WASHINGTON
Rialto, Olympic national park
Washington state meets the Pacific Ocean along 157 miles of rugged coastline at the Olympic peninsula. Much of this shoreline has been incorporated into the Olympic national park, including the three miles of Rialto beach. Easy to walk, this wilderness beach is open to exploring, with views out to the forested James Island. North of the picnic area, Ellen Creek tumbles into the sea, and further on lies Split Rock, a massive sea stack with two pinnacles, the tops of which are crowned with dwarfed trees. Beyond that, you can explore Hole-in-the-Wall, a cavern-like sea arch carved out by the surf.
• nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-mora-and-rialto.htm
Kalaloch, Olympic national park
Photograph: AlamyFurther south, Kalaloch is the most popular of the Olympic peninsula beaches. Two nearby campgrounds, as well as the Kalaloch Lodge, make this an ideal national park beach for families, and a destination in itself. This is a wide, sandy beach hemmed in by a classic coastal forest, with Kalaloch Rocks, a series of sea stacks, just offshore. Piles of massive driftwood have been shoved up by the tides against the forested slopes. At low tide, when the rocks are left sitting in their shallow pools, you can poke around to find starfish and barnacles.
• nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-kalaloch-and-ruby-beach.htm
Westport
Photograph: AlamyEasy access from Seattle makes this beach something of a tourist destination, but that's no reason not to go. It's on a long spit jutting out into Grays Harbour, and surfers in particular have found a haven here, with numerous surf shops. The town of Westport also hosts the annual Clean Water Classic surfing competition. But there's much more to Westport than catching waves. Armed with a shovel and bucket, razor-clam enthusiasts find an abundant harvest here. From March to May, grey whale watching is popular. Westhaven and Westport Light state parks are nearby, and you can visit the Grays Harbour lighthouse, dating from 1898, and one of the tallest on the west coast.
• westportwa.com/activities/
Cannon Beach
Photograph: AlamyIn 1846, a US Navy schooner was wrecked on the Columbia river bar – a common fate for ships at the time. One piece of the vessel, a shard of deck with a cannon attached, washed ashore near what is now a quaint village on the north Oregon coast. Whether it's kite flying or looking for sea anemones in the numerous tidal pools, the level sands of Cannon Beach are one of Oregon's most popular. But the real centrepiece here is Haystack Rock, a 72m sea stack that casts an enormous presence over the beach. The rock itself is off limits, as it is a protected refuge for seabirds including puffins, murres and cormorants. Ambitious walkers can follow the shore south to Hug Point, four miles away, where you can see the remains of a 1920s roadway dynamited into the rock to allow driving at high tide.
• cannonbeach.org
Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City
Photograph: AlamyThe four-mile beach along Nestucca sand spit – home to Bob Straub state park – is a great place to ride the recumbent bicycles you can rent in Pacific City, just across the Nestucca river. The beach is long and sandy and draws crowds in summer, but the real attraction is Cape Kiwanda, a block of sandstone that stretches into the ocean towards another Haystack Rock a mile offshore (not to be confused with the Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach). The cape has trails that lead to impressive views of tide-carved channels churning with waves – one even blasts into a cave. But be careful not to leave the trail! If it's adventure you want, the massive sand dunes are equally spectacular, certainly for children, who can climb them and run or roll down.
• oregonstateparks.org
Nye Beach and Agate Beach, Newport
Photograph: AlamyThe city of Newport has a plethora of attractions including the Oregon Coast Aquarium, a Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum, plus two historic lighthouses and the 1,079m Yaquina Bay bridge – which carries US highway 101 across the bay. Nye Beach, which stretches nearly two miles along the Pacific, has its own attractions. Set above the north jetty, Yaquina Bay lighthouse, built in 1871, is both a navigation aid and a home. A walk northward along the beach leads to Jumpoff Joe, a headland with a tunnel, which leads on to Agate Beach, a destination not only for those looking for wave-polished agates but those who dig for razor clams.
• discovernewport.com
CALIFORNIA
Gold Bluffs beach, Prairie Creek Redwoods state park
Photograph: AlamyWhen you think of California redwoods, you may bring to mind deep forests in fabled northern California, but what few realise is how close they are to the ocean. Redwoods, with their aversion to saltwater, do not grow directly on the coast, so you won't see any along Gold Bluffs Beach, part of the Prairie Creek Redwoods Park. What you will see are herds of elk browsing in the morning fog. The California Coastal Trail runs right along this beach, giving access to untrammelled coastline and little-known waterfalls. Though you'd never know it, this beach experienced a short-lived gold rush in the 1850s. Today the bluffs towering above this stretch are the only gold left, especially at sunset.
Manchester beach, Manchester state park
Photograph: Lee Foster/Getty Images/Dorling KindersleyFive miles of beach stretch along this "catch basin", a gently curving bay that collects ocean debris – there's always a large amount of driftwood. The area is known for its high winds, as the wind-bent breaks of Monterey cypress attest. All par for the course for the Pacific, and yet there is much that sets this beach apart. Alder Creek, which empties into the ocean here, is a spawning spot for steelhead trout. Trails lead to ponds, bluffs, grasslands, and dunes. The Point Arena lighthouse, built in 1870 and rebuilt after the 1906 earthquake, is open for tours. Indeed the San Andreas Fault runs from the land to the sea here. Manchester state park is home to a variety of coastal wildflowers, including poppies, lupines, and irises, as well as tundra swans.
• parks.ca.gov
Stinson Beach
Photograph: AlamyJust north of San Francisco, Stinson Beach is surrounded by the Point Reyes national seashore, in the shadow of Mount Tamalpais, and nearby Marin Headlands. With such imposing neighbours, the beach may not jump to mind as a destination, unless you're a local. But this unassuming three-and-a-half mile stretch of golden sand draws swimmers, volleyball players and beachcombers, and has done for nearly a century. Today it is part of the Golden Gate national recreation area. Though lifeguards are on duty, swimmers should be wary of sharks. If that scares you off, there are plenty of barbecue grills, picnic areas and a snack bar for a leisurely afternoon.
• stinsonbeachonline.com
Baker beach, San Francisco
Photograph: AlamySan Francisco may have the reputation as a sprawling urban area, but the City by the Bay also has marvellous beaches. For scenery alone, Baker beach is the best. With unimpeded views of the Golden Gate bridge and the Marin Headlands, as well as the mouth of the bay, the beach is a landmark, and part of the large Presidio national landmark, itself a section of Golden Gate national park. Hemmed in by outcrops of grey-green serpentine cliffs, the mile-long beach is great for sunbathing and barbecuing, but not for swimming – with unpredictable rip currents, undertows, and imposing waves. Fishing, however, is perfectly fine.
• parksconservancy.org/visit/park-sites/baker-beach.html
Sean Patrick Hill is a writer, naturalist, and teacher living in Portland.
• For more information on holidays in the USA, visit DiscoverAmerica.com
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