This Lesser-Known Oregon Beach Town Is a Seven-Mile Slice of Heaven

Rockaway Beach sits quietly along the Oregon coast, letting the bigger-name beach towns grab all the attention while it keeps its seven miles of sandy perfection mostly to itself. Named after the famous New York beach back in 1909, this small coastal community has grown into something special without losing its easygoing charm.

I stumbled onto this place during a road trip up Highway 101, and what caught my eye first were those massive Twin Rocks rising out of the ocean like ancient guardians.

The town stretches along the coastline with vacation homes, local shops, and enough beach access points to make you wonder why anyone would fight for parking at Cannon Beach.

Whether you’re watching steam trains chug past ocean views or digging for Dungeness crab at the jetty, Rockaway Beach delivers that authentic Oregon coast experience without the tourist circus.

Seven Miles of Sandy Freedom

Most beach towns give you a few hundred yards of sand and call it a day. Rockaway Beach rolls out seven continuous miles of coastline where you can walk for hours without retracing your steps or bumping into crowds every ten feet.

I spent an entire afternoon hiking from one end of town toward the other, and the beach never got boring. The sand stays firm enough for easy walking, and the wide-open space means families can spread out with kites, bonfires, and beach games without feeling cramped.

Dogs run free in designated areas, and the Oregon coast wind keeps things fresh even on warmer days.

You’ll find multiple access points throughout town, so you’re never far from the water no matter where you’re staying. Some spots have parking lots, while others just have sandy paths leading down from the street.

The lack of development right on the beach keeps the views clean and natural.

This stretch of Oregon coastline doesn’t try to be fancy. It just gives you room to breathe, walk, and enjoy the Pacific without fighting for your square foot of sand.

Steam Train Along the Coast

Nothing says nostalgia like a working steam engine chugging along the Pacific coast. The Oregon Coast Scenic Railroad runs vintage trains between Rockaway Beach and other coastal stops, giving passengers views that drivers on Highway 101 can only dream about.

I bought a ticket for the weekend excursion and spent two hours watching Tillamook Bay, coastal forests, and ocean vistas roll past my window. The train takes a route that hugs the shoreline in places, offering angles of the Oregon coast you simply can’t see from the road.

The old cars rock gently on the tracks, and the whole experience feels like stepping back seventy years.

The steam engine itself is a restored beauty, maintained by volunteers who clearly love what they do. You can hear the whistle echo across the bay, and when the train picks up speed, you feel the power of old-school engineering.

Kids especially love this ride, but adults appreciate the history and craftsmanship.

Tickets sell out during peak summer months, so booking ahead makes sense. The railroad operates seasonally, with special holiday runs that add decorations and themes to the experience.

Downtown Character and Charm

Forget chain stores and corporate restaurants. Rockaway Beach’s downtown area runs just a few blocks but packs in enough local personality to keep you browsing for hours.

I wandered through gift shops selling everything from driftwood art to vintage postcards, stopped at a candy store that looked like it hadn’t changed since 1975, and grabbed lunch at a taco joint where the owner remembered regulars by name. The whole downtown has that lived-in feel where businesses actually serve the community instead of just extracting tourist dollars.

You’ll find antique stores stuffed with treasures, a bookshop with Oregon authors featured prominently, and coffee shops where locals gather to talk about fishing conditions and weather patterns. Nothing feels overly polished or designed by a marketing committee.

It’s just real small-town Oregon coast doing its thing.

The kitschy factor runs high in some shops, which I personally loved. Seashell wind chimes, airbrushed t-shirts, saltwater taffy by the pound.

If you’re looking for sophisticated urban shopping, you’re in the wrong place. But if you want authentic beach town browsing with friendly shopkeepers and reasonable prices, downtown Rockaway Beach delivers exactly that.

Crabbing and Fishing Paradise

Jetty Fishery sits right where Nehalem Bay meets the ocean, and it’s become ground zero for anyone serious about catching Dungeness crab or trying their luck with salmon and rockfish.

I rented crab pots and bought bait on-site, then spent a morning learning why Oregon crabbing has such a devoted following. The staff walked me through the basics, showed me where to drop my pots, and checked back to make sure I wasn’t doing anything catastrophically wrong.

Within two hours, I had enough crab for dinner, which I cooked back at my rental using borrowed equipment.

The fishing here isn’t just about the catch. It’s about standing on a jetty watching the Pacific roll in, feeling the salt spray, and participating in a tradition that locals have practiced for generations.

Charter boats leave regularly for deeper water fishing, and the bay itself offers calmer conditions for families with kids.

You’ll need an Oregon fishing license, which you can buy right there. The best crabbing happens during certain tidal conditions, so asking local advice before you start saves time and frustration.

Fresh seafood tastes different when you’ve pulled it from the water yourself.

Big Tree Trail Discovery

Just outside town, a short trail leads to one of the largest western red cedars left standing in this part of Oregon. The Rockaway Big Tree Trailhead doesn’t require hiking boots or athletic prowess.

It’s accessible enough for most visitors but still feels like a proper forest experience.

I walked the path in about fifteen minutes, following signs through a wetland preserve that opened in 2019. The forest smells like moss, cedar, and damp earth.

Ferns carpet the ground, and the canopy blocks enough sunlight to create that dim, mysterious atmosphere that Pacific Northwest forests do so well.

Then you round a corner and there it is. The big tree.

Not the tallest cedar in Oregon, but thick enough that several people linking hands couldn’t circle it. The bark shows centuries of growth, and standing at its base makes you feel appropriately small and temporary.

The preserve protects 46 acres of wetlands and old-growth forest, giving you a glimpse of what this entire coastline looked like before logging cleared most of it. Birds call from the upper branches, and if you’re quiet, you might spot deer or other wildlife moving through the undergrowth.

Kite Festival Spectacle

Once a year, the sky above Rockaway Beach transforms into a moving canvas of color and motion when the town hosts its kite festival. Professional kite flyers and amateur enthusiasts show up with everything from simple diamond kites to elaborate multi-line stunt kites and massive inflatables.

I attended on a breezy spring day when conditions were perfect. The beach filled with families, and within an hour, hundreds of kites dotted the sky in every direction.

Some looked like dragons, others like geometric patterns spinning through the air. The professionals put on demonstrations that had crowds applauding, making their kites dive, loop, and dance in synchronized patterns.

Kids can enter contests, and vendors sell kites on the spot if you show up empty-handed. The Oregon coast wind provides ideal conditions, and the seven-mile beach means plenty of space for everyone to spread out.

Even if you just come to watch, the visual spectacle alone justifies the trip.

The festival usually happens in spring, though exact dates vary by year. It’s become one of those events that locals mark on their calendars and visitors plan trips around, bringing together the kite-flying community from across the region.

Peaceful Alternative to Crowds

Cannon Beach gets the magazine covers and the Instagram fame. Rockaway Beach gets the people who actually want to relax without navigating parking nightmares and sidewalk traffic jams.

I’ve visited both towns multiple times, and the difference is striking. Where Cannon Beach feels like a destination event with galleries, upscale dining, and carefully maintained charm, Rockaway Beach feels like a place where people actually live and vacation without the performance.

You can park near the beach without circling for thirty minutes. Restaurants have tables available.

The beach itself has room to breathe.

This doesn’t mean Rockaway lacks amenities or things to do. It just means the town hasn’t been discovered and transformed by mass tourism yet.

The vibe stays laid-back and genuine, with a small-town Oregon coast atmosphere that’s increasingly rare. Locals chat with visitors at coffee shops, and nobody’s rushing you along to make room for the next customer.

If you want the iconic Haystack Rock photo and the bustling art scene, Cannon Beach is twenty minutes south. But if you want to actually unwind and experience the coast without the circus, Rockaway Beach offers something more valuable than fame.

Vacation Rental Heaven

Hotels exist in Rockaway Beach, but vacation rentals dominate the lodging scene. Hundreds of houses, cottages, and condos line the streets, many offering direct beach access and full kitchens for cooking your fresh-caught crab.

I stayed in a two-bedroom cottage about fifty yards from the sand, close enough to hear waves from the bedroom window. The place came equipped with everything needed for a beach stay including crab pots, beach chairs, and a fire pit in the yard.

Prices ran considerably lower than comparable rentals in more famous Oregon coast towns, and the selection meant I could find exactly what I wanted.

The rental market here caters to families, groups, and couples looking for more space and privacy than hotels provide. Some properties sleep ten or more, making them perfect for reunions or multi-family trips.

Others are cozy romantic getaways with hot tubs and ocean views.

Booking ahead matters during summer months and holiday weekends when the town fills up. But shoulder seasons often have great availability and even better rates.

Many rentals allow dogs, which makes sense given how dog-friendly the beach itself is. Having a full kitchen saves money and lets you cook your own seafood hauls.

Historic Seaside Resort Roots

Back in 1909, developers looked at this stretch of Oregon coastline and saw potential for a seaside resort. They borrowed the name from Rockaway Beach on Long Island, hoping some East Coast glamour would rub off on their new Pacific venture.

The town grew slowly, attracting Portland families looking for summer escapes before Highway 101 made coastal access easy. Old photos show wooden hotels, beach cabins, and boardwalks that have long since disappeared.

What remains is that resort town DNA, the sense that this place exists primarily for people to come relax and enjoy the ocean.

Rockaway Beach never exploded into a major destination, which probably saved it from over-development and the loss of character that often follows tourism booms. The population still hovers around 1,400 year-round residents, swelling during summer months but never reaching the crushing crowds that plague other coastal towns.

You can still see traces of that early resort era in some of the older buildings downtown and in the town’s layout, designed to maximize beach access. The history isn’t dramatic or filled with major events.

It’s just the steady story of a small Oregon coast community that found its niche and stuck with it for over a century.