Washington isn’t the first place people picture when they think of a beach trip, and that’s exactly why it’s worth a second look.
Between the wild, driftwood-strewn coastline of the Olympic Peninsula, the calmer waters of Puget Sound, and the quiet coves tucked into the San Juan Islands, the state has more beach variety than much of the West Coast.
Pack layers no matter the season (a good beach packing list helps here), and read on for 11 of the best Washington State beaches.
1. Waikiki Beach
- Location: Ilwaco, Southwest Washington
- Best for: Lighthouses and history
- Note: Sheltered swimming beach inside a state park with two working lighthouses and sweeping views of where the Columbia River meets the Pacific.
Not to be confused with the Waikiki in Honolulu, this Waikiki Beach sits inside Cape Disappointment State Park. Here the Columbia River collides with the open ocean below cliffs topped by two historic lighthouses. It’s one of the few calmer swimming spots on this stretch of coast, protected from the rougher surf just outside the river mouth.
The park is also home to the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center, so Waikiki Beach is an easy pairing of beach time and history in one stop.
2. Long Beach
- Location: Long Beach Peninsula, Southwest Washington
- Best for: Long walks and beach driving
- Note: One of the longest drivable beaches in the US, with 28 miles of sand running the length of the peninsula.
Long Beach lives up to its name with 28 miles of wide, flat sand stretching along both sides of the peninsula. Much of it is open to vehicles, which feels novel if you’ve never driven on a beach before, and there’s plenty of room to spread out even in summer.
Bald eagles are a common sight overhead, and the town of Long Beach itself has plenty of restaurants and shops to make it an easy weekend base.
3. Westport (Half Moon Bay)
- Location: Westport, West Washington
- Best for: Surfing
- Note: Washington’s best-known surf town, with a lineup that works for beginners and a historic lighthouse nearby.
Westport has earned its reputation as the surf capital of Washington, and Half Moon Bay is where most of that action happens. The waves here are approachable enough for first-timers with a wetsuit and a board rental from one of the shops in town.
Grays Harbor Lighthouse, the tallest on the Washington coast, stands just up the road if you want a break from the water.
4. Kalaloch Beach
- Location: Forks, Northwest Washington
- Best for: Beachfront camping
- Note: Home to the Tree of Life, a spruce whose roots have held it suspended over an eroded creek bed for decades.
Kalaloch is one of the only spots on this coastline where a campground sits right on the bluff above the sand, so falling asleep to the sound of the surf is part of the experience. The beach itself is long and easy to walk, scattered with driftwood logs bleached pale by the salt air.
Just south, the Tree of Life clings to its eroded bank and draws a steady stream of visitors curious to see how this gravity-defying tree is still standing.
5. Ruby Beach
- Location: Olympic National Park, Washington
- Best for: Sea stacks and tide pools
- Note: One of the most photographed beaches on the peninsula, with Abbey Island rising just offshore.
Ruby Beach is reached by a short, shaded trail down from the Highway 101 pullout, which opens onto a rugged coastline framed by sea stacks and piles of driftwood.
Abbey Island sits just offshore and can be accessed when low tide exposes tide pools and the anemones and starfish that reside in them.
Ruby Beach is also one of the more dog-friendly beaches on this list, along with several others on the West Coast.
6. Rialto Beach
- Location: Forks, Northwest Washington
- Best for: The Hole-in-the-Wall sea arch
- Note: The hike to the Hole-in-the-Wall is roughly a three-mile round trip from Rialto Beach’s parking area and best timed around low tide.
Rialto Beach draws hikers north along the sand toward Hole-in-the-Wall, a sea arch carved into the rocky point that’s only fully accessible at low tide.
The walk there crosses piles of driftwood and a few rocky sections, but it’s manageable for most fitness levels. Check a tide table before heading out, since the timing makes or breaks the visit.
7. Shi Shi Beach
- Location: Olympic Peninsula, North Washington
- Best for: Sea stacks at Point of Arches
- Note: Visiting requires a Makah Recreation Pass, plus an Olympic National Park Wilderness Permit for overnight stays.
Shi Shi is the beach most people mean when they talk about the wildest scenery on the Olympic Coast, thanks to the sea stacks clustered at Point of Arches on its southern end.
Getting there means taking a three-mile forested trail from a trailhead near Neah Bay. A Makah Recreation Pass ($20 per vehicle at the time of writing, available online or via various local vendors) is required. An Olympic National Park Wilderness Permit ($8 per person at the time of writing, plus processing fee, book in advance) is also needed if you plan to camp overnight.
8. Alki Beach
- Location: West Seattle, Puget Sound
- Best for: City views and an easy urban beach day
- Note: A two-mile paved promenade with Downtown Seattle and the Olympic Mountains visible across the water.
Alki Beach is the closest thing Washington has to a classic city beach, with a 2.5-mile sandy beachfront and a paved path that fills up with walkers, cyclists, and rollerbladers on a sunny day.
The Downtown Seattle skyline sits across Elliott Bay, and on a clear afternoon the Olympic Mountains show up on the opposite horizon. A small Statue of Liberty replica near the path is a favorite photo stop.
9. Golden Gardens Park
- Location: Seattle, Puget Sound
- Best for: Sunset bonfires
- Note: One of the few Seattle beaches with designated fire pits, plus a small marina and wetland trail.
Golden Gardens is a Ballard neighborhood staple, especially in the evening when the fire pits along the sand fill up for sunset. The beach faces west across Puget Sound, so the light show over the water is part of the draw.
Beyond the sand, a short wetland boardwalk and a marina give the park a bit more to explore than a typical city beach.
10. Rosario Beach
- Location: Anacortes, North Washington
- Best for: Tide pooling
- Note: A Discover Pass is required for parking, standard for Washington state parks.
Rosario Beach sits within Deception Pass State Park on a small headland connected by a short trail, with tide pools tucked into the rocky coves on either side.
This stretch is calmer and less crowded than the main Deception Pass bridge overlook nearby, which makes it a good stop for anyone doing the bigger park loop. The protected waters here are also popular with scuba divers exploring the underwater park just offshore.
A Discover Pass is required for parking at Washington State Parks and can be bought online in advance ($50 for one year or $11.50 for one day at the time of writing, including processing fees).
11. Watmough Bay
- Location: Lopez Island, North Washington
- Best for: Quiet, cliff-backed scenery
- Note: Reached by a short easy trail from the parking area, with nesting bald eagles often visible on the cliffs.
Watmough Bay is a small, dramatic cove backed by cliffs on Lopez Island, reached by an easy half-mile trail through the woods. It’s a popular turnaround point for sea kayakers making their way around the San Juans, and eagles nest on the surrounding rock face most years.
If the San Juans have you thinking about more island beach-hopping, the beaches on Vancouver Island just across the strait are worth a look too.
Finding Your Ideal Washington Beach
From the driving-friendly sand of the Long Beach Peninsula to the wild sea stacks of the Olympic Coast and the quieter shores of Puget Sound and the San Juans, Washington’s beaches reward a little planning more than a spontaneous drop-in.
Check tide tables and permit requirements ahead of time, especially on the Olympic Coast, and expect cool water and changeable weather no matter which one you choose.
