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Oregon Coast Prepares for Spring Break Blast, Lodging Rush

Cape Lookout State Park, a favorite for camping on break

(Oregon Coast) – Oregon’s pristine sands and cozy beach towns are getting ready for what they think may be a banner spring break, while they simultaneously urge the public to start booking now for that tsunami of activity.

The fun has already begun a little bit on the coast, with a few scattered colleges already out on break. But the big bang will start on Friday, March 23, as most Oregon and a handful of Washington districts are beginning their vacations, along with some big events like SOLV’s the Great Spring Oregon Beach Clean Up on March 24 that are bringing in enormous amounts of people to the coastline. More busy frivolity is expected on the final weekend of March, as many Washington schools begin their vacations, overlapping with the tail end of Oregon’s spring breaks. The second and third weekends of April will bring a small surge with a handful of Oregon and Washington schools – including Seattle - letting the kids cut loose during those two weeks.

It’s been a great winter on the coast – a record for some tourism businesses – so many are predicting at least a good, solid spring break, while others are talking about possibly more records being set. Many lodgings are reporting heavy pre-bookings for the last weekend in March and the first weekend in April.

Manzanita is still a bit off the beaten path, but becoming a small boom town on the north coast

Most vacation rental agencies get booked full for spring break well ahead of time, with a rush of calls usually starting around the new year.

“You’ll want to start booking your weekend stays now,” said Lorna Davis, Director of Tourism Development for the Newport Chamber. “They do typically fill up, although not all the time.”

“It often depends on the weather,” said Joyce Stewart, with the Seaside Visitors Center. “They’ll really come out if it’s nice.”

Sandy Pfaff, head of the Lincoln City Visitors Center, said the central coast tends to be busier during the last two weekends of March. She and Davis both said that area gets more of the Oregon schools and not as much from Washington as the north Oregon coast does.

This makes the northern part of the coast, especially Manzanita, Cannon Beach and Seaside, hopping wild at the last weekend of March and the first weekend of April, along with a decent dose of Oregon schools on the weekend beginning March 23.

Cannon Beach is a small oasis for room openings on the north coast during spring break weekdays (pictured here the end of 2nd St.)

Officials on both areas of the coast agree that weekdays never get completely full, however. “They get about 75 percent full sometimes,” said Keith Chandler, manager of the Seaside Aquarium.

Davis, in Newport, echoed that sentiment, but added that’s a vague assessment since no one really accurately tracks availability during the spring break weeks.

"The kids may have the week off, but the parents have to work," Stewart said.

An interesting little secret about Cannon Beach lodging during spring break was given by chamber director Kim Bosse. “The weekends are pretty packed here, but if you’re looking for a place during the weekdays, this is it,” Bosse said. “It’s not as busy here during spring break weekdays as it used to be.”

Embarcadero Resort

Judy Kuhl, sales manager at Embarcadero Resort in Newport, said she’s nearing capacity for the final weekend of March. “But we’re not full yet,” Kuhl said. “We still have a lot of openings so far on the other typically busy weekends too. And that’s even with our gas card special. We’re offering a gas voucher with a stay here, because gas has gotten so high.”

But Brian Hines, at San Dune Inn in Manzanita, has most of his twelve rooms booked up for March 24 and Sunday, March 25, which both puzzled him and awed him. The following weekend has been pretty heavily booked ahead of time as well, although he’s not quite full. “I can’t figure out why they’re making a Saturday and Sunday of it, but it must be spring break,” Hines said.

Hines is one of those who have had record years this winter for business. Some businesses have complained to BeachConnection.net about a lackluster winter, but more seem to be proclaiming good economic times during this usually unprofitable season.

If you're looking for serious solitude during break, look for the area between Yachats and Florence (pictured: Big Creek)

Hines said he’s greatly optimistic he’ll sell out quickly for most of the busier weekends of spring vacation, and he’ll do well during the weekdays too.

Chandler said he’s heard from other shop owners it’s been an “ok” winter, but sees some good signs ahead for numbers of visitors during the spring break season. Chandler said it’s not just Oregon and Washington folks who inundate the hotels and beaches, but he knows quite a few are coming from Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Montana and especially Idaho.

“I know that things were slow here this winter when the skiing got good,” Chandler said. “I talked to one hotelier today and it sounded like it will be busy. I think the gas prices are going to help, as they have before. When they’re higher, people don’t drive too far out of the state.”

BeachConnection.net will be providing lodging availability updates for spring break, starting Thursday, March 22. Each Thursday afternoon or morning, from that weekend through to the weekend of April 8, BeachConnection.net will have availability of rooms from Florence to Astoria.

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