PNWSights
Haystack Rock rises beside a smaller sea stack under a gray sky, with both formations reflected in the wet, mirror-like sand at low tide. Gentle waves line the horizon, and the broad beach emphasizes the rock’s massive scale.

Haystack Rock

Cannon Beach, OR

A 235-foot basalt sea stack that is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Oregon Coast. The rock is home to tufted puffins during nesting season and is surrounded by tide pools rich with marine life. It is accessible on foot at low tide from Cannon Beach.

Photography Guide

Best Time
golden hour
Crowds
Busy
Shot Types
widelandscapereflectiondetail
Best Seasons
springsummerfallwinter
Practical Tips
Arrive at low tide for the best reflections in the wet sand and access to tide pools. Sunset is the most photogenic time but also the busiest; sunrise offers similar light with far fewer people.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

The rock is famous for a reason. There is no use pretending otherwise, and there is no use trying to find an angle that has not been worked over by a thousand photographers before you. What I have learned, after enough trips down to Cannon Beach in enough weather, is that the photograph is not really about the rock. It is about what the wet sand does in the last twenty minutes before the sun goes down, when the tide has pulled back far enough to leave a mirror across the beach and the basalt goes black against a sky that can do almost anything. I have watched that sky do everything from soft pink to a violent orange that felt almost embarrassing to witness. February gave me the best storm light I have ever seen here, low cloud breaking just at the horizon, the rock backlit for maybe ninety seconds before it closed up again. June gave me puffins, small and fast and difficult, but worth the long lens and the patience. Sunrise is the secret that is not really a secret. The light is similar, the crowd is a tenth of the size, and the rock takes on a cooler quality that I find more honest than the warm spectacle of evening. Walk out at low tide, far enough that the reflection runs unbroken in the foreground, and shoot wide. Then put the wide lens away and look at the tide pools. Anemones, starfish, the strange green of sea grass against black rock. The detail photographs are the ones I keep going back to in my archive. They are the ones nobody else seems to make.

Gallery

Haystack Rock rises beside a smaller sea stack under a gray sky, with both formations reflected in the wet, mirror-like sand at low tide. Gentle waves line the horizon, and the broad beach emphasizes the rock’s massive scale. Photo: Jbindy2 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0
Haystack Rock rises on the right, with the smaller Needles sea stacks on the left, all softened by a pale coastal haze. Waves break along the wet shoreline while scattered people walk across the broad sandy beach under a clear blue sky. Photo: Lianguanlun / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
Haystack Rock rises from the shoreline at Cannon Beach beneath a dramatic, overcast sky, with two smaller sea stacks flanking it on either side. Wet sand and shallow surf stretch across the foreground, reflecting the muted light as tiny beachgoers walk along the tideline. Photo: Euthman / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
Drone view of Haystack Rock rising offshore beside Cannon Beach, with foamy waves curling along the wide sandy shoreline. Low houses and dark forested hills line the coast under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds. Photo: Dima Sergiyenko; Please attribute this image as the work of "DiscoverWithDima." / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Haystack Rock rises in the distance beyond a broad, wet sandy beach under a gray, overcast sky, with small surf lines and scattered sea stacks dotting the shoreline. A few people walk across the open sand, while driftwood and grasses frame the foreground. Photo: Keastsl / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Haystack Rock and two smaller sea stacks stand in dark silhouette against a vivid sunset sky of pink, gold, and deep blue. Gentle waves and wet sand in the foreground reflect the colorful light across the beach. Photo: Joe Valentine (see here) / Wikimedia Commons / CC0
Haystack Rock rises in the distance beyond a calm tide pool and low waves, framed by a dark, barnacle-covered rock face on the left and a pale sandstone ledge on the right. Seaweed and wet sand glisten in the foreground under soft daylight. Photo: Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
Haystack Rock stands in dark silhouette against a golden sunset, with low waves rippling across the wet shoreline and reflecting the orange light. Heavy clouds fill the sky, while the sea stack and smaller rocks create a dramatic coastal skyline. Photo: Tim Mossholder / Pexels
Two people walk along the wet sand at Cannon Beach, looking toward Haystack Rock and the smaller sea stacks beside it. Gentle surf, a bright overcast sky, and a few birds scattered overhead give the wide shoreline scene a calm, breezy feel. Photo: Chris / Pexels
Haystack Rock rises from a calm, hazy shoreline, its dark basalt mass reflected in wet sand at low tide. Soft waves curl across the beach under a pale, overcast sky, with smaller offshore rocks framing the iconic sea stack. Photo: ArtHouse Studio / Pexels

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