Oregon Coast Highway
Astoria → Brookings, OR · ~363 miles · 3–4 days
Stylized illustration, not a photo — the real place looks different (and that’s half the fun).
US-101 down the Oregon coast is a moodier, wilder answer to California’s PCH — sea stacks in the fog, tide pools, and a public shoreline the whole way.
Updated July 2026.
Sea stacks, lighthouses, and old-growth coast.
Every beach is open to everyone by law, the seafood shacks are unbeatable, and the drama of Thor’s Well and Heceta Head beats any postcard.
States on this route
The signature stops
What to pull over for.
The best stops on the Oregon Coast Highway are the places that define the drive, not just the nearest towns. Roamward orders them for the road: start with Astoria, Cannon Beach, Thor’s Well, Heceta Head Lighthouse, then open each stop guide for the pull-over context.
01Astoriathe Goonies town where the Columbia meets the Pacific — open the stop guideOR
02Cannon BeachHaystack Rock rising 235 feet off the sand — open the stop guideOR
03Thor’s Wellthe churning "hole in the ocean" at Cape Perpetua — open the stop guideOR
04Heceta Head Lighthousethe most-photographed lighthouse on the coast — open the stop guideOR
05Sea Lion CavesAmerica’s largest sea cave, full of wild sea lions — open the stop guideOR
Where to eat
Restaurants along this route.
Restaurants on the Oregon Coast Highway are chosen for trip usefulness: gateway-town location, a clear reason to stop, and enough quality to make a traveler save the pick. Start with Bowpicker Fish & Chips, Buoy Beer Company, South Bay Wild Fish House, Alloro Wine Bar.
A curated set of trip-useful meals near the route — enough to anchor driving days without turning the guide into a phone book.
- Bowpicker Fish & Chips
A tiny boat-turned-fish-and-chips stand that makes Astoria feel like the working-port launch of the Oregon Coast drive.
- Buoy Beer Company
Working brewery and seafood pub in a historic building directly over the Columbia River, with a glass floor viewing resident sea lions below.
- South Bay Wild Fish House
A fisherman-owned Astoria seafood stop at the Columbia mouth, ideal for starting the Oregon coast with the real thing.
- Alloro Wine Bar
Intimate upscale spot at the edge of Old Town serving regional Italian food with pasta made daily, local seafood and Oregon wines.
- Tony's Crab Shack
A Bandon boardwalk crab stop that gives the southern Oregon Coast day a proper seafood anchor.
- Catalyst Seafood
A Brookings harbor fish stop near the California line, useful as the last Oregon Coast meal before the redwoods.
- Ecola Seafoods
Family-owned boat-to-table market and restaurant serving fresh fish and chips, crab and chowder with a focus on sustainability and local catch.
- Sleepy Monk Coffee
Beloved organic small-batch coffee roaster and cafe on Hemlock Street, a required morning stop for pastries and espresso before the beach.
- The Wayfarer
Oceanfront restaurant with a picture-perfect view of Haystack Rock serving troll-caught salmon, Dungeness crab and grass-fed steaks since 1977.
- The Wayfarer Restaurant
A Haystack Rock dinner option where the dining room still feels tied to the beach day.
- Gracie's Sea Hag
A Depoe Bay seafood classic for the whale-watch harbor stretch, with chowder and old-coast personality.
- Bridgewater Fish House
A practical Florence stop for the Sea Lion Caves and Heceta Head stretch.
Build a trip around Oregon Coast (101) drive.
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Stay & experience
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Things to do near Oregon Coast Highway
Browse guided tours and bookable activities that fit this stop.
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