Grayland Beach State Park – state parks quest #46

In late June 2021, the Pacific Northwest experienced a historic heat wave, with region-wide temperatures well over 100°. I sweated out the first day in our non-air-conditioned apartment, but when MizFitz called the next day and said, “Let’s go to the beach,” I was all in. When we left Olympia, the temperature was in the high nineties and climbing; it would reach 107° that afternoon. But when we stepped out of the car at Grayland Beach State Park, the misty air was a cool 65°, with a breeze coming off the ocean. Bliss.

Thirteen miles of beach between Point Chehalis to the north and Toke Point to the south comprise the central portion of the Seashore Conservation Area, established by state law in 1967 to provide recreational opportunities on Washington’s coast. State Parks acquired the first 175 acres of Grayland Beach in 1969, part of an effort to create state parks with access to the Seashore Conservation Area. In this section of coast, Westport Light and Twin Harbors state parks also offer direct beach entry.

Camping paradise

We started at the Cranberry Beach Road Ocean Beach Access, where most parking spaces were full. This is one of five access points along this section of coast where cars can access the beach, which is drivable for part of the year. Heading into the park proper, it quickly became clear that Grayland Beach is a camping park par excellence, with 11 campground loops offering more than 100 campsites and 16 yurts. All but two spots were taken in the campground, but that’s not unusual. Grayland Beach is one of the most popular state parks, with annual visitation averaging around 350,000. 

The park’s smooth, wide roads were filled with kids and families on foot, bike, scooter, and skateboard. Perhaps I was projecting my feelings, but many adults looked as relieved as I was to be in the cool air.

Through the pines

Five short trails lead from the campground to the beach, through a shore pine forest and over grass-laden dunes to the sweeping beach. Depending on the tide and season, expect to slog about a quarter-mile across the sand to reach the chilly water.

Grayland Beach contains breeding habitat for the endangered snowy plover and streaked horned lark, so follow the signs to avoid nesting areas. Far in front of us, a few cars drove slowly along the sand, and dogs and kids ran in the shallows. Despite the full campground and parking lot, everyone had plenty of room to spread out.

MizFitz’s mutt, Dewey, nosed around the beach plants, trying to figure out which creatures had been here. We walked out onto the wind-sculpted beach and breathed in the salt air. Looking inland we spotted a few wind turbines on the uplands. A slight breeze made me wish I’d brought a long-sleeved shirt, a prospect that had seemed laughable back home in Olympia.

In fact, that day’s temperature at Grayland Beach was seasonally normal. The average high temperature there in early summer is 66.7 degrees, and regular visitors to the coast know to expect cool weather and gray skies.

Named for an explorer

With 239 cloudy days per year, you’d be forgiven for assuming that the park’s name has roots in the weather. In fact, Grayland Beach is named for the hamlet of Grayland, itself named for American sea captain Robert Gray, who sailed past here in May 1792 after stopping in what is now Grays Harbor. He was on his way to what we now call the Columbia River, named for his ship the Columbia Rediviva. Gray’s explorations opened the maritime fur trade, transforming the rich, varied native cultures of the Northwest Coast. 

Had Gray come ashore here, he would have encountered Coast Salish people from the Willapa, lower Chinook, and Chehalis tribes, for whom the beach was a source for shellfish and marine plants and animals. Gray did meet Tsihalis people near Point Chehalis, about seven miles north, in what may have been their first encounter with white people. But if he saw what’s now Grayland Beach at all, it was from the deck of his ship.

Beach relief

After exploring the interior camping loops and trails through the forest near the park amphitheater, we were ready to continue our leisurely drive along Highway 105, which featured more pirate flags than political banners. The beach access road just south of the beach was closed to vehicles and the foot trail was overgrown. Use the Cranberry Beach Road access if you want to drive on the beach. If you can, though, camp at Grayland Beach and soak up the relaxed vibe of this part of the coast.

Fast Facts about Grayland Beach State Park

• 576-acre, year-round, camping park
• 1.4 miles ocean beach
• Discover Pass required, $10 daily or, for a very reasonable $30, purchase an annual pass
• 106 campsites (98 partial or full hookup), 16 yurts, reservable online or by calling 888-CAMPOUT
• restrooms, showers, dump station
• kite-flying, wildlife viewing, birdwatching
• surfing, swimming (no lifeguards, use caution), shellfishing, saltwater fishing (license required)
• hiking, amphitheater
• park brochure
• park map

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Land Acknowledgment

Grayland Beach State Park occupies the traditional and unceded lands of Coast Salish peoples including the Willapa, lower Chinook, and lower Chehalis, who have lived and travelled here since time immemorial. The Willapa and Lower Chinook are part of the Chinook Nation, a group of five tribes who historically spoke a common language and live near the mouth of the Columbia River. As the Chinook continue their long fight for federal recognition, people with Chinook heritage may be found in several tribes, including the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe (created by presidential order in 1866) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. The lower Chehalis people became part of the Shoalwater Bay Indian Tribe and the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation.

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