Washington to Oregon: The Pacific Coast (US Highway 101)
Last updated: April 14, 2023
While in Washington, I knew I wanted to visit Crater Lake National Park and instead of taking the interstate, I decided to add a few hours to my trip and take US Highway 101.
I’ve never driven along the Pacific Coast (or any coast for that matter) and wanted to experience it. I started out from Kent, Washington and headed toward Oregon. I really took my time enjoying the ride and stopped along the way at anything and everything I thought was interesting. By the time the night sky hit, I headed to the interstate for the rest of my travels, but I was so glad I did this. I was so pleased with my drive, I have made up my mind that I want to drive the Pacific Coast in it’s entirety one day. I think I’ll fly to California and make my way to Washington. At any rate, I’m super happy to share the highlights of my journey along the way!
The View
I was completely enthralled with driving by the water for most of my journey and stopped several times to just take in the view and snap some photos. I even wound up accidentally surprising some geese.
Stop in South Bend, Washington
South Bend, Washington is the Oyster Capital of the World. One of every six oysters consumed in the US is harvested in this town.
I stopped at Robert Bush Park which holds the Robert E. Bush memorial and the worlds largest oyster (it’s huge!). They also have the cutest coffee shop, Elixir Expresso and Tea, which made an awesome smoothie that I thoroughly enjoyed.
The shop was adorable and is just a really nice place to stop!
Stop at Long Beach
The sign touts to be the World’s Longest Beach, however, it’s actually the 8th longest at 35 miles long. I was really impressed that this was a drivable beach (speed limit 25mph) and loved how people just backed up to the oceans edge and sat on their tailgates having lunch. It really gives a whole new meaning to tailgating! I also thought the mobile barbecue stations were interesting and think if I were visiting, it would be nice to have a barbecue at the beach.
In case you’re wondering, the longest beach in the world is Praia do Cassino Beach in Brazil at 150 miles long!
Experience the Magic that is Cannon Beach
I have come to discover that I adore sea stacks. This beach had me swooning over Haystack Rock and this was my last stop on my exploration of Highway 101 because I settled in to watch the sunset. I took some photos for families while I waited. I also noticed there were people setting up places for bonfires which I thought was extra magical. I have yet to have a bonfire on a beach and it’s on my list. This was my favorite stop along the Pacific Coast and I’ll stop here again when I do the full highway!
Interestingly enough, a childhood movie I watched multiple times, The Goonies, shot a scene here and now I have plans to rewatch the movie and look for Cannon Beach. #excited
Last but not least, the Goonies scene… next time I’m there I will locate this spot where they are in this scene for sure!
As previously mentioned, it was dark by the time I left so I headed to the interstate to get to my destination since I wouldn’t be able to see the views any longer. I wish I could have experienced more of Highway 101, but I will drive the whole thing one day and blog all about it. The little bit I did see was gorgeous and I’m super glad I decided to incorporate this into my trip! On my way back through, I was able to visit the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park which included the remains of shipwrecked Peter Iredale!
Have you driven along the coast? What did you love? I’d love to know how the different coasts compare to this one!
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