A Road Trip through Washington State’s Forgotten Coast

Jul 28, 2023

ByAllison WilliamsAugust 31, 2023

Image: Jordan Kay

The sands of Westport Light State Park fill with surfers year-round, the wet suits a reminder that this is no tropical coast. A nearly mile-long jetty reaches into the waves, walkable for anyone willing to step from boulder to boulder—going even a few feet out gives you an up-close view of the athletes hanging 10.

Official clamming days are set by state regulators. When they give the go-ahead, low tide turns into party time at Twin Harbors State Park. Most razor clam hunters use a clam gun (not what it sounds like—it’s just a PVC tube) to extract the mollusks from their sandy slumber. Gear is rentable, but it’s BYO big rubber boots.

Tokeland Hotel, with its claim to be the state's oldest inn, got a serious upgrade when Seattle chef Heather Earnhardt showed up in 2018, eventually reopening her Southern-themed Wandering Goose restaurant there. Though the baked goods and resident yellow lab, Gus, provide stiff competition, the newest charmer is a set of wood-fired hot tubs outside, open to views of Willapa Bay and its resident waterfowl.

The logging town of Raymond hasn’t given up on the lumber industry; stacks of logs still fill big lots at the edge of town. But within the old city blocks, you’d be forgiven for thinking that beer was the most exciting commodity. Pitchwood Alehouse celebrates coastal brews in a classic small-town tavern, while Wild Man Brewing bottles mead alongside West Coast standards, like an IPA called Everybody Loves Raymond.

Start: Westport, State Route 105End: Raymond, State Route 105Distance: 38 miles