One Day Trip From Portland to The Oregon Coast

This was my first time in Oregon so I was excited to check out the coast. I’ve seen so many beautiful photos and YouTube videos that talk about its beauty so I couldn’t wait to see it in person. We made the most of it by maximizing as many spots as possible in one day. Here’s our 1-day adventure along the Oregon Coast.

We stayed in downtown Portland so we started our day with brunch at Screen Door Eastside. This restaurant was packed on a Thursday morning but luckily we got seated right away. We ordered the chicken & waffle (2 pc chicken: 18 USD), banana foster french toast (14 USD), and praline bacon (9 USD). They served huge portions and everything was delicious which makes sense why this restaurant is so busy even on a Thursday.

SCREEN DOOR EASTSIDE

Rating: 9.5/10.0
Hours: Mon to Sun: 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM & 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Brunch Menu or Menus

After breakfast, we drove to the coast for about 2-1/2 hours to our first stop, Pelican Brewery at Pacific City Beach. This brewery has been on our list since we saw it on the top beautiful brewery list years ago. It’s right on the beach and are steps away from the water.

My husband enjoyed a flight taster with 8 different beers that only cost 12 USD with an amazing view. We also tried their delicious clam chowder (Bowl: 11.99 USD) which surprised us because we thought it couldn’t taste better than Pike Place Clam Chowder but it did!

PELICAN BREWERY

Rating: 9.0/10.0
Hours: Sun to Thu: 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM/ Fri & Sat: 12:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Menu

After relaxing and taking in the beautiful brewery, our next stop was Blue Heron. This wine and cheese shop has a wine and cheese tasting but we just stop here to bring home some cheese curd.

BLUE HERON

Rating: 7.8/10.0
Hours: Mon to Sun: 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Menu

My friend went to Oregon shortly before me and recommended that we check out Tillamook Creamery if we plan to go to the coast. She loved the fried cheese curds and ice cream at Tillamook. When she said those two things, I had to come and check them out myself. They have a self-tour on the second floor on how the cheese is made and when you finish, they give you free samples of a variety of their cheese.

Back on the first floor, there’s a food court where you can get their ice cream, fried cheese curd, and more. We love the marionberry pie, Oregon hazelnut & salted caramel, and peaches & cream ice cream. Sadly we were still full from the last place and didn’t try their fried cheese curd!

TILLAMOOK CREAMERY

Rating: 9.3/10.0
Hours: Mon to Sun: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Products

Our next stop was Hug Point State Park. A short .7-mile hike from the parking lot takes you to the beach but the surprising thing is behind the cliff on the right side. You’ll find a beautiful waterfall that flows into the beach and sea caves. This is the second time I have seen something like this but this is the first one I was able to walk up to it which was truly amazing.

HUG POINT STATE PARK

Rating: 9.3/10.0
Hours: Mon to Sun: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

Ecola State Park was the most north we will go along the Oregon coast during this trip. The drive to the viewpoint is more of a one-way road that is used as a two-way so drive safely. A short walk from the parking lot takes you to this beautiful viewpoint of Cannon Beach with all the stacks of rocks. This was another highlight of our one-day trip.

ECOLA STATE PARK

Rating: 9.3/10.0
Hours: Mon to Sun: 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM

After a full day of exploring, we stopped at Tom’s Fish & Chip for dinner and tried their 3-piece cod fish & chips (13.95 USD). It tasted really fresh and had the perfect amount of crispiness. They also serve burgers at this shop if you want something other than fish.

TOM’S FISH & CHIP

Rating: 7.9/10.0
Hours: Mon to Sun: 11:00 AM – 9:00 PM
Menu

Our last stop before heading back to Portland was Cannon Beach. It is known for the Haystack rock which is really enormous and pictures don’t do it justice. It’s a beautiful place to watch the sunset and end our day trip along the Oregon Coast.

CANNON BEACH

Rating: 9.3/10.0
Hours: Open 24 Hours

FAQ

Rating: 9.3/10.0
How many days do you need on the Oregon Coast? We did a day trip from Portland. If you’re going from Pacific City to Ecola State Park, you can do it in one to two days.
How long did it take to get to the Oregon Coast? It was about a 2-hour drive from Portland to Pacific City.
Where did you stay? We decided to stay in Portland.
Is the Oregon Coast expensive? $$
When did you go to the Oregon Coast? Mid-May 2022