Sand For All Seasons -- Where Sea Meets Land In Wild Abandon, The State's Long, Dramatic Coastline Presents A Pageant Of History And Nature

Washington's ocean beaches have a somewhat low-key, pale reputation compared to those in Oregon and California.

Don't believe everything you hear.

Oregon's rugged coastline - with its sea-lion caves - is spectacular, and California's Big Sur country is breathtaking. Both coastlines are far more developed than Washington's.

But our coastline has a lot to recommend it.

In the north, from Cape Alava south to Queets, are rugged and untamed terrain and rocky beaches, the wildest, least-inhabited ocean beaches in the continental United States. It's one of the few places left to enjoy real solitude.

The middle coastline is a mix of high cliffs and sweeping sand dunes.

In the south is Long Beach Peninsula - the longest stretch of unbroken sand in the world.

Here's a closer look:

-- NORTH BEACHES:

Cape Flattery to Queets.

Except for a few small settlements, this area hasn't changed in the 400 years since Juan de Fuca first sailed up the coast.

Five North Coast tribes - the Makahs, Ozettes, Quillayutes, Hohs and Quinaults - have their reservations along this part of the coast, where the pounding surf gnaws at cliffs and carves towering sea stacks. Beaches abound with driftwood, shellfish, shore birds and, occasionally, the jawbone of a whale.

It is a wild place, where one can feel very alone and vulnerable.

For the venturesome there's the North Wilderness Coast Trail, an 18.5-mile-long trek that spans bluffs, streams and fog-shrouded beaches from Cape Alava south to Rialto Beach.

And take it from a southpaw rock-skipping aficionado: Rialto Beach has more skipping rocks per square yard than any other on the planet.

You can count the roads to the North Beach coastal area on the fingers of one hand - and have fingers left over.

To reach Cape Flattery, at the northwestern tip of the state, take Highway 112 west out of Port Angeles to Sekiu. From there, a rudimentary road extends northwest to Cape Flattery. A slightly better road extends southwest from Sekiu to Lake Ozette, where there's a trail to Cape Alava on the ocean.

The LaPush/Mora/Rialto Beach area, south of Cape Alava, is reachable on a smooth piece of blacktop that takes off to the west from Highway 101 (the Olympic Loop) a couple of miles north of Forks. William O. Douglas, the late U.S. Supreme Court justice and noted environmentalist, had a summer cabin at Mora.

Highway 101 - advertised as the Coastal Highway - pays only one visit to the Pacific Ocean in the North Beach area, a short but spectacular journey of about 15 miles, all within Olympic National Park - starting at Ruby Beach, just south of the Hoh River, passing through Kalaloch and ending just north of Queets.

The gnarled and twisted evergreens on both sides of the highway look like oversize bonsai trees.

There's a parking lot at Ruby Beach and moderately steep trails down to the ocean for a look at tide pools and rocky islands carved by the pounding surf.

Kalaloch (Kuh-LAY-lock) offers the largest and most popular National Park campground on the North Coast, along with a lodge, store and cabins. Hunt for driftwood and explore the shoreline. In "the good old days" there was a choice of tenting spots at Kalaloch on summer weekends. Now it's likely to be jammed on a rainy Tuesday.

After it leaves Queets, Highway 101 veers sharply inland, skirting the Quinault Indian Reservation and continuing south to Aberdeen/Hoquiam and Grays Harbor.

If it's time to eat, or to think about spending the night, a popular stopover is Lake Quinault Lodge, just off 101 in the heart of the Olympic rain forest. Near the lodge is what is reputed to be the world's largest Sitka spruce.

-- NORTH CENTRAL BEACHES:

Ocean Shores to Moclips.

Terrain varies within this 30 miles of Highway 109. There is a vast expanse of sandy tidelands at Ocean Shores, a 6,000-acre resort city at the southernmost tip of the oceanside strip. At Moclips, on the north end, there are steep cliffs, narrow beaches and much less sand.

In between are Pacific Beach, Copalis and

Ocean City.

The beaches are perfect for camping, clam-digging, a hand-holding walk, Frisbee throwing, exploring tide pools, tossing little pieces of driftwood for the dog to catch, or building sand castles near the creaming surf.

North central beaches are also great for a midwinter getaway. Walk the beach after a storm and hunt for the perfect piece of driftwood. Build a fireplace fire. . . .

One of the most popular oceanside motel-restaurants is the Ocean Crest Resort & Dinner House at Moclips, where the units hug the cliff above the thundering surf.

-- SOUTH CENTRAL BEACHES:

Westport to Tokeland.

The south side of Grays Harbor differs considerably from the north. It's relatively flat, the beaches are narrower, and the upland terrain tends toward grasses and bogs. Ocean Spray has a major cranberry cannery here.

At Westport, watch fishermen debark from charter boats; see the biggest catches (salmon and bottom fish) weighed on a public scale and the heftiest listed on a blackboard. Inspect the vessels in the big marina. Chat with someone who has just returned from a chartered whale-watching run (March through May).

Visit the Maritime Museum at the old Coast Guard Station on Nyhus Street, or drive a mile or so west (ocean side) to photograph the U.S. Coast Guard-operated Westport Lighthouse.

The winding coastal road south to Tokeland passes through Grayland, Cape Shoalwater and North Cove in Willapa Bay.

Note the piles of rock riprap along the ocean side of the road at the Cape Shoalwater. The seacoast is eroding faster here than at any other place in the continental United States.

In November of '92, the Pacific Ocean swallowed a 900-by-300 yard chunk of sand here in one weekend. The coastline has been disappearing there at an average rate of 100 feet a year since 1965.

Continue on to the weathered Tokeland Hotel & Restaurant for good food and/or overnight accommodations.

-- SOUTH BEACHES:

Cape Disappointment to Leadbetter Point.

Except for the rugged rocks and cliffs of Cape Disappointment at the mouth of the Columbia River, the terrain here is flat, low and marshy; the Long Beach peninsula - which ends at Leadbetter Point - is 18.5 miles of sand, scarcely half-a-mile across in places.

This area - rich in history and with seascapes both wild and tame - is home to charter-fishing boats, crab pots, oyster beds, ocean resorts, art galleries and gift shops.

Getting there is half the fun. Instead of driving to Aberdeen-Hoquiam - as you would for the beaches north and south of Grays Harbor, exit Highway 12 at Montesano and drive south on Highways 107 and 101 to South Bend, where you can see mountains of commercially harvested oyster shells, visit one of the state's oldest and most attractive county courthouses (Pacific County) and walk along the Willapa River.

South Bend (pop. 1,605) seems caught in a time warp. It's the sort of town where, not too many years ago, you could walk into Semple's Drugstore, ask for a salve or ointment that hadn't been produced for 30 years and watch in amazement as a clerk climbed a ladder, reached back into a shelf, extracted a bottle, blew off the dust and said, "This what you want?"

The sparsely populated, rain-drenched county (up to 60 inches in a year in many places) abounds with free spirits: brush pickers, trappers, driftwood- and glass-ball collectors, gypo loggers, composers, authors and artists.

The late Helen Davis composed the official state song, "Washington My Home," while living in South Bend. Comedian Pat Paulson grew up there, and best-selling novelist Tom Robbins once called it home.

From South Bend, Highway 101 passes the Palix and Nemah rivers, where cows graze on rich deltas that push out into Willapa Bay. Everywhere, there's evidence of extensive logging operations. Keep an eye out for marsh birds as the road winds past the Willapa National Wildlife Refuge.

At Seaview a turn to the right (north) takes you up the Long Beach Peninsula and a turn to the left (south) takes you to Ilwaco, Fort Canby and Cape Disappointment.

Long Beach: Don't miss the quarter-of-a-mile-long elevated boardwalk along the ocean. It offers great views, benches and plaques describing the dune grasses, waterfowl and shellfish. There's also a map pinpointing where hundreds of shipwrecks have occurred in what has been called "The Graveyard of the Pacific."

Long Beach offers an abundance of gift shops, eateries and assorted rides for the children. The town has been staging a Washington State International Kite-Flying Festival every August since 1982. Check out the Long Beach World Kite Museum and Hall of Fame.

Klipsan Beach and Ocean Park: There's a state park between Long Beach and Klipsan Beach, centennial murals on some of the buildings in Ocean Park and numerous public roads to the ocean. There is no shortage of resorts, RV parks and private campgrounds.

Nahcotta and Oysterville: On the sheltered, Willapa Bay side of the peninsula, these little towns aren't nearly as busy as they once were. But you'll still find oyster beds and crab pots and weathered old structures.

Be prepared for one of the great dining surprises of your life at Nahcotta, just south of Oysterville. At the entrance to Nahcotta, you turn onto a less-than-first-class road, drive past some rusted car bodies and come upon a large pile of oyster shells.

Look to the right. You have just found the Ark Restaurant and Bakery, which has also been discovered by Newsweek and Sunset Magazines, The New York Times, James Beard and seemingly half the food writers in the country. It's open Wednesday through Sundays. Reservations are recommended.

Oysterville, founded in 1854 and now on the National Historic Register, is as attractive as Nahcotta isn't. Construction dates are affixed to the fronts of the old homes, most of which appear to be freshly painted. Pacific County's first church was built here in 1872. A Baptist Church - built 20 years later - is still going strong, its doors always open.

The family home of Willard Espy, a popular wordsmith, lecturer and author, is across the dirt road from the church.

Ilwaco, Fort Canby, North Head and Cape Disappointment: A few miles south of Long Beach is Ilwaco, where visitors can enjoy the Ilwaco Heritage Museum (Indian art, folklore and pioneer activities), along with still more of the murals painted on the sides of peninsula buildings for Washington State's Centennial (1989).

Turn right at Ilwaco's stoplight to enter the Highway 100 Loop that goes to North Head Lighthouse. Park and walk to the lighthouse for good photographs.

Fort Canby. There's an oceanside state park, where campers fall asleep to the roar of the surf, and a Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center perched on a bluff. Fine photographs of the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse - driftwood, surf crashing on huge rocks, lighthouse in the distance - can be taken from the park's North Jetty parking lot.

The interpretive center is supposed to be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily May 15 through Sept. 30, but closures are frequent due to budgetary cuts. It's staffed by volunteers much of the rest of the year. Call (206) 642-3029 or (206) 642-3078 to check on closure status.

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. For a close-up look at the oldest (circa 1856) lighthouse on the West Coast, park next to the U.S. Coast Guard National Motor Lifeboat School and walk up a very steep little hill. The views are spectacular, but don't try this if you aren't fit.

Chinook: Just a few minutes drive from Fort Canby, the old town of Chinook is where Lewis & Clark actually pitched camp nearly 200 years ago. And it was here, 12 years earlier, that the Chinook Indians paddled out to greet Capt. Robert Gray's vessel Columbia Rediviva.

The old (circa 1906) Chinook Methodist Church - with its beautiful stained-glass windows - has been transformed into The Sanctuary, a restaurant where the food is as pleasant as the surroundings.

-------------------------- IF YOU GO WASHINGTON'S OCEAN BEACHES --------------------------

North beaches

Visits to the Northwest corner of the state often are combined with a visit to Olympic National Park.

Take the Edmonds-Kingston ferry across Puget Sound, cross the Hood Canal floating bridge, drive through Sequim and Port Angeles and out to the ocean beaches by way of Highways 101 or 112. Return by 101 south through Aberdeen, on to Olympia and I-5.

Time: Too far for a one-day trip. There are RV and camping spots at the ocean. There's a limited supply of restaurants and motels.

North-central beaches (the Grays Harbor area north to Moclips):

Drive I-5 south to Olympia and exit toward Aberdeen-Ocean Beaches. Drive through Aberdeen to Hoquiam and take Highway 109 to Ocean City, then south to Ocean Shores or north, along the coast, to Copalis, Pacific Beach and Moclips. The road ends at Taholah in the Quinault Reservation.

Time: One day, if you start early.

South-central beaches (Grays Harbor area south to Tokeland:

From Seattle, drive I-5 south to Olympia and exit toward Aberdeen-Ocean Beaches. At Aberdeen, follow the Highway 105 loop to Westport then back south to Grayland, North Cove, Tokeland and Raymond.

Drive north from Raymond on Highway 101 to the Aberdeen-Montesano junction, where you can continue on 101 to Aberdeen (the fastest trip), or take Highway 107 to Montesano (more interesting).

Time: One day, if you start early.

South beaches (the Long Beach Peninsula and historic sites at the mouth of the Columbia River):

Drive I-5 south to Olympia and exit on Highway 12 toward Aberdeen-Ocean Beaches. At Montesano, take Highway 107 south, then 101 to Raymond, and continue south through South Bend to Seaview on the Long Beach peninsula. At Seaview, the road branches to north and south beach areas..

Time: At least two days.

More information

Clallam Bay/Sekiu Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 355, Clallam Bay, WA 98326. Phone: (206) 963-2339.

Forks Chamber of Commerce Visitor Information, P.O. Box 1249, Forks, WA 98331. Phone: (206) 374-2531 or (toll free) 1-800-44FORKS.

Grays Harbor Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 450, Aberdeen, WA 98520. Phone: (206) 532-1924.

Ocean Shores Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 382, Ocean Shores, WA 98569. Phone: (206) 289-2451.

Westport/Grayland/Tokeland Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 306, Westport, WA 98595. Phone: (206) 268-9422. (Ask for a brochure on charter boat telephone numbers).

Long Beach Peninsula Visitor's Bureau, P.O. Box 562, Long Beach, WA 98631. Phone: (206) 642-2400 or (800) 451-2542.

Recommended stops

The Ark Restaurant & Bakery, Nahcotta; hours are seasonal; Sunday brunches. Reservations recommended. Phone: (206) 665-4133.

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, at the junction of the Chehalis and Wishkah Rivers off East Heron Street, near downtown Aberdeen. Phone: (206) 532-8611.

Kalaloch Lodge (and cabins) in Olympic National Park; open year-round; low-season rates November through April. Phone: (206) 962-2271.

Lake Quinault Lodge; open year-round, low season November- April. Phone: (800) 562-6672.

The Sanctuary Restaurant, Highway 101 and Hazel Street, Chinook (couple of minutes drive from Ilwaco). Phone for hours: (206) 777-8380.

Tokeland Hotel & Restaurant, Tokeland. Open year-round. Phone: (206) 267-7006.

Ocean Crest Resort & Dinner House, Moclips, Highway 109, 1 mile north of Pacific Beach. Phone: (206) 276-4465.

Pelican Point Restaurant, Westport, on Westhaven Dr., one block from the ocean-viewing platform. Closed Mon. and Tues. from Dec. until Valentine's Day. Phone: (206) 268-1333.

Long Beach World Kite Museum & Hall of Fame, corner of 3rd & N. Pacific. Open weekends. Phone: (206) 642-4020.

Ilwaco Heritage Museum. 115 S.E. Lake St., Ilwaco, in the Ilwaco Convention Center. Phone for hours: (206) 642-3446.

-- Don Duncan