Visit Oregon Coast destinations featured in 'The Goonies'

Zach Urness | Statesman Journal

Ryan Freeman had traveled all the way from St. Paul, Minn. for this moment.

But as the 29-year-old stood in front of a seemingly ordinary two-story house in Astoria, something was bothering him.

"Where's the fence where Chunk did the 'truffle shuffle'? " he asked.

There was a grumble of agreement among the group of young men gathered nearby — all in their upper 20s — who'd made the pilgrimage to this unlikely spot in a residential neighborhood to pay homage to a place known simply as "The Goondocks."

For the uninitiated, this hallowed ground is the place where the 1985 cult classic "The Goonies" was filmed — the white house a gathering place for the movie's cast of misfit boys who go searching for pirate treasure during a rollicking adventure set in Astoria and filmed on the Oregon Coast.

For those who grew up watching the movie over and over again — and can explain the significance of the Truffle Shuffle, One-Eyed Willie and "hey … you … guys" — the chance to view locations from the movie is a chance to become 8-year-olds again, if only for a moment.

"My wife is visiting friends in Seattle, so I decided that I had to make the trip," said Shane Michon, who arrived at the Goondocks all the way from Massachusetts. "I've seen the movie probably a hundred times, and just really wanted to see this in person."

While The Goondocks is the movie's spiritual home base — and the most frequently visited movie landmark — there were scenes filmed at spectacular destinations up and down the northern Oregon Coast.

And so, when a group of my college buddies came to Oregon for a visit — and yes, watching "The Goonies" was a major part of dorm life — I hatched the idea of combining outdoor fun and Goonie sightseeing into a day trip that included Cannon Beach, Ecola State Park and Astoria.

The trip is easy and family-friendly, so if you loved the movie as a kid and have a Goonie of your own today, pop in the VHS tape (or whatever the kids are using these days) and head northwest to see where it came to life.

CANNON BEACH ESCAPE

In the opening scene of "The Goonies," the notorious (and bumbling) Fratelli family stages a jailbreak from the Clatsop County Jail in Astoria and, after a car chase through the town's hilly streets ends up ... in Cannon Beach 25 miles to the south.

Such is the magic editing powers of Hollywood.

The Fratellis eventually escape by driving into the "Astoria ORV Rally" on the beach below Haystack Rock, thus setting the movie in action.

Cannon Beach and Haystack Rock make a good place for the opening scene of a Goonie sightseeing trip as well, since it's the first place you reach after driving west from the Willamette Valley on Highway 26.

We arrived just in time for lunch at Mo's Seafood Restaurant — which sits in the shadow of Haystack Rock and offers an outdoor patio with a view that's difficult to beat.

Once we finished eating, we walked onto one of the most scenic stretches of beach on the Oregon Coast and imagined the cars racing along the sandy expanse of beachfront and the Fratellis making their escape.

THE DRIVE: Two hours from Salem. From Salem, take Interstate 5 north to Highway 217 and Sunset Highway 26 west. Follow signs south of Highway 101 to Cannon Beach. Take exits for Tolovana Beach State Park to reach Mo's Restaurant.

HIDEOUT AT ECOLA BEACH STATE PARK

While the park is known more for the exploits of Lewis and Clark, Ecola State Park ranger Bo Ensign said he gets frequent questions about "The Goonies" filming locations at the 1,024 acre park of craggy coastline and old-growth forest.

"We get a pretty amazing amount of people who come to the park and ask about the movie — where certain scenes were filmed and stuff like that," Ensign said. "The first year I was pretty amazed at the amount of people interested. It really has a worldwide following."

It's no surprise people come to this particular spot since many of the movie's best-known scenes were filmed here.

After finding a map to the treasure of One-Eyed Willie, the boys ride their bikes up the access road to Ecola State Park (later, older brother Brand gets launched off the same road). Many of the park's best viewpoints — Ecola Point and Indian Beach — can be recognized in the movie.

The Fratelli family's hideout, the Lighthouse Lounge, was built at Ecola Point and then taken down when the movie wrapped.

This is where the boys go underground and ultimately through a series of exotic traps to the treasure (the underground scenes were filmed in a studio).

"The Lighthouse Lounge restaurant set was built right off Ecola Point Parking Area, but to make it work they had to disguise the picnic tables already out there," Ensign said. "If you watch the movie, as (the boys) are walking to the restaurant, you see odd piles of driftwood and wagon wheels that were put there to cover up a picnic tables."

We decided the best way to explore Ecola Beach was hiking the spectacular coastal trail linking Ecola Point and Indian Beach (three miles one way). The trail features viewpoints and lush, old-growth forest. It's easy to see why filmmakers love this location.

I could spend a few pages breaking down the locations of scenes filmed here — including where lead Goonie Mikey lines up the rocky formations for a clue about the treasure location — but a website with an actual map and pictures from the movie (which newspapers aren't allowed to print) can be found at BB/viewtopic.php?t=8097.

Sadly, the movie's final scene, where One-Eyed Willie's ship sets sail, was not filmed at Indian Beach as some rumors claim. It was filmed at Goat Rock State Park in Sonoma County, Calif.

THE DRIVE: From Mo's Restaurant in Cannon Beach, hop back on Highway 101 heading north and follow signs to the exit for Ecola Beach State Park. It's only about a 10 minute drive. Ecola State Park requires a $5 day use permit.

THE MOTHER LODE - ASTORIA

How much does Astoria love The Goonies?

As a part of the Goonies 25th Anniversary Celebration in 2010, Mayor Willis Van Dusen declared June 7 as "Goonies Day" in Astoria (the movie was released on June 7, 1985). At the 2013 festival, organizers attempted to set a record for most people doing a Truffle Shuffle in one place.

So, where to start?

The best place to talk Goonies is the Oregon Film Museum — the actual jail where the Fratellis staged their jailbreak. You can find lots of interesting tidbits inside the jail and the actual Fratelli's SUV (bullet holes and all) is parked outside.

The next stop should naturally be The Goondocks, which amazingly, is listed on Google Maps.

The strangest thing about The Goondocks is that it's actually a house that people live in. Visitors are encouraged to walk to the house on foot and take pictures, but it's also somebody's home — and there have been plenty of changes. The fact that the white picket fence is gone and there's a Porsche in the driveway throws off the illusion a fair amount, but it's still a cool place to visit.

There are many, many Goonie locations to visit in Astoria — another worthwhile spot is the Captain George Flavel House Museum — but seeing everything would be more of a weekend adventure. And, anyway, many of the places are just fields, bowling alleys and houses (see info box for list of addresses).

By the time night fell on Astoria and we sat down to dinner at Baked Alaska overlooking the Columbia River, a day of hiking and sightseeing behind us, we'd felt sufficiently stuffed with Goonie sightseeing.

THE DRIVE: From Ecola State Park, follow Highway 101 north to Astoria. See info boxes for locations around town.

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Goonie film locations in Astoria

• Goonies House

: 368 38th Street

• Data's House

: 304 38th Street

• Flavel House

: 441 8th Street

• Bowling Alley: - 8th Street and Marine Drive

• Clatsop County Jail: 732 Duane Street at 9th Street

• Warren Field: Bounded by 18th, 20th and Exchange streets, next to the Columbia Memorial Hospital

• Mouth's House: Top of the hill Skyline Avenue and Valley Street

• Stop and Snack Store: 37th Street and Highway 30

• Opening credits chase scene: Gower Street, Cannon Beach, Clatsop

• Lighthouse Lounge: Ecola State Park

• Opening credits (Stef head in barrel): East Mooring Basin

• Tennis court scene where man drinks from water fountain: The location spot is now Gino's Pizza Pub and it sits right opposite the Stop and Snack Shop (

Thanks to Jeff aka CaptainZippy)

• Stef and the opening police chase: From Lief Erikson Drive/Columbia River Highway turn onto 36th Street and you will arrive at the East Mooring Basin

— Information courtesy of TheGoonies.org.