[trip style = beach + weekend getaway + food + wine]

Long ago, Cannon Beach surpassed drive-by beach town. Punctuated by the 235-foot Haystack Rock, a sandbar long enough to run a 100-meter dash and wispy grasses separating sand from land, it's become Oregon's most iconic—and photographed—coastline.

It's also conquerable, reaching 6.4 km {4 miles} from end-to-end. Pan the waterfront and you'll see dogs romping around like they're on a highway to heaven, surfers trying their hand at wave-riding, runners burning off last night's calories, walkers getting a beach-wind blow-out, horseback riders galloping on the sandbar and reclined beach trikes zipping past. Somehow, this chaos works {and feels far from congested because the beach is so big, there's an imaginary "track" for every sand-lover}.

When I visited with Mr. Trip Styler and Mr. Nacho King in late-August, we traded our regular repertoire of surfing and running for picnics and bonfires. Here are the on- and off-the-shore treasures I suggest you add to your beach-combing basket.

Trip Styler Tip: Cannon Beach is warmest in summer, but moonlights as a four-season destination {if you can handle bundling up}! Visit in the off-season to find fewer crowds and cheaper rates.