Short Trips
All that Fort Clatsop Park ranger Sean Johnson could do was point at a large white tarp propped up in the woods with poles and tell visitors, "Yep, that's where Fort Clatsop used to be." The tarp covered the ground where only a few charred pieces of the historic fort replica remained after it burned to the ground Oct. 3.
By Jeff Larsen | December 29, 2005
CANNON BEACH -- The place is steeped in Northwest history, jammed with things do -- hiking, surfing, fishing, crabbing, birding, biking -- and crammed with great places to stay.
But the thing about the Oregon Coast that stays with you are the seascapes -- the stunning convergence of endless surf crashing against time-worn sea stacks and rocky capes cloaked with wind-bent spruce trees.
Somehow just looking at them soothes the soul and fills you with wonder.
Has anyone ever visited here and not wanted to return?
By Greg Johnston | June 16, 2005
CANNON BEACH, Ore. — Cannon Beach is never going to make it into one of those sunny summer songs by someone like the Beach Boys or Jan & Dean.
No "Warmth of the Sun" on this windswept strand. No "Surf City" and "two girls for every boy." Not with everyone so bundled up it's impossible to make gender judgments.
Most of the year, the sandy spot near the northern end of the Oregon coast is a beach like many in the Northwest, with cold, fog, wind and not a little rain.
By Gary A. Warner | January 29, 2004
CANNON BEACH, Ore. The evening sky is gunmetal gray, while lemony clouds soak up the last rays of the sun before it slips down below the Pacific horizon. Basalt rock formations jut up out of the churning water, all awkward and jagged. The most prominent is Haystack Rock, at 235 feet high the third-largest coastal monolith in the world.
By Vanessa McGrady | November 6, 2003
The view that knocked the knickers off Capt. William Clark some 197 years ago was from Tillamook Head: "I behold the grandest and most pleasing prospect which my eyes ever surveyed." But it could have been any of many sights on the beaches and trails along the northern Oregon coast.
We couldn't and you won't be able to sample them all in a three-, four-, five- or even seven-day stay. Maybe that's what keeps people coming back.
Here, at any rate, are some other options to put on your long list of hikes:
By Greg Johnston | June 19, 2003
Getting there: Cannon Beach is on the northern Oregon Coast, about 185 miles from the Seattle area and about 90 miles from Portland.
From Seattle, take Interstate 5 south to Exit 36 (Kelso/Longview) and head west through Longview. Take the Lewis and Clark Bridge over the Columbia River to Highway 30 in Oregon. Follow Highway 30 to Astoria, then drive Highway 101 south through Seaside and Gearhart to Cannon Beach.
June 28, 2000
