Last week was A’s ‘spring break’. He’s in forest preschool twice a week, so it felt generous calling it a spring break. But we decided to use the week to take some time off work, slow down, get outside, and be together as a family. Originally we were planning on heading out to the coast for a few nights. But after some deliberation, we realized it’d be just as fun to stay home and live life at a slower pace than our normal business. Not to mention less work (the schlepping with kids these ages can be unbelievable) and overall less money since we wouldn’t be renting a beach house. C took Wednesday-Friday off and I got my shifts covered at the studio.

We decided we’d hike on Wednesday, spend Thursday getting things done around the house (we’ve got a lot of exciting things happening!), and Friday we’d hike again. This felt manageable and like a schedule that our kids would be able to easily handle.

Indian Beach At Ecola State Park

Catslop Loop Trail

We’ve been to Ecola State Park a few times. In fact, we took G when she was only six weeks old. I found Catslop Loop Trail which looked different from what we’d done on previous visits. The trail starts at Indian Beach and does a big loop. Based on reviews from AllTrails, I decided to have us go counterclockwise. We didn’t know how well A would do, so we treated it as an out-and-back hike rather than the loop. The views were amazing. There are several stops along the trail that give sweeping views of the coastline, and you eventually get to a lookout where you can see Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. I’ve said it like 93604 already, but the Oregon Coast is one of my favorite places on earth. If you’ve never been, I can’t recommend it enough.

Indian Beach

After the hike, we decided to head down to the beach to hang out for a little while before heading over to Cannon Beach for lunch. You guys. THIS BEACH!!! Having been to so many spots on the coast in our almost three years of living in Oregon, I can confidently say that this beach is the best for little kids. The first part of the beach (farthest from the ocean) is all rocks. Our kids spent the entire time sitting in the rocks throwing them into the tide pools. It was glorious because they entertained themselves, they didn’t get sandy, and C and I just relaxed and took in the views. The beach is sort of in a cove, so the wind is super minimal. We’re definitely coming back.