approached our final stop, the landscape changed again.
Fifteen minutes south of Bay Point lie three of oceanside state parks, crowned by the storybook Shore Acres.
Doubles from $224.
Doubles from $299.
Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa: This 33-room Pacific City resort is one of Oregon’s standouts.
Doubles from $500.
Doubles from $520.
Entrees $17$31.
Entrees $10$20.
Monkey Business: An unassuming food shack near Coos Bay beloved for its clam chowder.
Entrees $7$18.
Entrees $28$32.
Entrees $29$42.
What to See
Visit one (or two!)
coastal brewpubs, such as Astoria’sFort George;De Gardein Tillamook;Pelican Brewing; orYachats Brewing.
Then stroll through some of Oregon’s most scenic landscapes.
