It was dark when we reached the Oregon coast, the kind of dark that casts a spell and hides the world around you.
It was the kind of dark that meant we couldn’t see the ocean to our left, or even what we were passing on the right. East-to-west coast jet lag meant that it was still dark when I woke early the next morning, around 5am. By the time I got out of bed, an hour or so later, it wasn’t quite daylight, but the darkness had receded enough that I could see the view outside the window of our Airbnb: grasses, sand, and the crash of the Pacific Ocean.
I thought it was windy – look at the size of the waves! – until I noticed the spruce tree outside the window was completely still. It wasn’t wind causing the waves at all, but the force of thousands of miles of open water.
For me to do anything before my morning coffee is almost unheard of, but the lure of the ocean was too strong.
I’m an islander, after all; the sea is in my bones as well as my blood. Still in my pyjamas, I bundled up in my winter boots and padded jacket, and made my way to the beach.
By this time the sky was painted in shades of lilac. Morning light sparkled on the damp sand and mist was sneaking over the hill tops above the tiny town of Rockaway Beach, which I would discover later has been a family beach destination since the 1920s. Ever present was the sound of sea, a sound so strong you couldn’t hear the push and pull of the tide, only a constant, steady roar.
Soon the rest of the family joined me with the dogs, who ran in delighted circles in the sand. By the time we made our way through the waist-high grass back to the clapboard cottage for breakfast, the sun had risen fully above the hills, painting over the lilacs and pinks to create a shade of light wintery grey.
Our journey to the Oregon coast had taken us south on the highway from Seattle, with a quick pitstop in Portland for dinner (and a flying visit to the city’s iconic bookshop, Powell’s City of Books, for me).
The plans were to do little more than relax by the ocean before returning to Seattle in time for Thanksgiving. Every bit of the Oregon coastline – all 363 miles of it, sandwiched between California and Washington – is free and accessible to the public, and we were going to make the most of it, even if at the end of November, winter was on the horizon.
That first full day, we drove north to the town of Cannon Beach, where we ate fish and chips and walked on the beach in the rain past the stone behemoth that is Haystack Rock. At 235ft tall, the sea stack is the most famous of the many rock formations that litter the Oregon coast, and just one of the reasons National Geographic named this one of the best beaches in the USA.
It’s easy to see why: something about this expansive beach, with its looming rocks and tree-fringed edges, felt a little bit magical, especially in the low winter light. We passed huge hunks of driftwood wedged in the sand and signs to watch for puffins that were now long gone. The wide-open skies meant we could see the rain clouds scurrying towards us – and we soon got caught in the downpour.
Our (slightly soggy) drive back south took us through the region’s temperate rainforests and past cliff-edge viewpoints where bald eagles circled above our heads and tsunami warning signs stood out in bold blue. We drove past Rockaway Beach, and continued a little further south to Tillamook Creamery, the farmer-owned dairy that’s been in this area since the early 1900s.
The large barn-style building is impossible to miss, and home to self-guided farm exhibits, a gift shop, and tours. While the history of the dairy was interesting, what really got my attention was the exceptionally large, rich ice cream I enjoyed afterwards in the dining area. (Tillamook ice cream is known for having more cream than air, making it weigh more than your standard ice cream, which some say makes it just that bit more delicious.)
Back at our holiday cottage, the endless stars kept us out late on the beach, and the sea drew me back out again early the next morning.
There was frost on the ground and mist lingering between the houses, both of which soon disappeared as the sun rose. I spent as much time on the beach as I could, drinking in the sounds and smells of the ocean, before it was time to load up the car and head north again.
But we had one final stop before we left the state: crabbing at the Jetty Fishery Marina on Nehalem Bay. The jetty was busy, with locals settling in for a morning of crabbing, others cooking their catch for lunch, and some swinging by to grab shellfish from the stand, no effort required.
The Oregon coast – and wider Pacific Northwest – is famous for its Dungeness Crab, and with crab season just about to start, we thought we’d try our luck. I say “our” luck, but truthfully, I mostly watched my husband and his uncle throw the baited rings into the water, while I sat on the foldaway chairs or balanced my way gingerly along the slippery deck to take photos and look at the birds.
With a car packed with crabs, we headed north again. By the time we crossed the border out of Oregon, having driven up along the coast and through the quiet streets of Astoria, a port city on the Columbia River, it was evening. We were leaving as we had arrived, in the kind of dark that casts a spell, and I couldn’t help but feel the place itself had cast a spell on me too.
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NEED TO KNOW
Where should I stay on the north Oregon Coast? We stayed in the quaint Twin Rocks Rest, an Airbnb holiday cottage in the small town of Rockaway Beach in northern Oregon. The cottage was lovely and cozy, with a fire in the living room and huge glass doors that opened right onto the beach. (Crucially for us, it was also dog friendly!) Rockaway Beach was very quiet and peaceful during the winter, but if you were looking for something more in the heart of the action, Cannon Beach would be a good bet.
What is there to do on the Oregon Coast? A lot more than we had time for! While we squeezed in visits to Cannon Beach, Tillamook Creamery, and the Jetty Fishery, we only scratched the surface of what there is to do on the Oregon Coast. With 363 miles of coastline, there are historic lighthouses, rainforest hikes, whale watching trips, seaside resorts, surfing, sand dunes – the list goes on!
What’s the best way to get around? Speaking purely from personal experience, we would not have been able to explore the northern coast as we did without a car, and I’d highly recommend driving from place to place (and not just so you can stop to take in the views when the fancy strikes you!)
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