Arcadia Beach State Recreation Site is two miles south of Cannon Beach and gets a fraction of Cannon Beach's traffic, which is one of its primary virtues. The beach stretches between Humbug Point on the north and Hug Point on the south, and at low tide you can walk to both headlands and explore the rock formations and sea caves that the ocean covers at high water.
The site is tucked against a forested headland — the trees come down close to the parking area and give the place a sheltered quality that the more exposed beaches further north don't have. The wind is less. The crowd is thinner. The tide pools on the rocks at either end of the beach are as good as any on this stretch of coast.
Hug Point to the south is the more famous neighbor — an old section of coastal highway was literally carved into the rock face of the point, and at low tide you can walk along it and see the slot carved for horse-drawn wagons before Highway 101 existed. That historical detail, combined with a small waterfall that drops directly onto the beach, makes Hug Point worth including in any visit to Arcadia.
The beach was acquired by the state between 1971 and 1985. There's free parking, no admission fee, and a relatively easy walk from car to shoreline. On a coast where the famous spots can be genuinely crowded, Arcadia offers the same geology and coastal quality without the wait.