The Best Day Trips to the Oregon Coast From Portland

The best thing about a trip to the coast in August is the complete escape from summer heat. Here are some recommendations for where exactly to go from the City Cast Portland podcast team.

Oceanside/Netarts

Lead producer John Notarianni recommended Oceanside and Netarts, in part for its oysters:

“It's a restaurant where you can be on the bay and get some fresh seafood. It’s so good.”

“Netarts is my favorite oyster spot on the Oregon coast. You can go to the gas station and get a dozen oysters really cheap.”

Oyster Harvesting

“There's also an old guy who lives on the bay, who grows his own oysters. If you go at the right time of year, and you go at low tide, you can actually go out into the bay and harvest your own oysters. He'll give you a bucket and you can fill a bucket full of oysters pulled right out of the ocean and take 'em home with you.”

“My favorite hike around there is a little bit south: Cape Lookout, which is a hike that goes out into the water, through the woods. And then you can get this incredible view of the water when you hike all the way out overlooking a cliff.”

Seaside

Audio producer Giulia Fiaoni recommends an adventure to Seaside.

“The Painted Rock Beach area is quite small. It's less than a half of a football field, but it's on the main beach. What's there is hundreds of varying different rocks and stones that are painted by visitors who have come to the beach. You'll find sayings, memorial of people who have passed away, little pictures and googly eyes, you name it. So you can spend quite a while just sitting and looking at those rocks.”

“When you go, there's this giant spruce tree trunk that you can climb on and take pictures with, but the whole area is around a river that you can boat and fish and hike around. It's a great spot to sit down and have a lunch before you hit all the tourist spots.”

Listen for more recommendations in Astoria, Gearhart, Cannon Beach, and Rockaway Beach, as well as what to pack for a day trip.