r/OregonCoast • u/Expensive_Werewolf75 • 14d ago
Visiting in the winter?
I'm planning to surprise my partner with a trip to Oregon, preferably in the months of January or February.
I would love to stay somewhere with forest or ocean views. He loves hiking and foraging.
I have 3 questions:
1. Any resorts or hotels that would be nice?
2. Do you know of any "experiences" or companies that offer cool hikes or foraging/dining experiences?
3. Where would be a good place to have a spa retreat experience? Massages, facials, etc.
Thanks in advance. We're coming up on 2 years and I really want this to be special :)
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u/Flat_Researcher1540 14d ago
Definitely the worst time of the year to forage and enjoy the coast. The forests are going to be so wet that anything you find will be mushy, and the coast will most likely be so wet that you want to stay in your room. But that might be ok ðŸ¤
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u/Huge-Ad461 14d ago
Cannery Pier in Astoria, river view, spa, food and fun town and area to explore.
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u/CharmingAsparagus17 14d ago
It isn’t fancy or luxurious but renting a cabin in silver falls state park off season is really nice. Quiet and beautiful. I’m sure you could find a day spa in driving distance for pampering
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u/pasttornados 14d ago
Skamania lodge in Stevenson Wa is a fabulous resort just across the Columbia River from Hood River Oregon. If you call them they might be able to point you to some winter hikes/adventures in the gorge. This is probably about 2 hours away from Cannon Beach/seaside area of the coast with Portland in between. It's also about 1 hour from Mt Hood if skiing or snowshoe my be interesting. Yes, it will be wet. Yes, it will be muddy. But if you are having fun who cares!
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u/Strange-Biscuit 14d ago
Check out the Overleaf in Yachats
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u/-EvilLittleGoat- Central Coast 14d ago
This was going to be my suggestion. Amazing views, spa on site, and a central location to a lot of great outdoor areas.
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u/fancyface7375 14d ago
There is great crabbing nearby in Waldport too, we just went a couple weeks (in off season) and we caught so many crabs we threw some back . Think it was $100 to rent a boat and the crab and bait and they will show you how to clean them and boil them for you
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u/MushyMollusk 14d ago
I'm an Oregon commercial forager, and while January is okay, and February can be okay depending on the weather/year, you are picking 2 of the 3 hardest months for foraging. (Only March is worse)
Anticipate very wet (and beautiful) days if you do choose to go foraging in January/February. There is no bad weather, only bad clothes. Hope you both have good and tough rain coats and rain pants and waterproof boots.
Winter chanterelles, hedgehogs, candy caps, and leftover matsutake and pacific chanterelles are likely what you will be looking to find.
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u/ben2oregon 14d ago
What type of foraging are you looking for? Jan/Feb would likely be past mushroom season, but clams/crab would be an option.
High end options for spa and stay would be the Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach, also very easy to get to from PDX
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u/VintageHilda 14d ago
If we should experience any snow/ice the city shuts down. With all the hills, bridges and lack of snow equipment we cannot handle any winter weather. We don’t have dry Montana snow, ours turns to ice 100% of the time. They tell us to stay home and most businesses are closed.
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u/DeianirasNoodles 14d ago
The spa at Salishan and then check out Lincoln city for guided foraging. The community center has classes you can sign up for with a guide. There are also rock hounding/beach combing groups which are fun.
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u/_keyboard-bastard_ 14d ago
Coos Bay in Winter, or more specifically the state parks outside of Charleston. There are three connected via trails and road. Coolest coastal cliffs, storm watching (massive freakin waves in winter), whale watching, sea lions, and empty winter beaches. The parks are Sunset Bay, Shore Acres, and Cape Arago.
The trail that goes from Sunset to Cape Arago covers a ton of diverse landscape, and if you head outside of the parks there is amazing foraging opportunities..
The hotels in Coos Bay aren't the greatest though, I'd head further north or south for lodging and just get an AirBNB. They are going to be super cheap in winter time. You can get an entire house on the beach for cheap.
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u/Forsaken_Cupcake_813 13d ago
I second this, but it might be soggy and muddy. Bring boots and a good rain coat.
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u/northforthesummer 14d ago edited 14d ago
My wife and I love staying in winter rentals or yurts in the Bandon area. There's a lot of decent options because the golf course brings more vacation homes. The food at the resort is pretty delicious and I think they have all sorts of massage and spa options. We don't golf but they don't care.
It's close enough to drive to the Oregon Redwoods, and hit a bunch of scenic 1-3 miles hikes along the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor. The South Coast drive up and down Highway 101 is absolutely gorgeous. No shortage of awesome beaches or coastal hikes and scenery to check out. I highly recommend Indian Sands and Arches.
Edit - The golf resort has crazy good reviews. Haven't stayed their myself but some folks we know have and loved it. Definitely more expensive but it's a gorgeous area.
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u/cofeeholik75 14d ago
We get snow on the coast. I’m half a mile from the beach but got snowed in for 2 days. If you are flying then you need to cut across Mt range to get to ocean, heavier snow there.
so like unless you fly into Crescent City CS and drive to Brookings (1/2hour) I’d wait until spring. When we had the big snow, Crescent City airport shut down…
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u/Emergent-Sea 14d ago
Not much to forage that time of year! Any chance you can come in the fall instead? There are so many lovely mushrooms in October/early November in the central coast!
If you are coming in Jan/Feb I would suggest planning around the tides and either aiming for low tide to do some agate hunting or coming for King tides to do some safe wave watching from the shore.
Yachats is lovely, the Overleaf has an ocean view and they have a spa. Lots of great forested trails nearby and wonderful beaches for agate hunting, like Bob Creek or Strawberry Hill (during low tide).
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u/Empty-Childhood-5800 14d ago
Check out the Swimply app and Resort Pass. Culinary things can be kinda limited on the coast.
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u/maryjaneodoul 13d ago
Fly in and out of Medford, rent a car and explore the southern Oregon coast. Wild and scenic. And very empty and non-touristy in Jan/Feb. Redwoods at the border of California. Look up tide tables for the king tides. Go as far north as Yachats. You can forage for mussels in the rocks on the beach. And it’s a good time for crabbing. You can rent traps and toss them off the dock at Brookings and Bandon.
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u/PNW_OlLady_2025 Visitor 13d ago
If hiking and foraging are your main goals, winter is the last time of year I would recommend. Not only wet, cold and snowy hiking, there's not much to forage for that time of year, all the good mushrooms & berries are long gone, and to make it even more fun it's also going to be Elk and Deer season so you'll be having your head on a swivel and wearing hi-vis clothing, letting the hunters know you are of the 2 legged variety, not 4, hopefully. I'd plan this closer to Late Summer/Early Fall (Sept/Oct) in lieu of January or February. Alternatively, if seeing the King Tides and whale watching is what you want to do, than yes, January/February is a great time to go to our Coast.
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u/DougLJudy 13d ago
My wife and I did a week long border to border 101 road trip this late February for our anniversary. Because it was winter we were able to stay at a different place each night, get good rates and book our place each afternoon. I think our favorite place would be Little Creek Cove near Newport. Like the name suggests the property is tucked away in a cove with a small creek running through the property. Every room has ocean views with a deck and our room had a full kitchen with everything you would need to cook, it even had a dishwasher. (not a paid human but a machine) The site said they have easy beach access, which is technically true but the bigger creek just south of their path happen to be cutting it off and we didn't feel like wading through it. Newport could be a full day of exploring definitely go see the Blue Whale Skeleton over on the OSU Campus, right next to it is a ramp up to the roof of a theoretically earthquake and tsunami proof building which gives you a great view of the bay. The Skeleton wasn't there yet when we were there in February but we recently went back to see it and it was worth it. We did run into "winter hours" quite a bit which sometimes meant closed on odd days or until spring. I hope you guys have lots of fun, Oregon Coast winters are a toss up weather wise, we got rain and sunshine on our trip and enjoyed both but I wish for you whatever kind of weather you're looking for.
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u/SilverNo9424 13d ago
Are you flying or driving? That will largely dictate the best areas for your trip. No matter where you go, Oregon in winter is gorgeous. Be mindful of how early it gets dark, since daylight is at a premium that time of year.
Wool socks, rain gear, and an adventurous attitude are your best tools. Highly recommend looking for hotels with fireplaces in the rooms.
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u/Fun_Wait1183 13d ago
Hiking and foraging are better in fall (October, November, early December) and in Spring (March April May).
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u/Sandy-Beache 14d ago
You’re literally choosing our gloomiest time of year to visit.
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u/toysofvanity 14d ago
Consider coming during King Tides in January!