Is Cannon Beach the best place to begin going south

I%26#39;m travelling down the coast all the way to San Francisco. I%26#39;m coming from central Oregon and can go north to Cannon Beach and down or start north of Lincoln City. Is there a lot to see (from a photograph, spectacular views, rock formations etc.) between Cannon Beach and Lincoln.

Where is the best point to start to see the most spectacular scenery, whales etc. I have at least four days for this part of the trip. I%26#39;m already booked in Crescent City for three nights also.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

Is Cannon Beach the best place to begin going south

While the stretch from Tillamook to Linclon City is most unremarkable, (unless you get off of hwy 101), I think you would miss too many good photo ops by not starting on the far north coast. Cannon Beach is a photographer%26#39;s dream, and Neah-kah-nie Mt is nothing short of spectacular.

Den

Is Cannon Beach the best place to begin going south

IMO, I wouldn%26#39;t start any farther south than Cannon Beach. One of the most beautiful drives I have taken is from Astoria, OR (about 50 minutes north of Cannon Beach) to Lincoln City and the Newport, OR areas. (I haven%26#39;t many any farther south than that)! All the way down there ar neat quant little towns and a beautiful drive. Enjoy!

The best stretches for ocean views from 101 are Newport to Florence, and Port Orford to Brookings. In those stretches, you%26#39;ll find a number of roadside pullouts, and countless signs directing you to the many viewpoints a couple hundred yards off the road. As Den writes, there are many other places along the coast for spectacular scenery, but you have to know where to get off 101.

I%26#39;d agree with the others though, you shouldn%26#39;t miss Cannon Beach, and specifically Ecola State Park just north of there. The trick in photographing these places is not in finding the shot, rather how to do it differently than the millions before you. I suggest a wide-angle lens, particularly around Haystack Rock.

A little unsure of your times. You have 4 nights on Oregon coast, then 3 nights in Crescent City?

Mistletoe told the best parts all south of Lincoln City, with shorter time I would say forget Cannon Beach but in 4 days it could work.

Then have to tell you I much prefer Central coast. Have spent many nights on coast but none in Cannon Beach. Sort of like Carmel, wonderful place for some. but the drive south is not the best, ok if you take three capes road from Tillamook

All of the coast has spectacular scenery, IMO. Cannon Beach is great for your photogrpahy. I have photos posted here of Ecola State Park, Haystack Rock and downtown Cannon Beach.

We drove down to Lincoln City this summer, I would definitely plan a stop at Cape Foulweather Lookout. Go into the gift shop there, the views are outstanding. Depoe Bay also has some nice spots to photograph.

Also about 10 minutes from CB is Seaside, go to Ave U for some great photos of Tillamook Head. I also find the Necanicum River very scenic, I like to photograph there from the 12th Street Bridge where we also crab.

Any further questions, feel free to ask. We spent the majority of the summer at our beach cottage in Seaside. Have a great trip and please report back after your travels! :)

One more thought for you: plan a stop at Oswald West State Park, take the short walk down to Short Sands Beach, it%26#39;s absolutely gorgeous! Check out my Review of OWSP here to see if it looks like it would be of interest to you! :)

The beach at Seaside is one of the more nondescript of the coast. There%26#39;s a lot of driftwood down around Ave. U, but really no other reason to go there. And the Necanicum river at the 12th St. Bridge? Are you serious, syrahgirl? Do you have any ';photos'; taken from there posted on TA? I looked, but couldn%26#39;t find any. Honestly, from your posts here and on other threads, one might think most of your sightseeing on the coast is from the inside of gift shops and restaurants.

I agree with those indicating there%26#39;s not much beach photography from seaside north unless you want the salty dawgs outside some tavern in Astoria.

The person who said that you%26#39;d never find something to shoot that you haven%26#39;t already seen had it mostly right, but photographers see with their own eyes.

The recommendation re Oswald West was good.

I suggest the Three Capes Scenic Route that%26#39;s off 101 from Tillamook south for 25 miles. There%26#39;s a reason they used the word %26#39;scenic%26#39;. Great capes and unusual rock formations.

Ray Atkeson, the photographer who produced those coffee table books of Oregon, called Cape Kiwanda the most photogenic sqaure mile in the country. Climb the dune but go to the left along the cape; there are sights that will surprise you. I saw a pod of whales along the cape there last weekend.

Graper is spot on - the three cape route is an awesome road and makes the added time worthwhile (unless you are pushed for time). Then almost all the way south on 101 to the border offers a incomparable scenic drive.

The border to Crescent City takes all of 30 minutes, and is truly a considerable let down from the Oregon portion, as is 3 nights staying there.

You may want to consider the portion of 101 south to Eureka (another 60-90 minutes), which has a number of truly great places to see, stay and explore, as well as the portion of 101 north of there from Gold Beach to Brookings (30-60 minutes) as significantly nicer alternatives to Crescent City.