This aerial photo illustrates how close residents of the Long Beach Peninsula live to the Pacific Ocean. Isn’t it time you went to the beach?

Many things in life change, the ocean remains wild. I remember when I first moved to Washington State, I was doing a college internship at the Mount St. Helens Visitor Center and living in Kelso. My wife and I got the urge to see the ocean; it had been years since we had been there. We had a good excuse. We had moved back to Minnesota, from the Olympic Peninsula, to finish school and get married.

We had just enough time to drive from Kelso to the other peninsula in order to catch the sunset over the ocean. As we drove past the Long Beach Visitors Bureau we saw the brown sign. We had a choice, we could go to the right for one mile to get to the beach or if we chose left it was one block. We turned left.
That sunset wasn’t particularly breath-taking, it wasn’t a beautiful warm sunny evening and it wasn’t the most romantic road trip in our time together. It was awesome nonetheless. Of course it was awesome, it was the ocean after all; the great, big and wild ocean. Then we moved here.

I was elated to get a fulltime job with Washington State Parks, one that allowed me the privilege of living on the coast. We went to the beach several times a week. We clammed in the driving rain. We learned to hide from the wind behind sand dunes. We beach-combed bottles and barnacle encrusted boards. Then something changed and it wasn’t the ocean.

Lately, if I go to the beach once a month I’m lucky. I’m afraid many of us have fallen victim to a “to close to home” phenomenon. If I could be so bold, many of us just plain take the ocean for granted. We’ve been there dozens or maybe hundreds of times but the last time was too long ago. Instead of feeling ashamed of this fact, you can do something about it. Some of you can walk right out your back door and be there now within minutes. Others of us actually have to get in our cars for a few minutes. Either way, the ocean is there, wild as ever, just ripe for refreshing you or me for that matter.
The Long Beach area has multiple options for exploring the beach. You can always drive out any of the beach approaches and enjoy it from the comforts of your car. This feels a little too similar to television for me. I like to get out and walk. Here are a couple of suggestions for places to access the beach by foot.

North Jetty
Located at Cape Disappointment State Park, the parking lot near the tip of the North Jetty remains open until a storm fills it with sand. Although many people enjoy walking on the jetty or fishing from it, it is not recommended. This access provides a short walk to Benson Beach right near Peacock Spit, an always tumultuous stretch of the coast. Sand fences have recently been installed on the beach in this area in the hopes that they will create a protective dune.

Beards Hollow
This is definitely my personal favorite beach in the area. From the parking lot at the north entrance to Cape Disappointment State Park there is a easily accessible paved trail through the wetlands, past an ancient sea stack to the very base of the peninsula. This is one of the best stretches of the beach to explore at low tide, an occasional starfish or anemone can be found attached to the rocks. Please leave the sea life for others to enjoy. For those who prefer the dunes, the Discovery Trail has recently been paved from Beards Hollow to Seaview, so bring your bikes.

Long Beach Boardwalk
The boardwalk stretches for over nine city blocks, west of downtown Long Beach. The boardwalk features facilities on each end, picnic areas and interpretive displays. The adjacent, eight-mile long Discovery Trail, winds through the dunes and over the cape to Ilwaco. Either option keeps your feet high and dry, if that’s what you’re into. I use the Discovery Trail occasionally since it’s a convenient place to walk with a baby stroller, especially when the tide is high and there isn’t much hard packed beach.

Loomis Lake State Park
This park is definitely one of the most underutilized public areas on the beach. Just north of 177th Street on the Pacific Highway, Loomis Lake State Park doesn’t provide lake access. I’ll fill you in on that some other time. If you want a quiet place to access the beach with a short stroll through the dunes check this park out. The parking lot was built huge in former anticipation of less beach driving. There is a restroom, sheltered picnic areas and a paved trail to an ocean viewing platform for the handicapped.

Leadbetter Point
For the more adventurous lot, there’s Leadbetter Point State Park and National Wildlife Refuge. Now is the window of opportunity after the mosquitoes and before the trails flood to hit the northern point of the peninsula. To hike to the ocean beach, park in the northern or second parking lot and take the Blue or Weather Beach Trail (same trail, different names). If it’s just too windy to go out to the ocean but you still need a little re-creation I would recommend hiking on the bay side at Leadbetter Point. If the wind is coming from the south-west, the Red trail, or Dune Forest Loop Trail keeps you sheltered.

I know all the excuses, believe me, I’ve used them myself. Sometime, very soon you need to just bundle up and brave it. If you see the weather break and you need some perspective. Get out there; get on the beach, you live here. If you do make it out to the beach, I hope you see me there.