Is Aberdeen Washington, a lost cause? (Seattle, Ocean Shores: live, beaches, rated)

[texasdiver]

Yeah, I forgot about La Push. It is the only harbor and marina between Neah Bay and Westport and is pretty small. And it has a nasty bar which makes it pretty unusable as a place to seek shelter when weather comes up so not a place you can generally duck into for shelter when transiting the outer coast.

The problem with tourism on those small outer coast towns is lodging. Places like Neah Bay and La Push are a long ways from the more populated parts of Puget Sound so not really easy day trip locations. But there isn't much in the way of decent tourist lodging and certainly very few AirB&B compared to the Oregon Coast which probably has thousands. So if the tribes wanted to promote tourism they would probably also need to build vacation lodging. I'm not sure how politically viable it would be for them to invest in luxury lodging for tourists when many of their own people live in poverty with substandard housing. People sometimes stay in Forks but that isn't on the coast and isn't particularly interesting other than being relatively close to the national park. There are a few places like the small Quileute resort run by the tribe which is just a collection of cabins with RV parking: https://quileuteoceanside.com/ but that is about it.

It's not that there is NOTHING on the WA coast. But there is not very much if you want things like fine dining, seafood dinners, luxury accommodations, WiFi, and tourist shopping like you get pretty much everywhere on the OR coast.

[Diana Holbrook]

Perhaps it's a glass half empty or glass half full situation. Oregon has a better ocean front. Washington didn't develop the ocean front, perhaps because it has all of Puget Sound... a truly unique and remarkable maritime paradise. It's a little silly to say Washington has no good harbors and bays.... we have the best harbor of all. And that's where most of the development happened.

[Diana Holbrook]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

I'm not sure how politically viable it would be for them to invest in luxury lodging for tourists when many of their own people live in poverty with substandard housing.

Casinos have certainly done a lot to attract tourism and income for many of the tribes. Prior to COVID, anyway.


This one is nice... and RIGHT on the beach.

https://quinaultbeachresort.com/

[pnwguy2]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Casinos have certainly done a lot to attract tourism and income for many of the tribes. Prior to COVID, anyway.


This one is nice... and RIGHT on the beach.

https://quinaultbeachresort.com/

I visited there about 10 years ago and was not impressed. Sky high hotel rates and puny little casino. Maybe they have expanded since so I will give them the benefit of the doubt.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Diana Holbrook

Perhaps it's a glass half empty or glass half full situation. Oregon has a better ocean front. Washington didn't develop the ocean front, perhaps because it has all of Puget Sound... a truly unique and remarkable maritime paradise. It's a little silly to say Washington has no good harbors and bays.... we have the best harbor of all. And that's where most of the development happened.

Yes, a lot of Seattle area folks go to the San Juans which are much closer and have far more in the way of seaside amenities (lodging, restaurants, shopping, etc.) than the outer coast. Or they just go to Oregon. It is actually faster to drive from Seattle to say Canon Beach or Seaside OR than it is to drive from Seattle to La Push.

[CrazyDonkey]

Rialto Beach is worth the drive. Probably more like 5 hours if you include ferry waits and meal/bathroom stops. Last time I was there (pre-Covid), it was mobbed with day-trippers and sunset watchers, compared to 10 years before that, when you basically had the place to yourself. Second/Third Beach, Lake Ozette, and Shi-Shi are also 100% worth it.

It's less than a 2 1/2 hour drive from Aberdeen to La Push, and less than a 1 1/2 hour drive to Kalaloch, so well within reach for a day-trip.

[pnwguy2]

Seattle to Newport is going to be about a 5 and a half hour drive. Expect traffic on I-5 and Hwy 30 to be miserable. I would allow for atleast two and a half hours from Portland to Newport. On both routes. Traffic doesn't move quickly on the Oregon coast.

[Diana Holbrook]

Seaside is a different kind of trip than LaPush.

Depends whether you want to go someplace very remote and quiet, or a big tourist mecca with hundreds of people on the beach.

[Wheatridger]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Yes, a lot of Seattle area folks go to the San Juans which are much closer and have far more in the way of seaside amenities (lodging, restaurants, shopping, etc.) than the outer coast. Or they just go to Oregon. It is actually faster to drive from Seattle to say Canon Beach or Seaside OR than it is to drive from Seattle to La Push.

Last fall I tried to drive from SeaTac to Seaside in the 3.5 hours Google Maps recommended. With no traffic, only one comfort stop and driving over the limit, It took over 4 hours. I don't know what assumptions GM is making about driving styles, but I won't trust it again. Your comparison is apt, though. The current skimpy ferry schedules might make the NW Washington beaches even slower to get to.

[Wheatridger]

Originally Posted by CrazyDonkey

Rialto Beach is worth the drive. Probably more like 5 hours if you include ferry waits and meal/bathroom stops. Last time I was there (pre-Covid), it was mobbed with day-trippers and sunset watchers, compared to 10 years before that, when you basically had the place to yourself. Second/Third Beach, Lake Ozette, and Shi-Shi are also 100% worth it.

It's less than a 2 1/2 hour drive from Aberdeen to La Push, and less than a 1 1/2 hour drive to Kalaloch, so well within reach for a day-trip.

Shi Shi and Second Beaches have been closed for months due to COVID precautions. I LOVE the WA coast, but I'm surprised at how inaccessible it is.