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Historic Lewis and Clark country and considered to be the Cape Cod of the West, the Pacific side of the Long Beach Peninsula is 28 miles of low sand dunes covered with European beach grass and burly driftwood. The Long Beach community was born when a teenager named Henry Harrison Tinker struck out on a 2,500-mile cross-country adventure from his hometown in Maine and ended up on the peninsula. In 1880, Tinker started off with one acre of land and called it Tinkerville, which evolved to become Long Beach.
Also referred to as the Discovery Coast in light of early European explorers, this fetch of white-sand beachbreak supposedly lays claim to being the "World's Longest Beach." Not true? "They've been getting away with that lie for a while now," quipped one Long Beach motel host. All said, the area is very cool and very mellow, relatively unspoiled in terms of modern coastal development, and there's definitely no problem with finding a peak to your liking with no other surfers in sight.
Granted, the summertime is really the only time you can surf around here, but show up on a high tide with the right ocean conditions, and you could have yourself a blast. The coast faces due west and there is no wind protection, so hit it early most days. The littoral currents and riptides can be bad, so keep an eye out. You can basically drive your four-wheeler along the entire length of the flat beach, increasing your odds of finding a good peak. In Seaview, you can paddle out at the end of 38th Place. Once you get up into Long Beach, from south to north, easy beach access lies at the ends of South 10th Street, Bolstad Avenue (turn west at the Chevron stoplight), Cranberry Road and Loomis Lake State Park Road.
The boardwalk is a long, wooden pathway meandering above and in the dunes, complete with picnic areas, water fountains and electrical sockets. There's also some cool lunch shelters in the dunes, shielding you from the prevailing northwest wind. Next, you ease into Klipsan Beach, where 225th Street is your ticket, then on up to Ocean Park, where you'll use Bay Avenue, and finally up to Oysterville, where Oysterville Road empties out onto the sand. For a tranquil stroll through the forest and dunes, head all the way up to Leadbetter State Park, at the end of Stackpole Road (aka Highway 103). It's quite a ways, but if you've got the time and the wind and swell are slack, it's well worth it.
Down in the peninsula's southwesternmost corner is historic Fort Canby State Park, wooded and very scenic, serving as an active military installation until 1957. At its tip is the massive Columbia River North Jetty, where U.S. Captain Robert Gray accomplished the long-sought discovery of the Columbia River on May 12, 1792, and sailed into its treacherous mouth and landed his ship, the Columbia, at present-day Fort Columbia. Much more popular with fishermen than with surfers, the jetty faces southwest, thus is really only surfable during south-southwest swells with east-northeast wind, so the waves will break away from the jetty instead of into it. Up the beach, however, other swells can work. The Columbia River's flow affects the lineup at the North Jetty. Rarely surfed, it's only a summer spot and has been known to produce some good sandbars. The flat beach is fine, white sand, packed hard by heavy winds, covered with stunted pine trees, scrub brush and tons of driftwood.
-- Mike Kew
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high
any, as long as it's small and peaky
knee-high to about head-high
E
3
sand
beginner and up
whatever you wish, 5/4/3mm hooded fullsuit with booties and gloves
summerv
For Greater Long Beach Peninsula, exit U.S. Highway 101 onto state Highway 103, which becomes Pacific Way through Long Beach. For Columbia River North Jetty, take the Highway 100 Loop out of Ilwaco and cruise until the Highway 100 Spur junction, which you'll veer onto, follo
wing the brown signs out to the North Jetty. It's about a mile from the entrance kiosk, and there's no fee for day use.
none
very laid-back, if you even see any other surfers
2 to 5
1
3
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As far as Long Beach proper goes, "the best Chinese food on the peninsula" can be had at Chen's Chinese Restaurant (400 N. Pacific Ave., 360-642-8288). For pizza, corn dogs, sandwiches and ice cream, Sand Dollar Deli and Pizza (401 S. Pacific Ave., 360-642-3432) is your spot. Similar grub is sold at Debi's Deli (509 S. Pacific Ave., 360-642-3300) and the Square One Deli Store (107 SE 3rd St., 360-642-1128). Sturdy, American-style steaks and seafood are always on tap at Chuck's Restaurant (North 19th and Pacific Avenue, 360-642-2721). There's a piano bar Friday and Saturday nights at Max's Bar and Grill (111 S. Pacific Ave., 360-642-5600), not to mention steaks, seafood and pasta for reasonable pocket change. Specializing in seafood alongside homemade candy and ice cream is the Milton York Restaurant and Ice Cream Parlor (1st and Pacific Avenue, 360-642-2352) Dooger's Seafood and Grill (900 S. Pacific Ave., 360-642-4224) sells "simply the finest seafood to be found" with some award-winning clam chowder. Up in Ocean Park, the Pilot House Restaurant and Lounge (1201 West Bay Ave., 360-665-3800) offers some epic seafood, steaks and pastas with an ocean view and affordable prices. Right upstairs is Luigi's (360-665-3174), an Italian restaurant and pizzeria. The Dunes Restaurant (1507 Bay Ave., 360-665-6677) offers great seafood and some primo Saturday night prime rib.
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One recommended homey motel is aptly named Our Place at the Beach (1309 South Blvd., 360-642-3793 or 800-538-5107), offering clean, rustic rooms complete with a fitness room and friendly rates. Other well-priced, small outfits include the Whale's Tail Motel (620 S. Pacific Ave., 360-642-3455), the Pacific View Motel (203 Bolstad Ave., 360-642-2415) and the Sands Motel (12211 Pacific Way, 360-642-2100). Larger, more expensive digs are the Ocean Lodge (208 Bolstad Ave., 360-642-5400), which has fireplaces, fully equipped kitchens and a sauna. Right down near the beach is the Edgewater Inn Motel (409-10th St. SW, 360-642-2311). The Chautaqua Lodge Resort Motel/Potlatch Restaurant and Lounge (North 14th Street toward the ocean, 360-642-4401) and the Shaman Motel (115 SW 3rd St., 360-642-3714 or 800-753-3750) are pretty slick, too. Several RV parks exist around here including the Wildwood RV Park and Campground (5415 Sandridge Rd., 360-642-2131), Ma and Pa's Pacific RV Park (10515 Pacific Way, 360-642-3253) and Oceanic RV Park (South 5th and Pacific Avenue, 360-642-3836). You can camp near the North Jetty at ultra-cool, 254-site Fort Canby State Park (360-642-3078 or 800-562-0990).
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Check out the Cape Disappointment (Cape "D") Lighthouse (a three-fourths mile walk from the parking lot) and the North Head Lighthouse, the two oldest light stations on the U.S. West Coast. Also at the Cape D light, check out the Lewis and Clark Trail interpretive center and gift shop (360-642-3029 or 360-642-3078). If you're a cranberry fan, pay a visit to the Pacific Coast Cranberry Research Foundation's Cranberry Museum and Gift Shop (360-6425553) on Pioneer Road in north Long Beach. Here, you can scope a "demonstration" cranberry farm and purchase local cranberry goods. The Peninsula Visitors Bureau is located at the junction of highways 101 and 103, and can be reached at 360-642-2400 or 800-451-2542.
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