Cannon Beach Oregon

So many RV friends had shared about the beauty of Cannon Beach Oregon that we knew we had to go. Cannon Beach is in northwestern Oregon. It’s a small town that is admired for its long sandy four mile stretch of beach and Haystack Rock, which is a seasonal stopping point for tufted puffins.

Mo’s Restaurant 

Cannon Beach was a pretty long drive from our RV park in Tualatin OR to Cannon Beach. But the beautiful scenery made the hour and a half drive fly by. When we arrived in the beautiful beach town our first priority was to have some lunch.

I had read good reviews on Mo’s Restaurants, famous for their New England style Clam Chowder. So our decision on where to fill our empty tummies was an easy one. It was chilly when we went on May 11 of this year, so we opted to dine inside. The dining room was filled with picnic tables and memorabilia, offering a cool outdoor vibe. We were quite pleased to be seated by a window with a fabulous view of the Pacific Ocean, Haystack Rock and Cannon Beach.

Our yummy lunch

Ordering lunch was a no brainer. We both had a cup of their renowned clam chowder to start off. And we followed that with two orders of Fried Clam Strips and perfect French Fries. The chowder was thick and creamy and loaded with clams. And now, just writing about our lunch, I am jonesing for an instant replay! Those clam strips were fresh and quite crispy. After squeezing on some fresh lemon juice we enjoyed them dipped in a combo of cocktail and tartar sauces. Don’t even get me started on how good those fries were…

We were so stuffed after the clam chowder that we couldn’t even finish our platters. Doggy bag please. What was worse was that we didn’t have room for their signature Peanut Butter Cream Pie. But that was an easy fix. We ordered a slice to go.

Our lunch at Mo’s was so delicious that our only regret was only ordering one slice of pie to take home. For dinner that night we finished off our leftover clam strips, fries and, uh huh, reluctantly shared that single slice of scrumptious Peanut Butter Cream Pie.

Cannon Beach Oregon

After lunch we needed to walk off some of those calories, so we walked to Haystack Rock. Honestly, it looked a lot like Morro Rock on the California coast, just a smaller version. We enjoyed seeing bunnies, beautiful beach homes and a really cool ’57 Chevy.

The Chevy was parked in front of a resort and looked brand new. Just as we approached to take a snap shot, a man got out of the car. Not only did he encourage our photography, but invited Steve to get behind the wheel for a photo. He was as happy as a (ahem) clam!!!

Here are some fun things to do while visiting Cannon Beach:

1. Build sand castles on nearly 4 miles of pristine beach, sunbathe, look for birds, swim (though you might find the water frigid – water temp 55-degrees F in August!), and have a picnic.
2. Haystack Rock is massive. It rises 235 feet above the surf. It’s also one of the most photographed rocks in the world. In fact it’s Oregon’s most well known landmark, being the third largest monolith in the world, and one of the largest sea stacks on the Pacific Coast.
3. Haystack Rock is a protected National Wildlife Refuge and Marine Garden. It’s a 17-million-year-old lava block that numerous species of nesting birds, including gulls and tufted puffins, call home. Bald eagles come here to feed and the rock base is home to all sorts of marine life, that includes sea anemones, urchins and crabs.
4. The Tillamook Rock Lighthouse stands 133 feet above sea level with 62-foot-high tower on a rocky island. It was built in 1881, and is located 2 miles north of Cannon Beach, inaccessible to the public, but a sight to behold from Ecola State Park and Cannon Beach.
5. You could take the paved road from Cannon Beach to Ecola State Park for year-round activities from hiking to bird watching. Winding through tall spruce trees and  emerging on a picture-worthy view of the Pacific Ocean give you a chance to watch surfers riding the waves at Indian Beach. Also, during winter and spring you’ll have an opportunity to spot migrating gray whales.
6. The seaside village of Cannon Beach has earned the reputation of being on the the 100 best arts towns in America. There’s an array of distinctive art galleries by internationally celebrated artists
7. You will find everything from candy stores to upscale restaurants including Bruce’s Candy Kitchen, Newman’s at 988 and, of course, Mo’s.