Nine
regional deep dive · part seven
Oregon Coast & Highway 101
363 miles of public coastline, every inch of it free to walk on. Sea stacks, sand dunes, lighthouses, tide pools, the Goonies rock, the Tillamook Creamery, and Heceta Head, the lighthouse on every Oregon postcard. One of the great American road trips.
Other coasts can't do this. Every single mile of the Oregon coast is public land. The 1967 Oregon Beach Bill made the entire 363-mile shoreline public, from California to Washington, no exceptions. You can walk every beach, watch every sunset, drive past every sea stack, with no private resort gates anywhere. The whole thing is your park.
Highway 101 runs the full length, hugging the coastline most of the way with frequent pull-offs, state parks, and small towns. You can drive it in 8 hours without stopping. Don't. The whole point is the stops. Plan 4-5 days minimum to do the coast right, 7+ for the full slow version. The northern half (Astoria to Newport) gets most of the visitors. The southern half (Florence to Brookings) is wilder and quieter, and often the more dramatic half.
This chapter has three areas: North Coast (Astoria, Cannon Beach, Tillamook, Pacific City), the Central Coast (Lincoln City, Depoe Bay, Newport, Yachats, Florence), and the South Coast (the Oregon Dunes, Coos Bay, Bandon, Gold Beach, Brookings). Each gets its own dedicated page below.
all of it public coastline
to drive it right
every beach has been public
in the oregon dunes nra
getting oriented
How this chapter is laid out
Highway 101 is one road, 363 miles, north to south. The chapter breaks the coast into three regions because no one drives all of it in one go without the trip falling apart.
The Oregon Coast is more like three different coasts depending on where you stop. The North Coast (Astoria to Pacific City) is the most-visited and most family-friendly. Cannon Beach and the Tillamook Creamery anchor it. The Central Coast (Lincoln City to Florence) has the lighthouses, the aquariums, and the dramatic cliffs at Cape Perpetua. The South Coast (Reedsport to Brookings) is the wild, less-visited stretch with the Oregon Dunes, Bandon's sea stacks, and the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor that rivals anything in Big Sur.
The most important rule for planning: don't try to drive the whole coast in 3 days. You'll spend the trip in the car missing the actual coast. Pick a region or do the slow version with multiple overnights spread across the length. The towns are 20-30 minutes apart, the state parks add up fast, and the slow pace is the whole point.
The three regions in this chapter
This chapter breaks into three distinct family-trip areas, each with its own page:
Astoria, Cannon Beach & Tillamook
The most-visited stretch. Astoria's working waterfront and Goonies filming locations, Cannon Beach with Haystack Rock, the Tillamook Creamery, the Three Capes Scenic Route. Where most first-timers should start. 1.5-2 hrs from Portland.
Lincoln City to Florence
Lighthouses, aquariums, dramatic cliffs. Depoe Bay (whale watching capital), Newport (Oregon Coast Aquarium, Yaquina Head), Yachats and Cape Perpetua (Thor's Well, the most-photographed coastline in Oregon), Heceta Head Lighthouse, Florence's Old Town.
Oregon Dunes to Brookings
The wild side. 40 miles of sand dunes from Florence to North Bend. Bandon's iconic sea stacks. Cape Arago's sea lion colony. The Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor's natural bridges and arches near the California border. The Oregon Coast most travelers never see.
All 363 miles of Oregon coast are public
The 1967 Oregon Beach Bill made every inch of the Oregon coastline public from the wet sand line landward to where the vegetation starts. You can walk every beach. No private resort gates, no exclusive access, no "this beach belongs to that hotel." Hundreds of public access points along Highway 101 lead to the sand. This is the gift that makes the Oregon Coast different from California or Florida.
Plenty of coastal state parks are still free to park at. The ones that charge want $10 for the day if you live in Oregon, $12 if you don't, and the annual permit is $60 or $75. Heads up on a 2026 change: the old Oregon Pacific Coast Passport no longer works at Oregon State Parks. It still covers the Forest Service sites like Cape Perpetua and the Oregon Dunes, so if your trip leans on both, a 5-day Passport plus day permits at the state parks is usually the cheapest combination.
explore each region
tap into your stopsThree places worth your real attention
Each one has its own dedicated page with food, beaches, where to stay, drive notes, fun things to do on a slow day, and the resupply info you need.
the headline
North Coast
Astoria's working waterfront, Cannon Beach with the iconic Haystack Rock, the Tillamook Creamery, the Three Capes Scenic Route, Pacific City's brewpub on the beach. The most-visited and most family-friendly stretch.
lighthouses + cliffs
Central Coast
Lincoln City glass-floats, Depoe Bay whale watching, Newport's Oregon Coast Aquarium and Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Yachats and Cape Perpetua with Thor's Well and the Spouting Horn, Heceta Head Lighthouse (the one on every Oregon postcard), Florence's Old Town.
the wild side
South Coast
The 40-mile Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area, Coos Bay's Cape Arago sea lion colony and Shore Acres State Park, Bandon's iconic sea stacks and Old Town, Port Orford's Battle Rock, the 12-mile Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor near Brookings.
putting it together
How to plan your time
The Oregon Coast scales from a long weekend to a full week. Pick the version that matches your time. The slow version is the right version.
If you have 2-3 days (long weekend)
Pick the North Coast and stay put. Day 1: Drive from Portland to Cannon Beach, stop at Ecola State Park (landslides closed it from December 2025 until it reopened April 7, 2026), walk Haystack Rock at sunset. Day 2: Tillamook Creamery in the morning, Cape Lookout or Cape Kiwanda hike, Pacific City for an afternoon at Pelican Brewery on the beach. Day 3: Drive home via Astoria for the Astoria Column and the Oregon Film Museum, which sits in the old jail from the opening scene of The Goonies and is the actual Goonies stop. The house itself is a private home. You can photograph it from the sidewalk on Duane Street, and that is the whole visit. The classic Oregon Coast weekend.
If you have 4-5 days
Add the Central Coast. Days 1-2: North Coast as above (1 night Cannon Beach, 1 night Pacific City or Lincoln City). Day 3: Drive south through Lincoln City and Depoe Bay to Newport. Oregon Coast Aquarium and Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Day 4: Drive south to Yachats, hike Cape Perpetua, see Thor's Well at high tide, Heceta Head Lighthouse. Sleep in Florence. Day 5: Drive home from Florence via I-5. The week's-worth-of-coast version.
If you have 6-7 days (the full coast)
Add the South Coast. Days 1-4 as above. Day 5: Florence to Bandon. Oregon Dunes in the morning (rent a sandboard or buggy), Charleston and Shore Acres State Park, Cape Arago for the sea lion colony. Sleep in Bandon. Day 6: Bandon to Brookings. Bandon Beach Loop in the morning, Port Orford and Battle Rock, Gold Beach and the Rogue River, the entire Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. Sleep in Brookings. Day 7: Drive home via Crescent City and I-5, or fly out of Medford (closer to 3 hrs inland). The full coast experience.
The driving direction question
If you're starting in Seattle or Portland, drive south. The ocean is on your right (the passenger side) the whole way, which means easier pull-offs and views from the car. Driving north puts the ocean on the driver's side, which is technically the same coast but harder to enjoy from the car. South-bound is the way.
Direct route picks for the Oregon Coast
For a structured, day-by-day version, head to Chapter 13 where we lay out the full routes:
→ Oregon Coast Long Weekend (3 days, North Coast focus)
→ Oregon Coast Classic (5 days, Astoria to Florence)
→ The Full 363 (7 days, Astoria to Brookings, the slow version)
→ Oregon + Northern California Combo (10 days, connects to Crescent City and the redwoods)
The weather is the wildcard
The Oregon Coast can be 75°F and sunny in July. It can also be 55°F, foggy, and drizzling in July. Plan for both. Pack layers, a real rain jacket, and accept that morning fog burns off by noon most days. Summer is the busiest season but spring (May-June) and fall (September-October) are the locals' picks for fewer crowds and similar weather.
Cell service is spotty between towns, especially on the South Coast. Download offline maps in Portland before you head out.