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Love it like a local, and Cannon Beach will love you back.
There’s no better way to truly discover the magical place that is Cannon Beach than to learn how to love it like a local. Locals know the secrets to find the most memorable and transformative experiences that reveal the authentic character of this remarkable piece of the planet. But we’re not greedy. We’re happy to share our top tips on how to love Cannon Beach like a local.
Visit during our magic season
Cannon Beach has only two seasons: summer and the magic season. Can you guess which one we prefer? If you only plan your trip around a forecast for sunny skies, you’re likely to find yourself in the middle of summer crowds, and while you may discover sunshine, you’re unlikely to find the most magical things about Cannon Beach. To us, summer waves are boring. We prefer the thunderous roar of the ocean whipped up by an offshore storm and watching waves explode against the rocky shoreline in a display better than any fireworks show. As soon as the summer crowds disappear, herds of Roosevelt Elk return to the coastal lowlands and emerge from the misty rainforest to feed on the lush grassy areas around town. Seeing a herd of elk grazing in one of our city parks is an authentic Cannon Beach experience. Our magic season is a nature lover’s dream where any walk on the beach or hike can turn into a wildlife adventure with sightings of puffins, whales, or eagles.
Embrace our coastal climate
Cannon Beach is framed by rainforest, and our coastline is a stunningly beautiful landscape shaped by wind and water. Yet, many of our visitors want to avoid any possibility of rain. Not us. Locals know that a forecast for partly cloudy is a forecast for sun breaks and that a forecast for showers can mean rainbows and wildly dramatic skies. We’ve also discovered a secret about how to enjoy this amazing place even if there’s a chance of rain. It’s called a rain jacket. We’re Oregonians; the threat of rain doesn’t keep us from enjoying the magic of this place. Even with a forecast of cool and damp, we know there’s still a 100 percent chance of being beautiful. You’re welcome to join us in our love for this unique climate and watch the misty morning marine layer melt away to reveal dramatic cloud formations that can make for some of the most colorful sunsets you’ll see anywhere.
Protect this place we love
We hope you love Cannon Beach as much as we do, as we consider ourselves temporary stewards of this remarkable place. We love our clean beaches, so you might see us collecting plastics that wash ashore or are left behind by guests who just don’t get it. You’re welcome to join us in that effort. We love our remarkable natural areas where fascinating tidepool creatures live at the ocean’s edge, so we tread carefully to observe these wonders. We love Haystack Rock but recognize it belongs to the birds, so we enjoy this National Wildlife Refuge from a safe distance. Cannon Beach is not a zoo or a theme park. It’s an incredibly diverse and beautiful environment that we enjoy. If you understand how we feel, we invite you to love Cannon Beach like a local and promise that it will love you back.