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Sunday, August 31, 2014

Getting to Know the Lovely Long Beach Peninsula

We chose to hunker down on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula during the end of summer craziness that is Labor Day Weekend. We also wanted to avoid the most popular place to camp in the area, Cape Disappointment State Park, for the same reason...instead we're staying at Cranberry RV Park, a small adults only full hookup RV park a couple miles North of the town of Long Beach.

In very short order we've become enchanted with this peninsula. The wide sandy beach is inviting to those on foot, horseback and automobile and is said to be the longest beach in the US. There are car free zones as well.

Horses and birds on the beach.




There is a wide, grassy dune and conifer buffer between the beach and the homes and businesses. Deer browse among the lovely swaying grasses. The paved Discovery Trail, running 8.5 miles from Long Beach to Ilwaco, cuts through the dunes...a perfect way to spend a day on the bikes, or walk a loop of beach and trail.



The trail curves gracefully among the low dunes, the ocean serenades you just out of sight.
There's art along the Discovery Trail and Lewis and Clark interpretive signs.

Ilwaco is the Southernmost town on the peninsula and has a nice Saturday Market in a lovely harborside setting during the summer. Not too much produce, but what there was, was good!


The view as you walk the Ilwaco Saturday market,

This market runs rain or shine, Saturday morning of Labor Day weekend was a little rainy.

Cranberries are farmed on the peninsula and Washington State University has a nice little museum where you can learn about the history of cranberry production.

Excellent displays and information about the entire cranberry farming process from the old days to the present.

Bog boots!

We hiked about 6 miles at Leadbetter Point State Park, situated at the North end of the Peninsula. Hiking the perimeter trails takes you through a variety of habitats: Bay side tidelands, salt marsh, dune forest, grassy dunes and ocean beach.

The forest opens onto the wide open tidelands of Willapa Bay on the East side of the peninsula.

Crossing to the West side of the peninsula you traverse the grassy dunes and drop onto to the beach.
This section had ropes to keep you out of the Snowy Plover nesting zone.

As we walked South on the beach the fog rolled in and we spied royal terns and seagulls resting along the water line.

Walking a foggy beach is an odd sensation, from the center of the beach
we could barely see the grassy dunes or the crashing waves!

Gotta watch your step walking through the forest!



Another stop was the Willapa Bay Oyster House Interpretive Center where we learned a bit about the oyster farming history of the area.

Fishing boats and discarded oyster shells in Oysterville.

There are staggering amounts of oyster shells, both whole and ground, all over this small community.

We've only been here two and a half days and I already had so many photos I couldn't wait any longer to post them! We're really enjoying the casual, friendly, beachy vibe to this place. Lots of people own vacation homes or even lots where they set up their RV for the summer here. And we can walk two blocks to the beach from our RV park...perfect for sunset strolls.



27 comments:

  1. Just Beautiful! For half a second I thought you were talking about Long Beach MS, until I saw the waves. Oh how I miss the pacific coast!

    Maura

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    1. Ha, ha, ha! I forgot to mention the state didn't I?!

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    2. Me too! Thought maybe you were in my hood in Cali

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    3. Ok...updated to show we are in Washington!!!!!

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  2. An area I know and love well. Highly recommend the lighthouses (of course) as well as the farmers market in Astoria (excellent)....not to mention the Astoria breweries, coffe houses, food. Oh, don't get me started!
    Nina

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    1. :-) We'll do a day trip into Astoria on Tuesday...I can't wait!

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  3. It looks absolutely gorgeous there. Thanks for sharing your beautiful photos.

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  4. Bobbie and I stayed at an rv park that backed up to the ocean somewhere north on long beach. we found that if you stayed on the damp sand near the ocean we could ride our mountain bikes. we ended up going south, found that bike trail and continued over a mountain and all the way down into Ilwaco… a lovely little fishing port. Then had to climb back over the mountain, and when we got to the beach again it was shrouded in thick fog… so thick we missed our foot path exit to our rv park and ended up way north and exhausted. Finally popped out and found the narrow little highway and rode it south to the park. I've never been so disoriented and lost.

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    1. You were probably at Andersen's RV Park...I can totally see your entire ride and how easy it would be to miss that little path in the fog!

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  5. I'm not sure what the difference is, but the photos feel very "end of summer". Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. The little deer in the grass is so sweet - and I love snakes! Great shot in the fog! Aren't cranberry bogs weird? Like rice, only "pinker"!

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    1. It's probably the gray skies and the yellow grasses that make it seem fall-like.

      We're missing the cranberry harvest by just a few weeks, that would be interesting to see.

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  6. We're missing the Pacific Coast, but not the fog! Astoria Brewing Company was our favorite, in case you get thirsty while you're there.
    Gayle

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    1. Thanks for the tip...we're heading over there for a day trip on Tuesday!

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  7. Looks like a perfect place to hang out.

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  8. I read about this area many years ago and have wanted to visit. One of the MH magazines did a great article on the area. Someday we will get there. Sure look likes fun. Tomorrow it will be even better when everyone goes back to school!!! Your photos are gorgeous:)

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  9. The last time I was at Leadbetter Point I saw 7 bears. Five on my way out there another two in a different spot on the way back. There is a great bakery in Long Beach, right downtown! Miss the coast of Washington.

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    1. WOW! All we saw were birds and a snake! We're heading into downtown Long Beach this afternoon I'll look for the bakery. Thanks for the tip!

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  10. Just beautiful!
    We were camped in Astoria when we visited Long Beach but spent only a few hours on a section where we saw the Gray Whale skeleton! Your pictures are another way of reminding us to visit that area again!

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  11. I could almost feel the fog...and hear the waves. Awesome post Lisa!

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  12. What a great place to spend the busy holiday weekend! I've really been enjoying all your posts from the pacific northwest. We're really enjoying our time in CO, but I do miss the ocean!

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  13. Another great place that you're sharing with us! The biking and walking trails look wonderful. We're thinking of taking the coast on our way home to Ashland mid-September. There are many places in Washington and even northern Oregon that we haven't explored. Thanks for the preview!

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  14. Oh your pictures of the beach and the fog and the terns and the sunset are so lovely. I am so ready to be back there. 94-92-93 here for the next 3 days. Uggg! Keep posting these wonderful visions. I always thought I was an oyster lover but that pile of shells is pretty amazing. Who eats all those?? I'd sure like to do my part. This sounds like a wonderful place to be. Great find!

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  15. Oh how I am missing the ocean. Thanks for these lovely images Lisa. I too would recommend the trip into Astoria. We really enjoyed our time there. That looks like a great bike trail. Walking on the beach with the fog swirling round is one of my favorite things to do.

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  16. My son has lived in Astoria the past three years so I have finally (after living in Oregon for almost thirty years) had the pleasure of getting to know that area and Long Beach as well. What a great place to hang out in the summer. I love all the seafood (especially the Willapa Bay Oysters) and the great long stretches of beach to walk along the ocean. If you are still in the area, take some day hikes down at Ecola State Park just north of Cannon Beach.

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  17. Glad John and Pam (ohtheplacestheygo.wordpress.com) recommended your site. We'll have only a couple weeks on the Olympic Peninsula the summer of 2016. Oh did we underestimate the time!

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    1. We really enjoyed our summer there. Glad we could help! You may just have to return another time!

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