Beaches Near San Francisco

8/10/2019 Beaches Near San Francisco

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Stinson Beach on the California coast near San Francisco Photograph: Alamy

Sean Patrick Hill

Saturday 25 May 2013 00.10 BST

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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 arecrowned with dwarfed trees. Beyond that, you can explore Hole-in-the-Wall, a
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cavern-like sea arch carved out by the surf.

nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-mora-and-rialto.htm

Kalaloch, Olympic national park

Photograph: Alamy

Further south, Kalaloch is the most popular of the Olympic peninsula beaches.

Two nearby campgrounds, as well as theKalaloch 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 seastacks, 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: Alamy
http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-mora-and-rialto.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-mora-and-rialto.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-mora-and-rialto.htmhttp://www.thekalalochlodge.com/http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/http://www.thekalalochlodge.com/http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-kalaloch-and-ruby-beach.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-kalaloch-and-ruby-beach.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-kalaloch-and-ruby-beach.htmhttp://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-kalaloch-and-ruby-beach.htmhttp://www.thekalalochlodge.com/http://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-mora-and-rialto.htm


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Easy 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 annualClean Water Classicsurfing 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.WesthavenandWestport Lightstate

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/

OREGON

Cannon Beach

Photograph: Alamy

In 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
http://www.cleanwaterclassic.com/http://www.cleanwaterclassic.com/http://www.cleanwaterclassic.com/http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Light&subject=allhttp://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Light&subject=allhttp://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Light&subject=allhttp://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Lighthttp://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Lighthttp://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Lighthttp://westportwa.com/activities/http://westportwa.com/activities/http://westportwa.com/activities/http://westportwa.com/activities/http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Lighthttp://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Westport%20Light&subject=allhttp://www.cleanwaterclassic.com/


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Photograph: Alamy

The city of Newport has a plethora of attractions including theOregon 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
http://aquarium.org/http://aquarium.org/http://aquarium.org/http://aquarium.org/http://discovernewport.com/http://discovernewport.com/http://discovernewport.com/http://discovernewport.com/http://aquarium.org/http://aquarium.org/


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Photograph: Alamy

When 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 thePrairie Creek

Redwoods Park.What you will see are herds of elk browsing in the morning fog.

TheCalifornia Coastal Trailruns 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 Kindersley
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=415http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=415http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=415http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=415http://www.californiacoastaltrail.info/cms/pages/main/index.htmlhttp://www.californiacoastaltrail.info/cms/pages/main/index.htmlhttp://www.californiacoastaltrail.info/cms/pages/main/index.htmlhttp://www.californiacoastaltrail.info/cms/pages/main/index.htmlhttp://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=415http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=415


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Photograph: Alamy

San 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 ofGolden 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.
http://www.parksconservancy.org/http://www.parksconservancy.org/http://www.parksconservancy.org/http://www.parksconservancy.org/

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Beaches Near San Francisco