Daytripping on the Oregon Coast

Day trips to the Oregon Coast from Portland or the high-tech hub of Hillsboro are a popular activity, whether you're a resident or visitor for business or pleasure. And we've been all three. On a recent stay in Portland, we couldn't wait to get to the coast and the only question was, with so many interesting stops along the way, which ones do we choose?

From Hillsboro we headed out on Highway 26 for 70 miles to Cannon Beach. We were tempted to stop for a late breakfast at Camp 18. On a previous trip we did just that and enjoyed an usual and scrumptious breakfast of:

Razor Clams and Eggs - Served with homemade fried potatoes, eggs (over easy), and a homemade biscuit.

Pan Fried Rainbow Trout - Served with homemade fried potatoes, eggs (scrambled), and a homemade biscuit.

This old logging camp (18 miles from Highway 101, hence the name) turned restaurant and museum is a popular breakfast stop on the way to the coast. It's normal to have a 20-minute wait for a table, but it's worth it. Seafood for breakfast is a special experience. The razor clams and eggs are a taste treat. And, yes, this is the best trout we've ever had. The biscuits are also heavenly, topped with Knott's Berry Farm Blackberry Preserves. We haven't had the cinnamon roll, but it is as big as a dinner plate.

Instead, on this trip we pushed on to Mo's. This is a fun restaurant right on the beach where you can watch the waves crash while eating some delicious seafood. We started with their famous clam chowder, the best anywhere. In fact, Senator Robert Kennedy, who came through Newport on his presidential campaign tour in May of 1968, liked the chowder so much he took a couple of buckets with him on the plane. I ordered a cup of chowder with an Oregon Bay Shrimp Salad Sandwich and my companion ordered a cup of chowder and the Clam Strips. Both were wonderful.

After lunch, we headed south on Highway 101, stopping at a couple overlooks for a stunning view of Nehalem Bay with Nekahnie Mountain as a backdrop. Our next stop, 15 miles down the coast from Cannon Beach, was Nehalem Bay State Park. This lovely park is situated on peaceful Nehalem Bay. We took a short hike to the isolated beach (we were the only ones there). There were a lot of boaters and horseback riders taking advantage of all this park has to offer.

Tillamook County Creamery Association

After our pleasant respite, we continued down the coast for 25 more miles to Tillamook and their famous creamery. Popular year-round for the tour and tasty ice cream treats, we fought off the crowds and stopped in the visitor's center for some rich, mouthwatering ice cream. I had a scoop of Blueberry Cheesecake on a sugar cone, and my companion had a scoop of German Chocolate Cake in a cup. Incredible.

TillamookState Forest

Refreshed from our dessert, we completed our loop back to Portland via Highway 6 through the Tillamook State Forest. All in all, it was a heavenly day on the Oregon Coast.