The Pacific Northwest and specifically the Oregon Coast has been on my radar for the longest time. We finally got to put an Oregon Coast Roadtrip Itinerary I’ve had in mind for a few years to the test, and today I’m recapping what is, in my opinion, a very good Oregon Coast Roadtrip Itinerary.
There are a lot of 10+ Day Oregon Roadtrip Itineraries out there, but this is a quicker trip – flying in and out in just five days. I highly recommend this trip for almost any traveler or group, from a solo trip, girls trip, to romantic getaway, we saw so many different types of groups also traveling around this area, so there’s really something for everyone. We mainly stuck to the coast due to a shortage of time, but if you have 10+ days, there is so much more to see and do in inland Oregon.
What is the best time to visit the Oregon Coast?
We visited the first weekend of March, which I had heard was risky as far as weather goes, but we had beautiful weather and no crowds. It was magic! But if you don’t like rainy, cold weather, you may not want to risk going in March. We got lucky, but it’s much more common for the coast to have moody, rainy weather in the winter.
A lot of people flock to the Oregon Coast for its beautiful, mild summers. While I think that would be absolutely beautiful, I can’t imagine how packed these small towns would get in the summer months! And the beaches aren’t the most well known for swimming, so we didn’t mind going in the winter and missing out on some sun and sand.
I also think the fall would be a beautiful time to visit this area!
Must Know Before Visiting Oregon
You absolutely have to download the Oregon Coast GuideAlong guide before visiting. I break down exactly why GuideAlong guides are so amazing here, but in short, it’s essentially a GPS-based guide that narrates as you’re driving along iconic roadtrips in North America. I’ve done many GuideAlongs, including the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Yellowstone, Big Sur, and now the Oregon Coast, and can’t say enough good things about them. Guides run around $20, but they more than make up for it in recommending off the beaten path stops that you cannot miss.
Oregon Coast Itinerary
Day 1 – Fly in to PDX + Astoria
Fly in // The area’s airport is PDX (so beautiful and focused on local businesses, amazing!). I was flying in from the Bay Area and my mom and mother in law were flying in from East Tennessee, so I made the trip much quicker than they did! I hung out at the airport waiting on their flight to land, and as soon as they did, we picked up our rental car and were off!
Drive to Astoria // We enjoyed the beautiful drive from Portland to Astoria, Oregon, a quaint town at the Northwestern tip of the state. This town has a unique mix of qualities – it’s where much of the Goonies was filmed, there’s a huge bridge that connects Highway 1 from Oregon and Washington, and it has a wildly high concentration of amazing restaurants, breweries, you name it. I’ll dive into everything we did here over Day 1 and Day 2.
We had some flight delays so we ended up having slightly less time to explore Astoria than I’d hoped, so if you have a bit more time, get into town and shop around the cute downtown, have some ice cream and fries (the best combo) at Frite & Scoop, or pop into one of the many breweries downtown.
Early Dinner at Fede // This was one of my favorite spots we ate at all trip! It is a pretty tiny spot, so in the more popular months make sure to get there as early as possible, between their opening time (3:30 p.m.) and hopefully before 5:30/6 to make sure you get in for the night. Once their waitlist is full, they’ll have to turn you away!
Fede is known for very well executed cocktails, delicious homemade Italian fare, an incredible wine list, and right on the water atmosphere! Our favorite bite was the lasagne, but we loved absolutely everything we ate.
Drinks at Dead Mans Isle // I absolutely love a tiki bar since I’m personally less likely to make a tiki style drink at home. They make their own tiki glasses, and they were so creative! They sell them here if you’re in the market.
Check Into the Hotel // We had some points to burn at Hilton properties, so we actually stayed at the Hampton Inn Astoria. It did the trick and ended up being the perfect location for our breakfast spot (more to come on the below), but I wouldn’t go out of your way to stay here if you have the extra budget. I saw the Bowline Hotel recommended quite a bit!
Day 2 – Astoria + Cannon Beach
Breakfast at Coffee Girl // Wow! If you want to feel like you’re eating among the locals (especially during low season), go here for breakfast! Every single person in the shop seemed to know the employees. The pastries, breakfast sandwiches, and coffees were all delightful.
It’s on a pier usually filled with sea lions, so nice to feel a part of the coastal life of Astoria to start your day!
Shop Around + Explore the Cannery Museum // While you’re still on Pier 39, pop into a gift shop right next to coffee girl. This is where we did most of our souvenir shopping, they had a ton of unique items. Also make sure to check out the Hanthon Cannery Museum, it did a good job of explaining the history of the town!
Drinks at Fort George Brewing // We had a quick drink at Fort George Brewing, which had a great atmosphere and great beer list. Highly recommend!
Lunch at Bowpicker Fish & Chips // This is another spot locals flock to, it’s “food truck” fish & chips, but it’s actually on a very old school boat! It was delicious and very affordable.
Turn on the Oregon Coast GuideAlong guide + Drive to Ecola State Park // We could have spent days in Astoria, but we had other plans to head off to! We turned on our Oregon Coast GuideAlong guide and were off to Cannon Beach.
We made sure to stop at Ecola State Park first for probably the most incredible view of the entire trip. It was just stunning. I’d love to come back here one day and bring a picnic lunch and do some more hiking. We also swung by Indian Beach which was also beautiful!
Check into the Stephanie Inn // One of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in. Stephanie Inn has thought of absolutely everything! It was a bit of a splurge, but we all felt like we got our money’s worth with the complimentary (and amazing) welcome drinks, breakfast, daily happy hour drinks and bites, and a daily night cap.
They don’t have any rooms with two queen beds and not all rooms have a sofa pullout bed, so keep that in mind! If you have 3-4 people, you’ll need to make sure you book a room with a pullout or book two rooms.
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Dinner at the Stephanie Inn Dining Room // We opted to have dinner at the Stephanie Inn Dining room which is also a splurge, but it was pretty good! Not a *must* do in my opinion, but if you are interested in a fancier meal for the trip, it’s not a bad option!
Day 3
If you aren’t staying at the Stephanie Inn and taking advantage of their complimentary (and absolutely amazing) breakfast, I was recommended Sleepy Monk coffee and Sea Level bakery.
Turn on the Oregon Coast GuideAlong guide // Ok now is the time to turn on your GuideAlong and let it do all the work! I didn’t have to think about much, we just stopped where it told us to stop.
Early snack at Pronto Pup // I was SO excited about this, the origin of the corn dog?! I got an original with mustard, delicious.
Self-guided Tour and Late Lunch at Tillamook Factory // I don’t know what it is about me, but I absolutely love food tours like this (also thinking of the Coke museum in Atlanta or the Guiness Factory in Dublin). This was no exception! You get to watch Tillamook employees actually working on producing and packaging cheese, learn about the history of dairy in the region, and eat some delicious (dairy-filled) bites like pizza, cheese curds, burgers, and ice cream.
Drinks at Public Coast Brewing // Keep driving down the coast as long as you’d like, but once you’re back in Cannon, make sure to hit up Public Coast Brewing for delicious beer and bites.
Bonfire on the Beach // One of my favorite moments of the trip! For $120, the Stephanie Inn set up a lovely bonfire on the beach for us, complete with a gourmet s’mores kit from local chocolatier, Ranger Chocolate.
Whether you do it with the Stephanie Inn or not, I think this is a must do!
Day 4
While we could have stayed at the Stephanie Inn forever, we had other plans in Portland!
Lunch at Olympia Provisions //
This was such a good lunch! They have an incredible wine list (including the best orange wine I’ve ever had), very unique meat and cheese offerings, and a full menu if charcuterie isn’t your thing.
Coffee at Ranger Chocolate //
We had been indulging in Ranger Chocolate whenever we saw it all along the coast and had to go straight to the source in Portland! I got a mocha and we got some goodies to take home as souvenirs. Edible souvenirs are the best souvenirs!
Shopping at the Pearl District //
We had some time to kill so we popped into the shops in the Pearl District, including the famous Powell’s Books and lots of other boutique and chain offerings!
Cocktails at The Uncanny //
Head over to Mississippi Street to be close to Lovely’s Fifty Fifty for dinner and hit up this very vibey cocktail bar while you wait for Lovely’s to open! My mother in law got their special clarified cocktail, and it was one of the most unique drinks I’ve ever had.
Dinner and Ice Cream at Lovely’s Fifty Fifty //
Featured on Chef’s Table Pizza, this spot is very good and very popular! They do not take reservations, so you can either get there ~15-30 minutes before they open to be part of the first seating, or come a bit later and put your name down and enjoy some of the bars and shops on the street. We chose the first option since we had an early flight to go to sleep for.
Everything was AMAZING! Highly recommend.
Check into your Hotel //
Again, we had points to burn at Hilton properties and had an early flight to catch the next morning so we just stayed at the Airport Hilton, but if you have the option, I heard great things about The Hoxton,
Day 5 // Fly home! We got early flights out so we had plenty of time to settle back in before work on Monday.
I hope this Oregon Coast Itinerary gave you some ideas for your next road trip! We had the best time, I couldn’t recommend visiting this area more.
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