Long Beach Peninsula

About This Spot

Long Beach Peninsula is a 28-mile, dead-flat open Pacific sand beach on SW Washington, facing due west between Cape Disappointment/Ilwaco (south) and Leadbetter Point (north). It's an ocean/wave spot, not flatwater — expect beach-break chop and Pacific wind- and groundswell, often 1.5–2 m, breaking at all tide stages. Season is late spring through early fall (roughly May–Sept). Like neighboring Oregon-coast spots (Sunset Beach, Pistol River), the reliable summer driver is the N–NW thermal/gradient wind off the North Pacific High; on this west-facing beach that blows side-shore to side-onshore — workable and relatively safe to launch, typically filling in and peaking mid-to-late afternoon (~2–6pm). Winter is ruled by SW/S storm fronts: strong but gusty, wet and cold. Water is cold year-round (~11–14°C / 52–57°F); run a 4/3–5/4 with hood and boots. Skill: intermediate to advanced. Despite enormous launch space you need genuine ocean/surf skills — self-rescue in breaking waves, body-dragging out through shorebreak, and reading the well-documented rip currents here; it's not a beginner beach. Launch & access: miles of wide, hard-packed sand. The Bolstad and Sid Snyder approaches in Long Beach and the Ocean Park/Klipsan approaches let you drive vehicles onto the beach — convenient, but cars share the sand, so watch traffic, soft-sand pockets, razor clammers and beachgoers. Hazards: powerful rips and dumping shorebreak, sneaker waves, cold-water fatigue, and strong tidal current at the Columbia River bar near the south end (Cape Disappointment) — stay well north of it. Crowds of kiters are rare, but the beach is busy with cars, and in the 3rd full week of August the huge Washington State International Kite Festival packs the Long Beach approach (avoid that section then). Offshore E winds and onshore-storm days are unsafe. Check Windfinder/Windy for Ilwaco/Long Beach and Cape Disappointment.