Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock

If you have one day to see the Oregon coast from Portland, spend it at Cannon Beach. The drive west over the Coast Range on the Sunset Highway takes roughly an hour and a half, and it ends at one of the most photographed shorelines in America: a long, flat, fog-softened beach backed by forested headlands, with Haystack Rock rising 235 feet from the sand. The rock is a basalt sea stack, a remnant of ancient lava flows, and its base is one of Oregon's seven protected Marine Gardens. At low tide the pools around it reveal sea stars, anemones, mussels and crabs, and from April through July tufted puffins nest on the rock's grassy upper slopes, with the best viewing in June and July; gulls, cormorants and oystercatchers are there much of the year. The rules are strict because the habitat is fragile: nothing may be removed within 300 yards of the rock, climbing above the barnacle line is prohibited, and visitors should step only on sand and bare rock. From mid-February to late October, the Haystack Rock Awareness Program sets up during daytime low tides with volunteers, spotting scopes and microscopes to explain what you are looking at — the single best way for families to experience the tide pools. Oregon's beaches are public by law, there is no fee to visit, and the town itself is a pleasure, with art galleries, bakeries, chowder houses and inns along Hemlock Street. Winter brings storm watching and the Stormy Weather Arts Festival in early November, and Haystack Holidays fills the town through December. Check a tide chart before you leave Portland; the whole day revolves around low tide.

How to plan the day: check the tide table first and aim to arrive an hour or more before low tide, which is when the pools around Haystack Rock are fully exposed and the Awareness Program volunteers are out. Park in town and walk down to the beach near the rock, explore the pools, then stroll the sand north or south for as long as you like; the beach runs for miles. Lunch in the village — chowder, fish and chips and bakery stops are the local rhythm — and save time for the galleries on Hemlock Street, which reflect the town's long history as an artists' retreat.

Beyond the rock: Ecola State Park, just north of town, has forest trails and viewpoints over the coastline and back toward Haystack Rock, though landslides have closed parts of its road and trails in recent years, so check its status before going. South along Highway 101, smaller beaches and headlands make easy detours. Sunsets over the rock are spectacular in clear weather, and many visitors stay overnight to see them and walk the beach early the next morning.

Safety and comfort: the Oregon coast is cool and often windy even in summer, so bring layers and a rain shell. Watch for sneaker waves, which can surge far up the beach without warning, never turn your back on the ocean, and stay off logs in the surf. Respect the tide-pool rules and keep dogs leashed near the rock, especially in puffin season. Summer weekends are busy, and parking in town fills up, so leave Portland early. In winter, storms can bring dramatic seas and road delays over the Coast Range, so check conditions before setting out.