Some places just lend themselves well to a road trip and I think the beautiful Oregon Coast is one of those special places. The Oregon Coast is about 360 miles in length and for the entire trip you can travel the infamous Highway 1 with some short detours.

Some of most popular places for tourists to visit from north to south include Astoria/Warrenton, Seaside, Cannon Beach, Pacific City, Lincoln City, Newport, Yachats, Bandon, and Port Orford, Gold Beach, and Brookings. Many people split the Oregon Coast into three regions, North Coast, Central Coast, and South Coast. Each region does seem to have a distinctive flavor.

The picture you see was taken from Ecola State Park looking north toward Cannon Beach. The big haystack shaped rock is not surprisingly called "Haystack Rock" and it is one of the most iconic places on the Oregon Coast. However, most people don't realize it but there is another somewhat lesser known rock also officially named "Haystack Rock" at Pacific City which also has one of the best brewing companies and restaurants on the entire Oregon Coast. It's right on the beach and you have a spectacular view of Pacific City's Haystack Rock.

There are so many exciting things to do on the Oregon Coast it would be impossible to name them all in this one article. However, I will mention a few. The bay front at Newport is always very popular for watching the fishing vessels and for unique shopping. There are also some incredible large scale murals there and some nice seafood restaurants. Then of course there is ever popular activity of walking the beach and watching a spectacular Oregon Coast sunset. Any day of the year has the potential for a great sunset on the Oregon Coast but winter is your best bet.