Cannon Beach – Cape Disappointment | Oregon

I fell in love with Cannon Beach as soon as we parked our camper. First of all- the beach is breathtaking. Giant rocks right off the turquoise ocean, adorable beach cottages covered in cedar shakes, tiny coffee houses, and mountains surrounding us. PLUS our campground had blazing fast wifi AND a hot tub. I was half serious when I told my friend I never wanted to leave.

The morning we decided to go for this hike, we were sitting in a coffee shop sharing a scone when a lady told us about a weather warning she had heard. “We’re getting a windstorm today ya know- supposed to blow in around noon with winds up to sixty miles an hour.” “SIXTY miles an hour???” Whoa! We both looked at each other like “how is our camper not going to blow away?” But when we got back to our camper, we realized that the trees surrounding us almost completely dissapated the winds and we were ok. whew!

I had recently discovered a really awesome app called the Outbound that I planned to use in our stay at Cannon Beach. The Outbound is like Trip Advisor for adventurous people. You can use your location to find cool things to do outside based on your interests. InterestS can vary from hiking to photography, backpacking, kayaking, etc. While browsing the app, I saw that Cape Dissapointment was a suggested nearby hike. The profile image blow me away. There was a lighthouse on a cliff and a giant wave hitting the shore. I want that shot!  Well, today seemed like a good day to try to get that.

My friend told me I was crazy when I said I wanted to drive and hike in gale force winds. But I talked him into it and it was an awesome adventure! The giant bridge on the way to the park was kinda sketchy in the wind and rain- actually, I made my friend drive over that for me. Otherwise, though, it was just a realllllllllly windy exciting day.

We hiked along the bluff to the first lighthouse to take in views of the Cape. There were some spots along the hike where the wind made it hard to stand, but most of it was well blocked by trees and foliage. The hike was beautiful. We loved watching the giant waves crash along the rocks below. It was a grand demonstration of nature’s power.

The first lighthouse didn’t give me the shot I had hoped for, so we headed down the road to the second lighthouse in the park. The area surrounding this lighthouse was even rainier and windier. We didn’t feel safe hiking down to the beach, so we just stayed up on the cliffs. Even though we didn’t get the shot I had come for, it was a very adventurous time. We hiked a social trail down to a small (very random) bunker to take shelter from the elements for a bit. Then, after getting completely drenched anyways, we decided to turn around so we could make it home and enjoy the hot tub. Day well spent!

Thanks for reading! Shelley Hartman, Asheville + Cannon Beach Wedding Photographer