Rockaway Beach

Rockaway Beach lies on Oregon’s north Pacific coast close to Portland. And while the PR agencies have coined the phrase “where the mountains meet the sea” to describe it, we’re far more interested with the almost white sands that seem to stretch for eternity here.

Measure them, and they come out at a mere seven miles, which unsurprisingly means the beach remains uncrowded despite the fact there are plenty of places to stay nearby.

Laid-back and family-friendly, the big draw is the vistas from Rockaway Beach. Few can fail to be impressed by the sight of Twin Rocks, a natural arch of rock and a neighbouring sea stack just offshore which together look almost like a sea monster rising from the deep. Arrive at the lowest tides and you also have a good chance of witnessing the wooden hull of the Emily G Reed, which was wrecked in 1908 and has lain here ever since.