Visit the Oregon North Coast
Travel from McMinnville to Tillamook
1½ hours Directions
Travel south-west out of McMinnville on Hwy 18. From Hwy 18, take Hwy 22 west towards Hebo. In Hebo, turn right onto Hwy 101 and head north to Tillamook. Cell service is spotty, so download the route ahead of time, or don’t refresh your map app!
NOTE: It’s best to start at least an hour before sunset, since you’ll travel on a two-lane road through forests.
1. Tillamook
Tillamook Air Museum: Housed in a WW2 wooden blimp hanger
Jandy Oyster Co: Oysters on the half shell, oysters to go, plus a few other menu items
Blue Heron French Cheese Company: A wide variety of cheeses and other products, plus a petting zoo
The rustic Old Oregon Smokehouse has crab (and shrimp) melts piled with crab (or shrimp). Also smoked salmon and clam chowder. One crab-melt may feed two (we prefer it without parsley on top) Get plenty of napkins! There are tables outside but it’s right on the highway, so you might go to the pier in Garibaldi to eat. There is another Old Oregon Smoke House up the road, in Rockaway.
2. Bay City
A small town with two good breakfast spots: Downie’s Café and Bay City Kitchen.
3. Garibaldi
A quaint fishing town, with a picturesque pier and a few, small (limited hours) shops with fresh seafood. As you approach Garibaldi from across the bay, you’ll see a ‘G’ on the hill above the town. Laurie’s mom was born in Garibaldi, and Laurie’s grandpa, along with boys from the shop class, built the original ‘G for Garibaldi’!
4. Rockaway
This Old Oregon Smokehouse is even more ‘hole-in-the-wall’ than the other, with the same crab melts, smoked salmon, and tips as above. They have picnic tables, but better, drive across Hwy 101 to the city parking lot. Look for the Veterans of Foreign Wars monument which marks the path to the beach.
5. Along the way: Crabbing
At the Jetty Fishery Marina on the Nehalem Bay you can catch crab from the dock (for a fee + day license) or choose live crabs from the tank. Either way, they will cook them for you. They have picnic tables, and will (probably) bag up the crab with ice to go. Again, plenty of napkins!
6. Wheeler
A small town next to the Nehalem River with a few antique shops, a bakery, cafe, and historic hotel.
7. Nehalem
Wanda’s Cafe: one of our favorite breakfast and lunch places.
Buttercup Chowder & Ice Cream: house made clam chowders and ice cream
Riverside Fish & Chips: a food cart behind Buttercup, with a covered eating area
8. Manzanita
A small, dog friendly, town with cute shops, a few good restaurants and easy access to an expansive beach. This is where we go!
Restaurants: Offshore Grill, Neahkahnie Bistro, Left Coast Siesta
Local’s favorite: San Dune Pub
Coffee: Manzanita News & Espresso
Other drinks: The Winery at Manzanita, RustyMoose, Dixie’s Vino
9. Along the way: Viewpoints
From Manzanita, continue north on Hwy 101. As the road curves around Neahkahnie Mountain. Be sure to pull over on the left, into one of the stone-lined viewpoint pull-out parking areas, to see the spectacular view south. There are a few large pull-outs and multiple small ones. During whale migration season, you may spot whale spouts!
10. Along the way: Hikes and Walks
Short Sands Beach: An easy 1/2 mile walk through a pretty forested area to Short Sands Beach. To access the trail, park in the large Oswald West parking lot on the east (right) side of Hwy 101, then follow the signs.
Cape Falcon: One of the Cape Falcon trailheads is at Short Sands Beach. This steep hike is about 5 miles round trip, and muddy during the rainy season, but the view is beautiful at the top. Check OregonHikers.org for more information
Neahkahnie Mountain: Check OregonHikers.org for information about this spectacular and rigorous hike.
11. Cannon Beach
A cute, slightly larger, town full of shops and restaurants and a few wine bars. We’ve heard good things about these restaurants: Wayfarer, The Bistro, EVOO, and the Hardware/Public House. Also, The Wine Shack wine bar. The view of Haystack Rock is classic, but beach access can be hard to locate. So unless you’re staying on the beachfront, ask a local for help.
Travel back from Cannon Beach
NOTE: It’s best to leave Cannon Beach at least an hour before sunset, since you’ll travel on a two-lane road through forests.
To Portland, about 1½ hours. Directions
Continue north on Hwy 101 and follow signs to Hwy 26 east. Hwy 26 will take you into Portland.
To McMinnville, about 1¾ hours. Directions
Continue north on Hwy 101 and follow signs to Hwy 26 east. After about an hour on Hwy 26, turn right on Hwy 47 south. Hwy 47 will take you through the towns of Yamhill and Carlton. Then your map app will take you to McMinnville.