THE OCEAN BEACHES OF GRAYS HARBOR COUNTY
Grays Harbor County is home to fifty miles of wide, sandy beaches.
This area lies outside of the national park system, so considerable
freedom is allowed: driving cars is permitted in designated areas,
you can ride a bike on the hard-packed sand, pets are allowed,
families enjoy bonfires in the evenings and roast marshmallows,
and you can set off fireworks on the beach at the 4th of July.
Driving on these beaches is a historical holdover: before there
were any roads in the area, the beach was the road.
If this sounds like a lot of activity to you, rest assured that it is easy
to find long stretches of quiet beach all to yourself. There is also
tremendous natural beauty to see and frequent encounters with
wildlife. Described below are the principal sights from south to
north:
SOUTH BEACH
Grayland Beach State Park - This is the area in the south where
beach driving is permitted. I found an RV parked on the beach
here. They were set up to enjoy the whole day with kites flying,
beach chairs set out, and a barbeque alongside.
Grays Harbor Lighthouse - Within sight of the beach, this is the
tallest lighthouse in Washington state, built in 1898. The docents
give an excellent historical tour. The original Fresnel lens is
exhibited in place at the top of the lighthouse.
Westport Maritime Museum - In connection with the lighthouse,
make sure to visit the maritime museum in town. It displays an
even more beautiful Fresnel lens from the Destruction Island
lighthouse (an inaccessible island offshore from Kalaloch). Two
complete whale skeletons are also on display.
Westhaven State Park - A wide sandy beach backed by crumbling
sand cliffs. This is a popular spot for ocean surfing. Two
attractions immediately adjacent to this beach are the South Jetty
and Crescent Bay. The South Jetty is a massive pile of rocks that
delineate the southern boundary of the Grays Harbor entrance.
Crescent Bay faces into Grays Harbor. The bay is a perfect half
circle and you reach it by tumbling down steep sand cliffs that are
irresistible to children to play on.
OCEAN SHORES
Here the North Jetty marks the northern entrance to the harbor,
opposite from Westport. I've had good luck spotting wildlife from
the jetties: pelicans, swimming seals, a shark, the cutest baby seal
up on the rocks, and many birds. It's fun to stand up on the huge
rocks of the jetties and watch the ocean waves roll in, unimpeded
by a beach. The Ocean Shores peninsula is cut through with a
network of artificial lakes and canals. You can rent an electric boat
to tour these waterways and view the wildlife. Horseback riding
tours are available at the north end of town. The Quinault Indians
have built a busy hotel and casino at the Ocean Shores entrance.
NORTH BEACH
Copalis Beach - South of the Copalis River lies the Griffiths-Priday
Ocean Beach Park. If you want to spend a day at the beach to
yourself, this is the place to go. Even on a sunny day in August, we
saw no one else. This is probably due to the need to ford across
the river to reach the beach, but the river is only a few inches deep
in August.
North of town, down the short Roosevelt Beach Road, and then
driving a few miles south on the beach you can reach lonely Copalis
Rock. This seastack rocks stands all by itself - the next nearest
rock like it is found at least 15 miles to the north. One further mile
south is the Copalis State Airport - an official airport, consisting of a
windsock, a couple signs, and a guestbook. Here the planes land
right on the sand.
Pacific Beach - This town had a military base during WWII to guard
the coast against a Japanese invasion. What remains is a beach
resort for retired military personnel. The main appeal of the town is
the Pacific Beach State Park directly adjacent to the town. The park
is bounded at its south end by Joe Creek, which runs between
ankle and waist deep, depending on the time of year. A half dozen
standing poles in the creek mark a forgotten pier. The beach
extends out half a mile at low tide. I've seen the beach entirely
swallowed up by a winter storm. To the north, cliffs rise up at the
back of the beach with an extensive area of beach grass kids enjoy
playing in.
Moclips - A century ago this was a fashionable resort. The train
from Aberdeen ran here, bringing vacationers. Unfortunately, the
fancy hotel built 12 feet from the beach was washed away by
storms. A pretty spot here is the Moclips River at the north end of
town. Across the river begins the Quinault Indian Nation, where the
cliffs and forest remain completely undeveloped. The remnants of
a fallen bridge can be seen in the river.
QUINAULT INDIAN NATION
The Quinaults have done little to encourage tourism, but you can
purchase a beach day pass and visit two spectacular beaches: the
beach at Taholah and Point Grenville. At Taholah, the Quinault
River runs into the ocean. Across the river you can view the
massive red sandstone rocks of Cape Elizabeth. The beach is
covered in driftwood piles made of massive trees from the Quinault
rain forests that wash out through the river. Point Grenville is the
end of the sandy Grays Harbor beaches. It has a beach unique on
the Washington coast. You approach the point along the typical
sandy beach that stretches out 50 miles south of you, then you
reach a low rock wall. Scrambling over that wall you drop down into
a beach of volcanic gravel. Around you the 200 foot high cliffs form
an amphitheater that echo every sound of the ocean. And before
you is a remarkable volcanic reef made of dozens of small nearby
rocks up to 20 feet high, and far out to see a massive rock with a
gap through the middle. The cliff to the north of you has another
arch. This is the only volcanic rock formation along the north
Washington coast - laid down 45 to 50 million years ago.
You can hire Indian guides to visit further wonders of the
reservation. Elephant Rock is a formation with a half dozen arches
in a row. You can fish for the unique blue back salmon in the
Quinault River.
by Bob Kelly http://www.BobsPacificBeachHouse.com
Grays Harbor County is home to fifty miles of wide, sandy beaches.
This area lies outside of the national park system, so considerable
freedom is allowed: driving cars is permitted in designated areas,
you can ride a bike on the hard-packed sand, pets are allowed,
families enjoy bonfires in the evenings and roast marshmallows,
and you can set off fireworks on the beach at the 4th of July.
Driving on these beaches is a historical holdover: before there
were any roads in the area, the beach was the road.
If this sounds like a lot of activity to you, rest assured that it is easy
to find long stretches of quiet beach all to yourself. There is also
tremendous natural beauty to see and frequent encounters with
wildlife. Described below are the principal sights from south to
north:
SOUTH BEACH
Grayland Beach State Park - This is the area in the south where
beach driving is permitted. I found an RV parked on the beach
here. They were set up to enjoy the whole day with kites flying,
beach chairs set out, and a barbeque alongside.
Grays Harbor Lighthouse - Within sight of the beach, this is the
tallest lighthouse in Washington state, built in 1898. The docents
give an excellent historical tour. The original Fresnel lens is
exhibited in place at the top of the lighthouse.
Westport Maritime Museum - In connection with the lighthouse,
make sure to visit the maritime museum in town. It displays an
even more beautiful Fresnel lens from the Destruction Island
lighthouse (an inaccessible island offshore from Kalaloch). Two
complete whale skeletons are also on display.
Westhaven State Park - A wide sandy beach backed by crumbling
sand cliffs. This is a popular spot for ocean surfing. Two
attractions immediately adjacent to this beach are the South Jetty
and Crescent Bay. The South Jetty is a massive pile of rocks that
delineate the southern boundary of the Grays Harbor entrance.
Crescent Bay faces into Grays Harbor. The bay is a perfect half
circle and you reach it by tumbling down steep sand cliffs that are
irresistible to children to play on.
OCEAN SHORES
Here the North Jetty marks the northern entrance to the harbor,
opposite from Westport. I've had good luck spotting wildlife from
the jetties: pelicans, swimming seals, a shark, the cutest baby seal
up on the rocks, and many birds. It's fun to stand up on the huge
rocks of the jetties and watch the ocean waves roll in, unimpeded
by a beach. The Ocean Shores peninsula is cut through with a
network of artificial lakes and canals. You can rent an electric boat
to tour these waterways and view the wildlife. Horseback riding
tours are available at the north end of town. The Quinault Indians
have built a busy hotel and casino at the Ocean Shores entrance.
NORTH BEACH
Copalis Beach - South of the Copalis River lies the Griffiths-Priday
Ocean Beach Park. If you want to spend a day at the beach to
yourself, this is the place to go. Even on a sunny day in August, we
saw no one else. This is probably due to the need to ford across
the river to reach the beach, but the river is only a few inches deep
in August.
North of town, down the short Roosevelt Beach Road, and then
driving a few miles south on the beach you can reach lonely Copalis
Rock. This seastack rocks stands all by itself - the next nearest
rock like it is found at least 15 miles to the north. One further mile
south is the Copalis State Airport - an official airport, consisting of a
windsock, a couple signs, and a guestbook. Here the planes land
right on the sand.
Pacific Beach - This town had a military base during WWII to guard
the coast against a Japanese invasion. What remains is a beach
resort for retired military personnel. The main appeal of the town is
the Pacific Beach State Park directly adjacent to the town. The park
is bounded at its south end by Joe Creek, which runs between
ankle and waist deep, depending on the time of year. A half dozen
standing poles in the creek mark a forgotten pier. The beach
extends out half a mile at low tide. I've seen the beach entirely
swallowed up by a winter storm. To the north, cliffs rise up at the
back of the beach with an extensive area of beach grass kids enjoy
playing in.
Moclips - A century ago this was a fashionable resort. The train
from Aberdeen ran here, bringing vacationers. Unfortunately, the
fancy hotel built 12 feet from the beach was washed away by
storms. A pretty spot here is the Moclips River at the north end of
town. Across the river begins the Quinault Indian Nation, where the
cliffs and forest remain completely undeveloped. The remnants of
a fallen bridge can be seen in the river.
QUINAULT INDIAN NATION
The Quinaults have done little to encourage tourism, but you can
purchase a beach day pass and visit two spectacular beaches: the
beach at Taholah and Point Grenville. At Taholah, the Quinault
River runs into the ocean. Across the river you can view the
massive red sandstone rocks of Cape Elizabeth. The beach is
covered in driftwood piles made of massive trees from the Quinault
rain forests that wash out through the river. Point Grenville is the
end of the sandy Grays Harbor beaches. It has a beach unique on
the Washington coast. You approach the point along the typical
sandy beach that stretches out 50 miles south of you, then you
reach a low rock wall. Scrambling over that wall you drop down into
a beach of volcanic gravel. Around you the 200 foot high cliffs form
an amphitheater that echo every sound of the ocean. And before
you is a remarkable volcanic reef made of dozens of small nearby
rocks up to 20 feet high, and far out to see a massive rock with a
gap through the middle. The cliff to the north of you has another
arch. This is the only volcanic rock formation along the north
Washington coast - laid down 45 to 50 million years ago.
You can hire Indian guides to visit further wonders of the
reservation. Elephant Rock is a formation with a half dozen arches
in a row. You can fish for the unique blue back salmon in the
Quinault River.
by Bob Kelly http://www.BobsPacificBeachHouse.com
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