Getting to Cannon Beach
90 minutes from Portland. Worth every mile of the drive.
Arrival map
Portland sets up the Cannon Beach arrival.
This map shows the main arrival choices before the rest of the trip gets locked in. Portland is the primary approach to compare first. Seaside is the helpful backup or add-on choice. The lines are planning corridors, not turn-by-turn road geometry, so use live directions before you drive.
- Tap a marker for the practical role each place plays in the trip.
- Solid line is the main approach; dashed lines are alternate regional approaches.
From Portland
Highway 26 West is the main corridor from Portland to the Oregon coast. It's a scenic drive through the Coast Range, and in normal traffic the route usually takes about 90 minutes from central Portland.
Once you reach US-101 at Seaside, turn south and continue another 10 miles to Cannon Beach. It makes an easy day trip, but the drive is scenic enough to justify building a longer coast loop around it.
From Seattle
Take I-5 South from Seattle to Portland, about three hours, then follow Highway 26 to the coast for another hour and a half. The full trip is approximately four hours. Washington's own coast and Olympic Peninsula offer scenic alternatives if you want a shorter coastal escape, but Cannon Beach is absolutely worth the longer drive.
The Oregon Coast Highway
US-101 runs the entire length of the Oregon coast and is one of America's great scenic drives. If time allows, consider coming or going via the coast highway rather than the inland route. Driving from Astoria to Cannon Beach passes dramatic headlands, historic forts, and the Columbia estuary, while the drive south toward Tillamook and Lincoln City is just as spectacular.
Parking in Cannon Beach
Parking in Cannon Beach is limited, especially in summer. The main beach access areas on Hemlock, Gower, and other streets have metered and free parking zones, but they fill quickly by mid-morning on summer weekends. There's a larger free lot at the south end of town and additional parking near the visitor center. Consider arriving before 9am or after 4pm to find a spot more easily. The downtown core is very walkable once you've parked.
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