You know it’s summer when the Oregon coast is calling you but rather than join the weekend slog to the crowds of Seaside, why not explore a little known scenic byway that takes you from the bucolic Oregon wine country through the lush wooded canyons of the coast range, and drops you into Pacific City, home of the Dory Fleet and fine beer and food at Pelican Pub & Brewery? Getting there is part of the adventure, and this back way to the Oregon Coast is a world away from the main drag.

Carlton, a small town that makes a big impression

Begin your road trip in Carlton, an hour southwest of Portland. Carlton’s roots are in farming, but it’s also become an epicenter for the surrounding wine country community with 40 wineries calling Carlton’s city limits their home. Highways 240 from the east or 47 from the north drop you right onto a classic small town Main Street with 100 year old brick buildings housing bistros, boutique shops with locally made jewelry, clothing, and art, and of course the inevitable tasting rooms.

If you’ve begun your road trip in the early morning, you may feel it’s too early to partake in wine. But there are other choices, as the Republic of Jam offers ‘flights’ of locally made jams, complete with ‘pairings’ and various preparations that go far beyond jam on toast. Find fresh French pastries and breads at Carlton Bakery and stop by Honest Chocolate Kitchen to see chocolate-dipping in action.

Once it hits the magic hour of eleven, the wine tasting rooms are open for business! Near or on Main Street you can hit Cliff Creek Cellars, Troon, Seven of Hearts, Barking Frog, Ken Wright Cellars, and Scott Paul Wines, just to name a few. If you want to do a tasting of several local winemakers, settle in Carlton Winemakers Studio where selections from a dozen local wineries are available in a stunning environmentally-sustainable building. As lunchtime rolls around, make your way to the Horse Radish where you’ll find an impressive selection of artisan meats and cheeses and a full lunch menu suitable for eating in or making up a picnic.

Nestucca River Byway, little known but much loved

Once you can bring yourself to leave Carlton, the scenic Nestucca River Back Country Byway awaits to take you to the Pacific Ocean, only fifty miles away. An unsung backroad used frequently by cyclists and log trucks, the winding Nestucca River Byway follows its namesake river for much of the way as it takes you through a serene temperate rainforest of mossy old growth Douglas Fir trees into the town of Beaver where an easy connection drops you into Pacific City, directly south of Cape Kiwanda.

From Main Street, exit Carlton on NW Meadowlake Road. After about fifteen miles, turn onto NW Bald Mountain Access Road, and in five more miles you will reach Nestucca River Road. Please do note that approximately 2.5 miles of this road is an unpaved section, but it is well maintained and easy to traverse. Four Bureau of Land Management campgrounds along the byway offer tables for a picnic as well as trailheads for hiking opportunities to the river canyon’s waterfalls. Wildflowers line the side of the road and both coho salmon and steelhead inhabit the Nestucca River. Elk, deer, and eagles are frequently spotted as well in this peaceful wooded haven. It’s officially ninety minutes to drive the byway, but who’s counting when you’re sure to be stopping more than once to soak it in.

Pacific City, the quintessential coastal town you’ve been missing out on

The byway will drop you off into Beaver where you’ll join Highway 101 for a final twelve mile sprint to the Oregon coast. Lying between Tillamook and Lincoln City and often passed right through in an eyeblink, Pacific City is known as the ‘Home of the Dory Fleet’ and you’ll probably be unable to leave without seeing these iconic flat-bottomed fishing boats launched right from the shore. The Big and Little Nestucca Rivers take separate paths to the Pacific Ocean, making for a large and well populated estuary with the Nestucca Bay National Wildlife Refuge just south of town.

In Pacific City, you can climb tall sand dunes (and perhaps sandboard back down), fly a kite, rent a horse or ATV, and poke around in numerous tide pools as well as a selection of gift shops and art galleries worthy of any coastal locale. A haystack rock lies directly offshore; named Chief Kiawanda Rock, it’s the world’s fourth largest sea stack at 327 feet in height.

To the north of town lies Cape Kiwanda State Park which marks the southern end of the Three Cape Scenic Drive that extends 40 miles back to Tillamook. Cape Kiwanda is a great place to appreciate wave action; both to watch the Pacific Ocean as it crashes on the shore as well as to see sandstone structures that have been sculpted by the mighty wind and waves. Sharing the wayside here is Pelican Pub and Brewery, noted for its commitment to careful food and beer pairing. Enjoy fresh seafood or pizza with a side of beer- and save room for dessert!

When the sun has set and it’s time to rest your head after your day’s journey, there’s no better home away from home than the Inn at Cape Kiwanda where every room has an ocean view and private balcony and you can enjoy first-class comfort at an affordable price. When morning comes, Stimulus Expresso Cafe is located right at the property.

As you return home at the weekend’s conclusion, you will probably take a more direct route back to town. But as you do so, remember this journey you made and perhaps you’ll vow to get off the main route just a bit more to discover all that Oregon has to offer.