a weekend guide: oregon road trip.

Travel
A few weeks back I shared a few of my favorite spots from my latest trip to Portland, Oregon, but there just wasn’t enough room to share every moment that I loved. So, because I’m a little obnoxious {so sorry in advance!}, I thought I’d share a few more adventures outside the city. Even if you’re not planning an Oregon road trip, hopefully these pictures do the state a little justice so you can vicariously through them. So, lets go for a little ride, shall we? 
Day 1: Astoria and Cannon Oregon

Astoria: 
Commonly known in Oregon as “that place where they shot The Goonies”, Astoria is actually a cute little coastal town full of charm and tasty spots for treats. But, in all fairness, it is the place where they shot The Goonies, and Jimmy and I happened to be there on the 30th anniversary of the movie {yes, there were lots of Goonies fans, and no – we didn’t join them, ha!} 
What I loved most about Astoria was how calm and peaceful the coastal town was. As anyone who’s visited Portland knowns – everyone is amazingly friendly, which makes every adventure kinda wonderful. I loved exploring the docks, spotting pretty buildings and homes {see that awesome anchor door below?} and stopping in the cutest stores I could find for a few snaps. 
{a few treats from Blue Scorcher bakery}
{Street 14 Coffee, basically the cutest coffee shop I’ve ever seen!}
{The on point door at the Commodore Hotel}

Cannon Beach:
Drive about 40 minutes south of Astoria, you’ll find Cannon beach, the iconic town {and beach too!}, home of the iconic Haystack Rock {below}. It’s everything you’d expect from a coastal town – friendly people, gorgeous beaches, picturesque coastal homes and a few adorable tourist traps you can’t help but stop in {salt water taffy shops? Yes please!}
Around the area there’s an array of places to stop and take in the scenery. I loved exploring a few caves and waterfalls we stopped by on our road down coastal highway 101 – one of the prettiest drives in the U.S.! 
Astoria and Cannon are totally a do-able day trip, but if you’re itching to stay for longer, try out one of the cute hotels in Cannon beach to give yourself more time to explore 🙂 
Day 2: The Gorge

On the second day of your hypothetical {but soon to be real, right?} weekend in Oregon, hit up the Gorge area a little over 20 minutes outside of downtown Portland. The Gorge is a beautiful nature preserve, full of natural waterfalls, pretty bridges and plenty of incredible places to explore. We stopped about every 10 minutes to snap photos of picturesque waterfalls of the pretty views from the side of the mountains. But definitely leave your camera in the car if you plan to go hiking – we made it through Oneonta gorge, but had to wade through chest level glacial water – it was totally worth it though! 

{the view from the Vista House in the Columbia River Gorge}
{One of many pretty waterfalls!}
Not too shabby, eh? The Gorge isn’t a complete day trip if you’re not a fan of hiking all day, but it’s a must see for explorers and not-so-adventurous travelers alike. The view alone is worth it, and the drive up boasts an impressive amount of waterfalls and picture-worthy vistas. 
If you happen to make it out to Oregon sometime soon, let me know if you hit any of these gorgeous spots up! And even better – tell me your secrets along your journey, I’m always looking for a good excuse to go back on vacation 😉 xx
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5 thoughts on “a weekend guide: oregon road trip.”

  4. Larisa

    How gorgeous are these photos? I have been dying to get to Oregon, and my fiance and I are hoping to plan a trip out there pretty soon!

    xx Larisa @ weheartbeauty.com

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