Location: On the mid-Washington coast on Hwy 109, north of Gray Harbor. Visitor Information: Ocean Shores/North Beach Chamber of Commerce, Phone: (360) 289-2451; Website: www.oceanshores.org.
The North Beach area of the Washington Coast is mostly about spending time on the beach: hiking, beachcombing, sunbathing, having a campfire, watching the sea birds, flying a kite. Ocean City is situated in the middle of legendary Copalis Beach and is a center for both commercial and tourist clam diggers and summer vacationers.
Surf kayaking is particularly good at Pacific Beach, with easy access from the State Park day use area. Surf fishing is good almost everywhere along the coast, but access is best at Ocean City, Roosevelt Beach, Pacific Beach and Moclips. Lake Quinault is just 45 minutes away for hiking, fishing, canoeing and viewing Roosevelt Elk.
All along the coast, visitors can enjoy a wide variety of fishing derbies and seafood festivals, stupendous fireworks over the water on July 4th, music festivals, and kite flying, sand castle building and chainsaw carving competitions.
Beach combing treasures are also waiting to be discovered on the north beaches, in the form of hundreds of unique hand-blown Japanese glass floats planted early in the year for beachcombing enthusiasts.
