Things to do beyond Pacific Beach

Taholah

Just north of Moclips across the river is the Quinault Indian Nation reservation, established by treaty in 1855. The tribe's Chief Taholah Days celebration around July 4th marks their founding. The oldest rocks found along the Washington coast are located at Point Grenville at the south end of the QIN. These are a collection of spectacular volcanic seastack rocks laid down 45-50 million years ago. You must purchase a tribal beach pass to visit the beaches at Taholah and Point Grenville. More remote spectacular sites - the rocks of Cape Elizabeth, Elephant Rock, and the Quinault River - require an Indian guide. http://www.quinaultindiannation.com/

Lake Quinault

As spectacular as the ocean beaches is the scenery at Lake Quinault - reached by a half hour drive from the North Beach. The Lake Quinault Lodge, set on a magnificent lakeside site, was constructed in 53 days in 1926. The previous Log Hotel from the 1880s had burned down two years before. FDR visited the lodge in 1937 and established the Olympic National Park shortly after. Along the North Shore Road beyond the lake, the park service is restoring the Kestner Homestead, a farm established in the early 1900s. The homestead is reached by a 3/4 mile loop trail through a rain forest dominated by big maple trees. A funny sight is the old 1930s delivery truck sitting rusting in a field with the passenger cabin all full of vines. Two ancient trees - at least 1,000 years old - can be reached by short trails: The Quinault Big Cedar on the North Shore Road and the Big Spruce on the South Shore Road.

http://www.visitlakequinault.com/

Ocean Shores


Westport

Another collection of historic attractions are found at Westport - a one hour drive from North Beach. The Grays Harbor lighthouse is the tallest in the state, built in 1898. The docents give an excellent tour. The Westport Maritime Museum, occupying the old coastguard station building, features two complete whale skeletons and the very beautiful Destruction Island lighthouse Fresnel lens. Fresnel was a company in France that made all the world's lighthouse lenses during the 1800s. Each lens was custom made and the Destruction Island lens is particularly beautiful: displayed in its own building, rotating, and with a white light shining out from it. http://westportwa.com/museum/ Marking the mouth of the Grays Harbor entrance are two jetties built over 8-12 years in the early 1900s. The North Jetty sits at the bottom of the Ocean Shores peninsula and the South Jetty is found at Westport. These are great spots to clamber up on the rocks and watch the big ocean waves roll in unimpeded by a beach. You can often spot wildlife here too: I've seen seals, pelicans, and a shark (just its dorsal fin). This interesting website recounts the history of the jetties and their effect on coastal erosion. http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/coast/erosion/oc_shores.html