Cannon Beach conjures up visions of the 235-foot sea stack that rises just offshore the town. The town is a heavily visited location due to its quaintness, its famous stack, its great beach and its proximity to Portland. While standing on the beach shooting the stack is a wonderful experience, my favorite spot to view it is from Ecola State Park, a few miles north of town. Located on Tillamook Head, this amazing park stretches for nine miles between Cannon Beach and Seaside on some of the most beautiful coastline in Oregon. Lush forests, promontories and miles of trails are the norm here that contrast beautifully with the Pacific Ocean.
The park has an interesting name and it was actually given its name by the famed explorers, Lewis and Clark. In 1806, the explorers were given whale meat as a gift from the Clatsop Indians. The meat was an upgrade to all of the deer meat that they had been eating. The explorers went down the coast to Tillamook Head where the whale had beached. Clark named the a creek there Ekoli, which is the Chinook name for whale.
This view looking south to Cannon Beach with the famed Haystack Rock in the distance is one of my favorites. This overlook gives a great look at the waves rolling in toward Indian Beach.