ecola state park

Neil and I used to like to do a lot of city vacations before we had Edith and as much as we love those types of trips we have become more attracted to active outdoorsy vacations. This past weekend we took a spur of the moment trip to the Oregon Coast (who says you can’t take spur of the moment trips with a baby?). We really didn’t have anything on the agenda except to get outside and enjoy the beautiful warm weather.

Saturday we wandered around Astoria and then found ourselves hoping into the car and heading overthe bridge to Washington. We weren’t really sure what to do so we followed the signs to Cape Disappointment, a Washington State Park. We found a parking area and took a short hike out to a viewing area and lighthouse. We didn’t do much hiking on Saturday but definitely found a spot we’d like to return to.

Sunday we headed south to Cannon Beach were we visited Ecola State Park. We arrived just as the fog started to lift and the sun came out. We headed first to the viewing area where we saw some of the most beautiful postcard-worthy sites. After we took in the view we changed into our hiking shoes and headed out on the path to the beach. The path was described as a gradual assent and a steep descent so we weren’t sure what to expect but we headed out anyways. I strapped Edith on my back and we hiked in about a mile before hitting some trees that were down making it too much of a challenge to even attempt to get under them (there was no going over) with a baby in tow. So be grudgingly we headed back to the car where we promptly devoured half a container of hummus and carrots before heading home.

I’m looking forward to doing a lot more hiking this summer and hopefully at least one more trip to the coast.

What are your favorite types of vacations?