Seashore Conservation Area

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SEASHORE CONSERVATION AREA

Washington state’s northern coastline, renowned for its rugged windswept rock outcroppings and forested and scarcely populated shoreline, constitutes some of the last unspoiled seashore remaining in the United States. This stretch of coastline is primarily Tribal or National Park land.   

South of Point Grenville, the rugged coastline gives way to expanses of sandy beaches and small seashore communities.  Much of Washington’s southern coast is part of the Seashore Conservation Area (SCA), which is managed by Washington State Parks. 

ABOUT THE SEASHORE CONSERVATION AREA

The Seashore Conservation Area was established in 1967 to provide and preserve recreational use on Washington’s coast for generations to come. 

The Seashore Conservation Area comprises 62 miles of the state’s coastline between:

  • Cape Disappointment, from  the mouth of the Columbia River to Leadbetter Point (Long Beach Peninsula — 27 miles)
  • The mouth of Willapa Bay, in Tokeland, and Point Chehalis, in Westport (South Beach — 13 miles)
  • Damon Point, in Ocean Shores, and the southern boundary of the Quinault Indian National Reservation north of Moclips (Northern Shores — 22 miles )

In general, the SCA occupies the area between the line of ordinary high tide and the line of extreme low tide.


  1. Things to do
  2. Beach rules
  3. Habitat/wildlife
  4. Contacts
  5. Maps

WASHINGTON STATE PARKS ADJACENT TO/NEAR THE SCA

Long Beach Area 

Ocean beach access: Seaview. Sid Snyder, Bolstad, Cranberry, Klipsan, Ocean Park and Oysterville

South Beach Area 

Ocean beach access: Grayland Beach, Warrenton Cannery, Bonge Avenue, Midway Beach, County Line and Twin Harbors Gap Road

Northern Shores Area 

Ocean beach access: North Jetty, Taurus, Ocean Lake Way, Pacific, Chance A La Mer, Oyhut (Damon), Ocean City OBA, Roosevelt, Analyde Gap and Moclips.

Safety

The beach is a dynamic place, and a calm-looking ocean often can be misleading. Be aware of rip currents, tsunami evacuation procedures and, most of all, know your limits.

recreational activities in the SCA

  • Beach walking
  • Beach exploration
  • Birdwatching
  • Building sandcastles
  • Clam digging 
  • Fat tire biking
  • Fishing
  • Geocaching (obtain permit from
    State Parks)
  • Glass float collecting
  • Hiking
  • Horseback riding
  • Kite flying
  • Metal detecting 
  • Sandcastle and sand-sculpture building
  • Skim boarding
  • Storm watching
  • Sunset watching
  • Surfing
  • Sunbathing
  • Swimming 
  • Picnicking
  • Running
  • Whale watching 
  • Wind and sand sailing (in certain areas)


PLAN YOUR TRIP

Grays Harbor Convention and Visitors Bureau
PO Box 1229
Elma, WA 98541
(800) 621-9625

Visit Long Beach Peninsula
3914 Pacific Way
Seaview, WA 98644
(360) 642-2400

Willapa National Wildlife Refuge
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
3888 State Route 101
Ilwaco, WA 98624
(360) 484-3482