A drive up the Washington Seashore Conservation Area

Produced by ST Content Studio

The Washington coast isn’t a solid mass like California or Oregon, but more snaggletoothed — with fresh or salt marshes interrupting roadways. Traveling takes patience and time as you meander closer to and away from the coastline — which is fine for a spring break beach trip.

A portion of the Washington coast is a Seashore Conservation Area managed by Washington State Parks. Established in 1967, the SCA covers 62 miles of coastline from Cape Disappointment to the Quinault Indian Reservation’s boundary. Driving the entire route requires about three times the miles, or around 168 miles as you circle around estuaries and harbors on two-lane country roads.

But what a drive — the SCA is divided into three sections, with 10 state parks offering activities amid spectacular scenery. Depending on your destination, you can go crabbing, fishing or clamming, fly a kite, watch for migrating shorebirds, seals and sea lions or even stay in a yurt on a rainy-then-sunny spring day. You can be alone on a deserted beach — or surrounded by fellow humans on a go-cart course.

Along this stretch, watch for beach areas closed in spring (until late September) during the snowy plover nesting season. You’ll likely see hundreds of bird species flitting among dune grasses, stubby and twisted shore pines, saltwater marshes and ocean tidelands. Washington’s coastline is a stopover on the Pacific Flyway, the main route for spring’s northbound migrating waterfowl.

South shores

This diverse SCA section spans 27 miles, starting at Cape Disappointment, where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. It then leads up Long Beach peninsula’s narrow sliver to Leadbetter Point.

Cape Disappointment State Park offers camping, cabins, 16-foot yurts and vacation rentals. This spring and summer is an excellent time to visit, as portions of the park will close mid-September 2024 through spring 2025 for renovations and repairs. The forested park features a freshwater lake, beach access, wetlands, art by Maya Lin, a lighthouse and a regional history primer at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center.

Other South Shore parks include day-use Leadbetter Point State Park and Pacific Pines Park (reopening March 31).

Along the Long Beach peninsula, reach the main beach stretches via “beach approaches” or official access points. This may be just a road that leads directly onto the beach. The region’s most famous is likely the Bolstad Beach Approach in Long Beach, where you’ll find a photogenic arch declaring “The World’s Longest Beach,” expansive sands and access to the boardwalk.

Beach towns include the resort-rich Seaview and Long Beach, with arcades, museums, shopping and other typical beach-style pastimes. If you’re seeking quiet romance, Ilwaco offers more isolation, as do the villages at the northern tip.

From the South Shore area, travel counterclockwise around Willapa Bay using US-101 N and WA-105 N. You’ll pass Willapa National Wildlife Refuge and Bone River Natural Preserve en route to SCA’s central area.

Central shores

SCA’s 18-mile central area section starts at Willapa Bay in Tokeland and snakes up WA-105 N before reaching Westport’s Point Chehalis.

In general, look to the towns of Tokeland and Grayland for more remote inns and vacation rentals within walking distance of the beaches. You’ll find heated yurts and cabins near the gray sands of Grayland Beach State Park. Just south of Westport, explore Twin Harbors State Park‘s “Shifting Sands Natural Trails” and more yurts and rustic cabins.

The 560-acre day-use Westport Light State Park hosts an ADA-accessible concrete hiking trail/ boardwalk along the coastline and even a surf school (opening in late April). In the working fishing village of Westport, you’ll find dining and motels as low-key and laid back as the town itself.

From Westport, to continue up the coastline, you’ll have to sweep around mouthlike Gray’s Harbor. You’ll take WA-105 N and WA-109 N, passing through Aberdeen and Hoquiam and past Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge.

North shores

This 22-mile northern section of SCA reaches from the tide pools at Ocean Shores’s Damon Point to the southern boundary of the Quinault Indian Nation. More than 10 beach access points make the region’s sands extremely accessible, and vacation communities regularly dot the roadway.

Ocean Shores mostly feature megahotels and inexpensive family activities and dining. For a quieter retreat, head north of Ocean Shores to walk the beach dunes and wildflowers in the daytime and camp overnight amid evergreens at Ocean City State Park. Even further north, the day-use Griffiths-Priday State Park features a saltwater beach.

Before you reach the SCA border, you’ll find water-view vacation rentals and quaint inns in Copalis Beach, Pacific Beach, Seabrook and Moclips. Rentals range from sprawling homes to yurts, bungalows, tiny houses and glamping.

Note: As always, stay aware of strong ocean rip currents and hazardous drift logs, even if walking on the beach. And while our waters are lovely to look at, rain or shine — swimming in our cold, violent Pacific Ocean is routinely discouraged. Read up on any recent changes to trails or beach access points before heading to the Washington coast.

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