Directions

Arch Cape, Oregon is a secluded whistle stop, 3-4 miles south of Cannon Beach and 7 miles north of Manzanita.
We are located on the east (mountain) side of the road, a few yards from Hwy 101 Milepost 35.
Two driveways south of St. Peter’s Church on the same side of the road and  200 yds north of the Neahkahnie Tunnel.

Cell Phones 

There are many ‘heads’ or volcanic basalt projections that finger into the sea and serve to block transmissions.Therefore, cell service is patchy everywhere on the coast.

Out here, the most reliable provider is Verizon. AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile tend to be very patchy. Many areas are 3-G only. We do have a Verizon booster in the house. For AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, you may have to rely on VOIP, using our wi-fi, while in the house.

International Travelers and Cell Phones
When arriving in the US and when obtaining a traveling cell phone, please call us to let us know how to contact you while here. It helps us very much to have a domestic contact number if, for example, you become lost. We can rest easier if we know that we can get in touch with you by phone.

Road Conditions

The Oregon Department of Transportation has an excellent link to a state-wide zoomable road cam map that includes traffic reports,  weather stations, and road conditions. You can click on the cameras to see what is up ahead. It is a very useful tool for planning your drive to the Inn.

It is always wise to check your route and the summit when driving over, no matter the time of the year.

Highway Driving
In summer, it gets light about 4:30am and stays light until almost 9:30pm.
In winter, it gets light about 7:00am and gets dark about 4:30 or 5:00pm.
This can be useful information when planning your drive times.

Weather

The Oregon Department of Transportation links to a NOAA Weather Report that, in our opinion, tends to be the most accurate report for our area. When you open it, you will see a skinny zone along the northwest corner of the coast that includes Astoria at the top of the zone – this is our zone.

If you hover over it, it will say “North Oregon Coast.” The zone directly east of this is called “Coast Range of Northwest Oregon,” which is the zone that encompasses the mountains that you will travel on over Hwy 26 if you are driving out from Portland.

Tides

Being aware of the tides is an integral part of our life here on the coast. For example, our 2 1/2 mile wide secluded beach is just across the street and has wonderful tide-pooling opportunities on either end, best seen at low tide. The Arch formations are at the south end of the beach. Here is a link to our local area tide table so that you can use it to plan your travels and your daily activities:

Tides can be difficult to predict, and there may be discrepancies between different Tide Chart sources. So be sure to check your sources when making plans.

Here is a general guideline to consider:

For tide-pooling, beachcombing, clamming and safety, the best time to chart your activity is roughly during a 4-hour window that starts 2 hours before low tide until 2 hours after low tide. Always be aware of your surroundings in our coved beaches because Sneaker Waves and Logs have a way of surprising you. There is also the surprise of getting stuck around a bluff when the tide rapidly comes in. You wouldn’t want to cue the Coast Guard Jayhawk helicopter to the rescue! (Now, that is always embarrassing. But, not to worry, because everyone always claps at the end!)

This is just a guideline.  And, it is roughly what our amazing Haystack Rock Awareness Program uses for its free Naturalist Tours in this most beautiful Marine Garden and National Wildlife Refuge.  During this 4 hour window, volunteer naturalists wearing distinctive vests are available to answer your questions, as you visit the tide pools around the world’s third largest coastal monolith, standing 235 feet high.

We hope you check out HRAP when visiting us. It is truly a stunning experience.  Here is this year’s HRAP Cannon Beach schedule:

And, just to close on a practical note:

If you want to play golf at the Seaside Golf course in winter, be sure to check the tide table and book your tee time 2 hours before low tide. You will then have a clear path to play out all 9 holes.