A Rainy Fall Weekend on the Oregon Coast
One of our traditions is planning a birthday trip for each other every year. Sometimes that means flying somewhere new, while other years bring a day at the beach or a camping trip close to home. We work with the time and budget we have and always find a way to go somewhere together.
For this birthday, we flew to Portland and headed straight for the Oregon coast. We had a long weekend to explore state parks, find a shipwreck, see Haystack Rock, and visit a few breweries along the way.
Our Airbnb was an adorable little house in Seaside. Rain tapped against the windows while we stayed warm beside the little stove, which was exactly the sort of place we wanted after a wet day outside. We had originally looked at Cannon Beach, but Seaside offered lovely places to stay for less money and still put us close to everything we wanted to visit.
What We Explored
Fort Stevens State Park and the Peter Iredale
We first saw the wreck of the Peter Iredale on Instagram and immediately added it to our plans. The rusted remains sit in the sand at Fort Stevens State Park, only a short walk from the parking area.
We arrived early enough to have a few quiet minutes around the wreck before more visitors appeared. The ship was fun to photograph, but we enjoyed the wide, nearly empty beach even more. We wandered along the water for quite a while with no real destination.
Ecola State Park
Our first stop at Ecola State Park was the Ecola Point day-use area, where a short trail led to sweeping views along the coast. Even with clouds hanging over the water, the headlands and offshore rocks seemed to continue forever.
We also drove to Indian Beach and spent a couple of hours exploring tide pools, walking across the dark sand, and watching surfers in the cold water. Every direction offered another view that made us stop.
Fort Stevens State Park - Astoria, Oregon
Fort Stevens gave us plenty more to explore. We picked up a map and followed whatever looked interesting, including views over Trestle Bay, old military batteries, sandy trails, and an observation tower overlooking the coast and long jetty.
We also walked part of the Trestle Bay Trail toward Swash Lake, where we encountered a wildlife-viewing blind. At the time, we were a little perplexed by it. Once I became a birder in 2019, I realized that I had probably missed a wonderful place to sit quietly and watch what moved through the wetlands.
Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach
aystack Rock initially felt like an obligatory stop. We expected to see it, take a few photographs, and move on. Instead, rain began falling and the sky turned electric orange near sunset.
We borrowed umbrellas from our Airbnb and walked onto the beach. It was my first time standing on a beach in the rain, watching each drop leave a dark mark in the sand. As the sunset grew brighter, we stayed and walked closer to Haystack Rock and the Needles. The rain, glowing sky, and broad wet beach transformed what we expected to be a quick tourist stop into one of our favorite moments of the trip.
Tillamook Creamery
We fully embraced the tourist experience at Tillamook Creamery. The self-guided tour showed how the cheese was made and packaged, along with information about the dairy farms and cows.
After tasting cheese, we stopped for grilled cheese and macaroni and cheese, then finished with ice cream. I chose huckleberry, while Kim had rocky road. We left full, happy, and carrying a few souvenirs from the enormous gift shop.
Where We Ate and Drank
Firehouse Grille – Seaside, Oregon
In Seaside, we had breakfast at Firehouse Grille, where the plates were generous and the birthday mimosa was especially welcome. We also visited Pig ’N Pancake for an old-school diner breakfast with vinyl seats, hot coffee, bacon and eggs, and biscuits and gravy.
deGarde Brewing – Tillamook, Oregon
Our most anticipated brewery was de Garde Brewing in Tillamook. I had recently discovered sour beer and kept encountering the de Garde name. Its barrel-aged wild ales tasted unlike anything I had tried before, with fruit, oak, tartness, and a little funk coming through differently in every glass. Boysenberry Bu, an oak-aged Berliner Weisse made with boysenberries, was my favorite.
Public Coast Brewing - Cannon Beach, Oregon
After our rainy sunset at Cannon Beach, we found burgers, fries, and cold beer at Public Coast Brewing. In Astoria, Fort George Brewing gave us hot pizza and fast service after a long day outside.
Reach Break Brewing - Astoria, Oregon
We were not quite ready to return to Seaside after dinner, so we walked to Reach Break Brewing. The small taproom felt especially cozy with rain falling outside. My favorite pour was Spanspek, a barrel-aged mixed-culture sour made with cantaloupe. It was tart and funky, with a soft melon flavor that made it one of the most memorable beers of the trip.
Before flying home, we spent a few hours in Portland at Powell’s Books and Bailey’s Taproom. No Oregon trip felt complete without wandering through Powell’s and adding several pounds of books to our carry-on bags. A final flight of small beer pours gave us a relaxed ending to a weekend filled with rain, cold beaches, and far more good food than we needed.
