Day Trip to the Oregon Coast
If you are in Portland Oregon and are looking to hit the Coast for the day here is a fun itinerary to experience a small stretch of the coast. This route takes you through locations that you could easily spend a whole day exploring but were going for a taste of the Oregon Coast.
Leaving Portland at 9:30 am to Gearhart. Take Hwy 26 west to Hwy 101.
To have more time exploring the coast, I would suggest leaving earlier. Our first stop in Gearhart also has a really good breakfast in the restaurant.
This is a fun drive though the mountains with a few sights to see along the way if you so choose to stop. This stretch is about two hours to Gearhart.
We start our adventure on the coast at McMenamins Gearhart Hotel.
The Gearhart Hotel is situated next to one of the oldest golf courses west of the Mississippi and just across the dunes from the Pacific Ocean. The original Gearhart Hotel was built in 1890. It was a popular summer time retreat for wealthy Portlanders and their families. The original hotel burned down several times but it was always rebuilt.
The links were started a year or two after the original hotel was built by Scottish immigrants who moved to the area. They dug tin cans into the ground because the area reminded them of Scottish link courses.
