This Oregon Beach Town Rejects Chain Stores to Protect its Pufflings, Sea Stacks & Local Soul

Cannon Beach, Oregon

Most beach towns make you choose between natural beauty and actual culture. Then there’s Cannon Beach. This slice of Oregon coast pairs its iconic sea stacks and puffin colonies with serious art galleries and food that would make Portland jealous. No wonder it’s been called one of the world’s best beach towns.

A Lost Cannon Gave This Beach Its Name

Cannon Beach got its name from a naval cannon that washed ashore in 1846. The cannon came from the USS Shark, a Navy ship that wrecked while trying to cross the dangerous Columbia Bar, known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific.”

The town was first called “Elk Creek” but was renamed in 1922 because the Post Office was mixing it up with another town. Amazingly, two more cannons from the same shipwreck were found at Arch Cape in February 2008, 162 years after the ship sank.

These are now kept at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria.

A Big Wave Started The Town’s Famous Sandcastle Event

The Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest began after an earthquake in Alaska caused a tsunami that hit town on March 27, 1964. This huge wave destroyed the Ecola Creek Bridge, washing it 300 meters upstream and flooding downtown.

While the bridge was being fixed, locals started the sandcastle event to cheer everyone up. The 2025 contest on June 21 will be the 61st year, now drawing over 15,000 visitors.

What started as a way to heal the community is now officially recognized as an Oregon Heritage Tradition.

Colorful Puffins Come Back To The Big Rock Every Year

Tufted puffins return to Haystack Rock each April, making it one of the easiest places to see them in North America. In 2025, about 102 puffins are expected, which is up from the all-time low of 74 in 2022 but down from 106 in 2023.

If you want to see these birds, join the Puffin Welcome Celebration on April 13 from 8am-12pm, where you can use spotting scopes and learn about them. Your best chance to see them is between 7-10am when they’re busy bringing fish to their babies.

Hollywood Loves Filming On This Beach

You might recognize Cannon Beach from movies you’ve seen. “The Goonies” (1985) showed off Haystack Rock in several scenes, and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “Kindergarten Cop” (1990) was filmed around the town’s pretty streets and beaches.

The stunning rock formations and clean beaches still attract filmmakers looking for dramatic coastal backdrops. In 2024, the town hosted its first Film Festival at the Coaster Theatre Playhouse to celebrate its movie history.

You Might Bump Into Elk While Shopping Downtown

Wild elk herds often wander right through Cannon Beach neighborhoods, sometimes just blocks from the beach.

If you want to see them, check out these five spots: Ecola State Park meadows, grassy areas near Ecola Creek, Les Shirley Park on 5th Street, City Park behind the Information Center, or the Sunset Boulevard loop.

Try looking early morning or evening for the best chance. These impressive animals can weigh up to 1,100 pounds, and the males have antlers that can stretch 4 feet across.

These Cute Birds Are Disappearing Fast

Tufted puffin numbers on Haystack Rock have dropped about 80% since 1980, falling from 600 birds to just 102 in 2024. Back in 1988, Oregon’s coast had around 5,000 puffins, but by 2021 only 553 remained.

To help save them, a group of 20 organizations formed in early 2024, including the Bird Alliance of Oregon and US Fish & Wildlife Service. These birds, which can live 15-20 years in the wild, face problems from climate change, fewer fish to eat, and more predators hunting them.

You Won’t See Fireworks On The Fourth Of July Here

Unlike most beach towns, Cannon Beach celebrates July 4th without fireworks to protect wildlife. Instead, from July 1-4, 2025, you can join the Great Puffin Watch, where volunteers help you spot puffins at Haystack Rock from 8-11am each day.

The celebration includes a small-town parade, beach bonfires, and learning programs. This care for the environment shows up in other events too, like the Earth and Ocean Arts Festival in September that celebrates nature through art.

You Can Find A Secret Beach Away From The Crowds

When Haystack Beach gets packed with people, head to Crescent Beach just north of town. To get there, you’ll need to hike 1.25 miles from Ecola State Park’s parking lot (there’s a $5 day-use fee), which naturally keeps the crowds away even in peak summer.

Start at the north parking lot viewpoint and follow the trail through old-growth forest until you reach a pristine 500-yard stretch of sand. At low tide, you can explore sea caves and rock formations you can’t see from the main beach.

Local Shops Rule – No Big Chains Allowed

Cannon Beach purposely keeps out large chain stores to maintain its unique character. Since 1997, the town has a rule that new businesses must be different from standardized chains in at least three major ways.

Among the town’s 1,700 residents, there are over 80 locally-owned businesses, including 17 art galleries and 25 restaurants mostly along Hemlock Street. About 92% of the town’s economy comes from these independent businesses, creating the special small-town coastal feel.

Don’t Miss the Pufflings

Young puffins born on Haystack Rock are called “pufflings” and stay hidden in burrows for 38-59 days after hatching. Their parents make up to 10 trips daily to bring them food, carrying multiple fish at once in their colorful bills.

By late August, the pufflings leave their burrows weighing about 300 grams, roughly 70% of adult weight. They fly out at night to avoid predators, making their first flight straight to the ocean.

Unlike their colorful parents, pufflings have plain gray feathers and smaller bills, only developing their distinctive look after three years.

This Beach Gets Its Own Special Weather

Cannon Beach has its own mini-climate that’s different from nearby coastal areas. It gets about 80 inches of rain yearly, mostly between November and February. Summer days typically reach 60-75°F, much cooler than inland areas.

Morning fog is common in summer but usually burns off by noon. Because the town sits between Tillamook Head and Ecola State Park, it gets unique wind patterns that create special ecological features and weather throughout the different seasons.

You’re Walking On Ancient Ocean Creatures

Haystack Rock and the formations around it contain fossils that are 15-17 million years old from the Miocene epoch. These basalt rocks started as lava flows from the Columbia River Basalt Group eruptions and traveled over 100 miles to reach the coast.

If you look closely, you might spot ancient scallops, clams, and nautilus embedded in the rocks. In 2015, researchers from Oregon State University found previously unknown fossilized marine mammal species here, including an extinct dolphin they named Oregonocetus cannonensis.

This Town Built A Record-Breaking Sandcastle

The Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest made it into the Guinness Book of World Records in 1982 for the largest sandcastle ever built at that time. The winning castle stood 12.5 feet tall and used over 18 tons of sand.

Today, the contest attracts professional sand sculptors from all over the world and has six competition divisions including Masters, Large Group, and Small Group. In 2014, Oregon Parks & Recreation Department named it an Oregon Heritage Tradition, making it one of only 26 events in the state with this honor.

Visiting Cannon Beach

You’ll find Cannon Beach 80 miles northwest of Portland. To get there, take Highway 26 West and then Highway 101. The beach is free to access through many public entry points, though Ecola State Park has a $5 day-use fee.