Cannon Beach - Cannon Beach, OR - Beach

A very popular spot on the west coast is Cannon Beach, Cannon Beach, OR. This small resort town of about 1,600 has more than 750,000 people visit every year. There is a strong emphasis here on the arts and on nature - and there are plenty of ways here to get your fill.

The town received its name from a cannon that had floated ashore on wood from a shipwreck in 1846. Although the city was incorporated as late as 1957, it has a long history of having Native Americans, trappers, and even Lewis and Clark visit, or live here.

Cannon Beach is especially well known for the opportunity to see a wide variety of wildlife - especially marine and bird life. The Beach is nine miles long, and it is also wide, which presents a lot of room for many tourists to stroll on and enjoy the scene.

One of the most photographed places of the region is called Haystack Rock. This basaltic rock sticks out of the beach and reaches to a height of 235 feet. At the foot of the rock, due to the tides, is an area called Marine Garden. This area, which is spread out over 300 yards from the base of the rock, is filled with tide pools and offers many opportunities to see various kinds of sea life. It is common to see anemones, crabs, sea stars, and more.

Haystack Rock itself offers an excellent opportunity to do some bird watching due to the presence of a wide variety of seabirds. Visitors can see Pigeon guillemot, tufted puffin, pelagic cormorant, and more. Due to the sensitive nature of the nests and the wildlife present, climbing on the rock is not permitted - even boats cannot come within 500 feet of it.

The town of Cannon Beach also offers many opportunities for tourists to come and shop. There are many little shops in town and they cover many needs and wants - including antiques, jewelry, pizza, and a lot more. Galleries are also common which feature the work of a number of artists.

Cannon Beach is also well known for its annual Sand Castle Contest. This contest has gone on annually for 46 years and it continues to bring a lot of people to the region that create works of art in the sand - until the tide comes in again. Whole families often work together for this day of fun and castle building.

Many other events and activities also take place in the town - or near it. Cannon Beach, Cannon Beach, OR, continues to be a popular spot. Various art exhibits occur at different times, including Sculpture without Walls, which selects five sculptures and places them around town and lets people vote for their favorite. The Spring Unveiling takes place on the first weekend in May, and presents new works of art created for the event. The Stormy Weather Arts Festival is another one and it includes the Friday nights Quick Draw event, in which artists have one hour to create an art work that will be sold in the auction following.

Haystack Theater enables people to celebrate the holidays in a way that is more relaxed - like visitors can only do at Cannon Beach. There are live theater events, a Lamp lighting, wrath making, a Family Fun Camp, and more. For the visitors who come to Cannon Beach each year, other national parks are also nearby, and plenty of hotels, RV parks and other places to hang your hat while there.