Cannon Beach to Manzanita: Otherworldly Auto Tour
Excerpted from Beach Connection.net
Owald State Park viewpoint, just south of Cannon Beach.
Few auto tours along the coastline are quite as engaging as that run between Manzanita and Cannon Beach. It’s about 15 miles and about a dozen winding bends that enter a lush, forest canopy, only to reemerge along more stunning ocean viewpoints.
The curves begin just south of Cannon Beach, twisting along as you drive past pullouts and spots like Hug Point, Arcadia Beach and Arch Cape that never cease to amaze. Soon, you’ll enter the Arch Cape tunnel, which opens up to a brief glimpse of panoramic ocean views, before entering the forests of Oswald State Park. Here, check out the surfing Mecca of Short Sands Beach, some wondrous trails, primitive campsites and a couple of hidden beaches tucked along the road as well.
Short Sands surf beach, between Cannon Beach and Manzanita.
These viewpoints just south of Cannon Beach are some of the most famous on the entire Oregon coast. The final attractions here are the Neahkahnie Overlooks just above Manzanita – one of the most popular viewpoints along Oregon’s coastline.