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The Long Beach resort
area is located on the Pacific Coast in Southwestern Washington
State. It goes by several names including; Long
Beach, Long Beach Peninsula, North Beach Peninsula, Cape Columbia, Grave
Yard of the Pacific, and the Discovery Coast.
All the names give some insight into the long and varied
history of the area and the varied nature of the peninsula. The main attraction in the area and the
reason for the name Long Beach Peninsula is the 26 mile long, wide sandy,
ocean beach on the west side of the peninsula.
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The Beach
As you can see above, they have erected a gateway over the
beach access road in the community of Long Beach
with “World’s Longest
Beach” over the
roadway. We have to admit that not
only is it the longest; it goes on forever, but also that that there is no
nicer spot for beach and surf activities.
In the photo to the right a car is driving down the
access road to the beach. Most of
the beach is open to vehicular traffic.
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A car drives onto Long
Beach
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North Head Lighthouse
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Lighthouses
If you are a lighthouse lover, there are two lighthouses
on the Long Beach
Peninsula. The lighthouse shown to the left is the
North Head Lighthouse built in 1898 to help ships coming from the north to
find the mouth of the Columbia River.
The Cape
Disappointment Lighthouse, built in 1856, guides ships into the mouth of
the Columbia.
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The North Head Lighthouse can be found by turning west at
the signal in downtown Ilwaco going about 2 miles down a winding road to
Cape Disappointment State Park. Turn
right at the Lighthouse sign to the trailhead parking area.
To go to the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse go one mile
past the lighthouse turnoff to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive
Center and park. The two trails to the lighthouse are well
marked. Carry Photo ID with you in
this area for Homeland Security ID checks.
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The Cliffs below the Lighthouse
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Fresh Oysters in Nahcotta
In Nahcotta you can get up
close and personal with the seafood industry. In the boat haven you can watch the commercial
oyster boats work and see piles of oyster shells. Unfortunately the oyster packers don’t
have visitors tours. You can buy
oystes that were harvested today.
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 The Oysterville Church was built in 1892. It was a gift to the Baptist Congregation
by R. H. Espy. No regular services
have been held there since 1930. It
is open during the day to visit. In
the summer services are held by various ministers from the Peninsula. All
are welcome to attend in casual dress.
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The Church at Oysterville
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A Cranberry bog at the WSU Research Station
http://www.cranberry-museum.com
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Cranberries
Washington State University
has a cranberry research station on the Long Beach Peninsula. Beside the bogs and other equipment,
they have a visitor center where the Cranberry Museum
and Gift Shop are located.
One half of the of the cranberries grown in Washington
State are grown on the Long Beach Peninsula, there are over 500 acres of
cranberries in production.
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Cranberries are an important part of the local economy,
so important that they celebrate the Cranberry Fair in Ilwaco each October.
During the festival there are live tours of the bogs
allowing you to see the bogs during harvest. The Cranberries are usually harvested in
October and sometimes it runs into November.
There are around 130 cranberry growers on the Long Beach Peninsula and they produce about 15
million pounds of cranberries a year.
Most, if not all, of the cranberry plants were shipped
to this area from 1890 on from the Cape Cod
area. It is not uncommon to have
100-year-old cranberry bogs still in full production.
The Museum and Gift Shop are open 10 am to 5 pm from
April through December. There is no
admission fee. It is located on the Pioneer Road in
the north end of the Community of Long Beach.
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The Ilwaco Heritage
Museum
115 SE Lake Street
Ilwaco, WA 98624
360-642-3446
ihm@willapabay.org
Don’t miss this wonderful
regional museum. It has a wealth of
information about the local history in its well designed exhibits.
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World Kite
Museum and Hall of Fame
303 Sid
Snyder Drive
Long Beach,
WA 98631
360-642-4020
http://www.worldkitemuseum.com/
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Fort Columbia
Buildings at Fort Columbia
This area was the home of the
Chinook Indians and their great chief, Comcomly. In 1792 Captain Robert Gray dropped
anchor near the location where the fort was built.
In 1843 Captain Scarborough
became the first permanent settler north of the Columbia.
For years the promontory served as a landmark for crossing the Columbia River’s bar.
As a coastal fort its guns
guarded the mouth of the Columbia
from 1896 until the end of World War II.
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The park has an interpretive
trail that features various aspects of the fort. The Fort Columbia
Interpretive Center has information on the fort
history and the Chinook Indian Native American culture that existed in the
area.
The Commander’s House Museum is also located in the
park. It is restored with
era-appropriate furnishings. See the
State Park web site linked below for hours
The park also has several
unique facilities for rent including the Historic Steward’s House and the
Scarborough House which are overnight rentals and a day use facility, Gun
battery 246. This historic structure provides a fun underground gathering
location for groups of up to 200. For reservations see the park’s web site
below.
Fort Columbia State Park
Visit
their web site.
National Parks website
Lewis &
Clark Historical Park
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Visitor
Information
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Long Beach Peninsula
Visitors
Bureau
Mail: PO Box 562, Long Beach,
WA 98631
In Person: 3914 Pacific
Way
(Junction of US-101 and WA-103),
Seaview,
WA 98644
fax: (360) 642-3900
phone: (360) 642-2400 or 1-800-451-2542
http://www.funbeach.com/
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Long Beach Activities
The Long Beach area is a truly amazing summer
resort area that seems to have a different celebration packed full of
activities nearly every weekend of the Spring, Summer, and Fall.
Visit the web site of the Visitors
Bureau to the left for current information.
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