Escaping the June 2021 Pacific Northwest heat wave, we headed to Washington’s 13-mile-long Cranberry Coast. Stretching between Westport and Tokeland, the area is named for the cranberry bogs that dot the landscape east of State Route 105, its primary road access. About four miles south of Westport, Twin Harbors State Park is located at the corner where the highway turns sharply south and follows the coast. Like Grayland Beach State Park, its neighbor a few miles away, Twin Harbors is a popular camping park with more than a mile of ocean beach. But while Grayland Beach sports beautiful camping loops and modern facilities, Twin Harbors has been plagued by seasonal flooding that closes dozens of campsites every year. Luckily, as I write in this in early 2022, the park is in the early stages of a major redesign that will improve the camping and recreational experience for visitors.
Built on wetlands
In the early part of the 20th century, what’s now Twin Harbors was part of the Grays Harbor Military Reservation, used for training troops from 1918-1926. A firing range once occupied what’s now a campground on the west side of the park. In 1937, State Parks acquired about 40 acres for the new park, but lack of funds during the Depression forestalled development. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, barracks built at the site housed soldiers stationed on coastal defense, some of whom manned a searchlight observation point at what’s now the end of the pedestrian-only Schafer Road Ocean Beach Access.
After the war, State Parks acquired more land, eventually expanding the park to its present 225 acres. State Parks tore down the last Army building in 1977, and today the only trace of the park’s military background is found on a short history posted on a kiosk. The park is named for the two large bays that bracket it, Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay.
In the 1960s, the agency began developing the park for camping and recreation. Wetlands on either side of the highway, which bisects the park, were filled to make campgrounds. At one point, the park had 262 campsites, but seasonal flooding and cramped sites made for what State Parks termed a “less than optimum user experience.” Flooding is still problematic, because while it occurs every year, it doesn’t occur on precisely predictable dates. Park staff have permanently closed 94 campsites on the east side of the park because of flooding and tree disease. On the west side, 45 sites are closed between November and March, but flood-driven closures have sometimes extended into June. The upshot is that fewer than 130 campsites are typically available. About half of those are on the east side of the park, which means campers there must cross the busy highway to reach the ocean. State Parks makes it work, but it’s not ideal.
Renovation plan
In 2007, State Parks conducted a land-use study to determine options for improving Twin Harbors. In 2020, the agency published a predesign plan that outlined several options for renovating the park. The preferred alternative would eliminate camping east of State Route 105 entirely and relocate and expand camping on the west side.
Eventually, the west side of the park will have 130 campsites (22 will be cabins), designed for more privacy and spaciousness and built to avoid flood-prone areas. Visitors will also enjoy a new welcome center, dump station, playground, and amphitheater. Trails and signage will be improved, with boardwalks built to preserve wetlands and a viewing platform added in the dunes. On the east side, the campground will be removed entirely and the wetlands restored. A small maintenance and administration facility will be constructed in an appropriate site. The project’s total cost is estimated at $36 million, and will make Twin Harbors a camping and recreation destination on par with Grayland Beach, which now receives more than twice as many visitors each year.
From crowded campground to wide-open space
When we stopped at the park, crowded campgrounds appeared to be no deterrent to visitors seeking relief from the heat. East of the highway, sites had better spacing, but most are closed because of danger from diseased trees. On the west side, RVs parked cheek-by-jowl in drive-through sites, separated by a picnic table and a few feet of patchy grass.
Just a few steps away, though, trails lead to the beach through a shore pine forest planted in the 1960s by park staff in an attempt to stabilize sand and create more privacy for campers.
Past the forest, trails climb gentle grass-covered dunes. From that viewpoint, beach and sky filled the horizon, with just a few people scattered in the distance.
Shifting sands
South of the beach trailheads, the Shifting Sands Trail is signed with a quote from conservationist Aldo Leopold. Over an easy half-mile, visitors follow the adventures of Field Mouse, whose search for Traveling Dune leads to encounters with a hare, crow, tree frog, owl, chipmunk, chickadee, and mosquito. The creatures teach the mouse about the ecology of the shore pine and dune ecosystem.
A quote from conservationist Aldo Leopold greets hikers at the Shifting Sands trailhead. (Lauren Danner photo) 
Along the Shifting Sands Interpretive Trail. (Lauren Danner photo) 
The Shifting Sands Interpretive Trail explores the shore pine and dune ecosystem. (Lauren Danner photo) 
Dewey was not particularly interested in the story of Field Mouse’s search for the traveling dune. (Lauren Danner photo) 
Trails at Twin Harbors are well signed. (Lauren Danner photo)
Like much else in this park, the signs are a bit past their prime, but it’s fun to walk the trail and look for the critters Field Mouse meets. “Shifting sands” is an appropriate name for the trail. It’s the English translation of the meaning of Chehalis, the Anglicized name of the people that have lived and traveled here since time immemorial.
Park in transition
Renting a cabin at Twin Harbors in winter is a quiet base for storm watching. But the flooding takes away some of the fun of the park, because areas are off-limits. The renovation will improve the park experience in every season. In the meantime, Twin Harbors is still an enjoyable destination on the Cranberry Coast.
Fast Facts about Twin Harbors State Park
- 225-acre camping park, open year-round
- 1.1 miles of ocean beachfront, part of the Seashore Conservation Area
- Discover Pass required, $10 daily or, for a very reasonable $30, purchase an annual pass
- 123 campsites, available depending on flood conditions, including 42 full utility (35” maximum), group camp, two yurts, five cabins, reservable online or by calling 888-CAMPOUT
- restrooms, showers, dump station
- picnic tables, playground, grills, outdoor kitchens
- hiking, birdwatching, wildlife viewing
- beachcombing, saltwater fishing, shellfishing (license required)
- park brochure
- park map
Land Acknowledgment
Twin Harbors State Park occupies the traditional and unceded lands of the Chehalis Indian Tribe, who have lived and travelled here since time immemorial along with their Coast Salish neighbors. Early explorers noted the natives here called the area at the northernmost point of this section of coast, now part of Westport Light State Park, Tsi-ha-lis or Chi-ke-lis. Written now as Chehalis, the terms is translated as “shifting sands,” hence the name of the interpretive trail at Twin Harbors. The tribe was generally divided into Upper and Lower Chehalis. The Lower Chehalis lived in the area now included in the park, and their descendants are members of the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation, the Shoalwater Indian Tribe, and the Quinault Indian Nation.