Cannon Beach · North Oregon Coast · Sea stack, tide pools and puffins
Haystack Rock
A 235-foot basalt sea stack with low-tide pools in a state Marine Garden and nesting Tufted Puffins in spring and summer.
Opens the Cannon Beach Chamber’s Haystack Rock Awareness Program page, with the low-tide program season and links to the current schedule.
Details checked October 2026
Type
Sea stack and beach
Oregon Islands NWR plus a state Marine Garden
Admission
No entry fee
Open public beach; HRAP programs are free to join
Hours
Open beach · Best at low tide
HRAP volunteers on the beach at daytime low tides, mid-Feb–late Oct
Time needed
1–2 hours
Our estimate; arrive an hour or more before low tide
Parking
City public lots
Nearest: Midtown lot at Hemlock & Gower Street
Height
235 ft
Basalt formed about 15–17 million years ago
What you’ll see
Tide pools at the rock’s base
Time your visit to a low tide and the base of Haystack Rock turns into one of Oregon’s seven Marine Gardens.
Photo: Kevin Crosby on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Start here
Walk out at low tide
As the water drops, the rocks around Haystack’s base expose sea stars, anemones, crabs, chitons, limpets and nudibranchs. The Chamber suggests arriving an hour or more before low tide. Walk only on sand and bare rock, touch gently, and stay below the barnacle line – the rock itself is part of a national wildlife refuge and closed to climbing.
RV tip: Check a tide table the night before and plan your drive into town around the low. Midtown’s Hemlock & Gower lot is the closest public parking, so leave the rig at camp and bring the tow vehicle.
More to see
- Tufted Puffin watchingPuffins nest on the grassy north slope from about April through summer, and June and July are the best months to see them. HRAP volunteers often set up bird scopes on the sand.
- Haystack Rock Awareness ProgramVolunteers and staff in red jackets work the beach during daytime low tides from mid-February through October, with microscopes, scopes and plenty of answers about the critters at your feet.
- Sunset and early-light photosThe rock sits on a wide, flat beach facing west, so evening light and sunsets behind the stack are a favorite. Early morning brings softer light and fewer people on the sand.
- A long beach walkCannon Beach’s public accesses connect miles of sand, so you can walk north from Midtown toward downtown or south toward Tolovana. Small beach fires are allowed in open sand away from logs and vegetation.
Why go
Why Haystack Rock belongs on your coast list
Haystack Rock is a basalt sea stack about 235 feet tall. Friends of Haystack Rock explains that its lava flowed down the ancient Columbia River system from eastern Washington some 15 to 17 million years ago. Today the rock is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and the intertidal zone around it is a State of Oregon Marine Garden.
For RVers it’s an easy half-day: Cannon Beach sits right off US-101 on the north coast, and the rock is a short walk from the Midtown beach access at the west end of Gower Street. The city lists four main public lots, so park the tow vehicle in town, walk to the sand, and leave the rig at camp.
Low tide is the timetable that matters any month. Come April through July for nesting puffins, with June and July the peak, and mid-February through October to catch HRAP volunteers on the beach. Puffins are at sea from about September to April, but tide pools and winter storm-watching still reward a visit.
Photo: King of Hearts on Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Why it made our list
- No entry fee and a walk-on public beach
- One of Oregon’s seven Marine Gardens
- Tufted Puffins nest here April through summer
- Free volunteer naturalists at daytime low tides
- Easy stop right off US-101
For RVers
Taking the rig to Haystack Rock
The practical stuff we wished someone had told us before we pulled in.
Park the tow vehicle in town
The city’s visitor map lists four main public lots: Tolovana Wayside, Midtown at Hemlock and Gower, Downtown between 1st and 2nd off Spruce, and Les Shirley Park north of Ecola Creek. Midtown is closest to the rock. Lots are sized for cars, and we couldn’t confirm any posted RV-length rules, so leave the rig at camp.
Getting there from US-101
Cannon Beach sits just off US-101 on the north Oregon Coast, reached from the Portland area by US-26. Take a Cannon Beach exit, follow Hemlock Street through town, and turn west toward Gower Street for the Midtown access. Summer weekends bring heavy traffic and full lots, so arrive early.
Dogs welcome, leashed at the rock
Dogs may be on the Cannon Beach shore on a leash or under voice control, but the Chamber asks that pets be leashed in the immediate vicinity of Haystack Rock, and on leash at all times in town. Keep them from chasing birds or people, and pick up after them.
Tides, refuge rules, no camping
Plan around the tide and never turn your back on the ocean. Don’t climb above the barnacle line, collect shells or rocks near the base, or feed birds. Overnight camping isn’t allowed on the beach or in non-designated areas in city limits, including streets and parking lots, so return to a campground.
What visitors say about Haystack Rock
The visitor report card
We don’t copy other sites’ reviews, but the published scores are worth reading together. Scores checked October 29, 2026.
Our World Famous Sea Stack
Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce, describing Haystack Rock · cannonbeach.org
Before you go
Three things we’d bring
Tide tableRain shellBinoculars
This is our own short list, not drawn from reviews. We couldn’t read review-site highlights for Haystack Rock, so we don’t list review themes.
When to go
Seasons from the Cannon Beach Chamber and Friends of Haystack Rock. Bar lengths show roughly how many months each season lasts.
Good to know
Beach and tide poolsNo entry fee
HRAP naturalistsFree at daytime low tides
HRAP private toursPaid 90 minutes, by request
Nearby Ecola State ParkDay-use parking fee
Fee details from the Cannon Beach Chamber and Haystack Rock Awareness Program pages, checked October 29, 2026. City lot fees and time limits weren’t posted in the sources we read; check signs on arrival.
Know before you go
Plan your visit
Haystack Rock
- AddressBeach at the west end of Gower St., Cannon Beach, OR 97110
- HoursOpen beach · Best at low tide
HRAP volunteers on the beach at daytime low tides, mid-Feb–late Oct - Phone(503) 436-2623
- AdmissionNo entry fee. HRAP schedule follows the low tides
- Getting thereLeave US-101 at Cannon Beach and follow Hemlock Street to Midtown. The rock is on the beach at the west end of Gower Street, a short walk across the sand.
- ParkingUse the Midtown public lot at Hemlock and Gower Street, or the Downtown and Tolovana Wayside lots and walk the beach. Leave the rig at camp.
Check a current tide table and the HRAP schedule before you go, and watch for sneaker waves.
Where to stay nearby
RV parks near Haystack Rock
The KOA near Fort Stevens is the only North Coast park we have written up so far, and it is an easy drive. The other two are farther south, for when you work your way down US-101.
Astoria / Warrenton / Seaside KOA Resort
Big full-hookup resort next to Fort Stevens State Park, with pools, a lodge and pull-thru sites for long rigs.
Sea & Sand RV Park
Terraced oceanfront full-hookup sites on a bluff above the beach near Depoe Bay.
Darlings Marina & RV Resort
Lakefront sites on Siltcoos Lake south of Florence, with a marina, boat rentals and a smokehouse.
Helpful answers
Frequently asked questions
The questions RVers ask most before pulling in.
Daily · plan around low tide
Heading to Haystack Rock?
Check the tide table, park in Midtown, and catch HRAP volunteers on the sand at the next daytime low tide.
Thank you to the people behind these photos and this video. Please support them by giving their work a look. Photos: Kevin Crosby (tide coming in; CC BY-SA 2.0), John Manard (tide pools; CC BY-SA 2.0), Joe Mabel (view from Ecola; CC BY-SA 4.0), Euthman (summer clouds; CC BY 4.0), John Manard (sunset; CC BY-SA 2.0) and King of Hearts (Haystack Rock and the Needles; CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; the images were resized. Video: GeologyHub on YouTube (Haystack Rock geology). Review-site logos are trademarks of their owners.
Disclaimer
RV-Roundup is an independent, community-based resource created to help RV travelers and to support and promote the places we feature. RV-Roundup is not owned by, operated by, or officially affiliated with Haystack Rock unless otherwise stated.
The information on this page was prepared using the most current details available at the time of publication, including published materials from City of Cannon Beach, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Oregon Islands NWR) and the Haystack Rock Awareness Program and other publicly available sources. Hours, pricing, rules and other details may change at any time without notice. Before you travel, please confirm all details directly at cannonbeach.org or (503) 436-2623. RV-Roundup is not responsible for errors, omissions, or changes made after publication.
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