Took a drive to the coast... (Vancouver, Pacific: camp, safe, beach)

[MtnSurfer]

And it was jaw-droppingly beautiful!!!

Thanks for all your recommendations. You motivated me to give a go. The hardest part was picking only one destination with so many options.

I decided to give Smugglers Cove a try since none of us had seen it before. My son and I hit the waves and it was really great! The most amazing thing apart from the lush beauty of the area was how warm the water is right now. We were expecting to freeze without gloves, booties, hoods, etc... coming from CA with our thinner wetsuits. But oh no, the water is actually close to 60! There were even a few surfers out without wetsuits and kids were playing in their swimsuits.



























Derek

[texasdiver]

Nice! How was the parking? I've never stopped there but when I drive by it looks like the lot is always full.

[MtnSurfer]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Nice! How was the parking? I've never stopped there but when I drive by it looks like the lot is always full.

Yeah, that was the funny part. We wound up leaving way too late ~ 11:30AM. I was thinking parking on a weekend would be a nightmare. So as I'm pulling into the small lot right in front of the trailhead I see brake lights. Sure enough a car was pulling out and we got a lucky break. But yes, other folks were walking from further away. Next time I would definitely leave earlier.

The thing I'm really glad we didn't do was go to Cannon Beach. We drove through it on the way back thinking we'd grab a quick bite to eat. What a zoo that place was on a Saturday afternoon with hordes of people from PDX and Vancouver! So we high tailed it out of there and found something else on the drive back - a great little coffee/smoothie stand that also had some various snacks. It was perfect for a quick stop, grabbed smoothies and we were back on the road.

Derek

[Ruth4Truth]

OP, I swim in Monterey Bay without a wet suit. I also went to summer camp in the San Juans many years, and all the kids got basic swimming instruction, to make sure they'd be safe when boating. We got used to the 48-degree temps. Of course, we'd have to take long warm showers after being in the water a long time, because of the hypothermia. Growing up in the Bay Area, we'd play in the ocean water in bathing suits. IDK what you expect kids to do; put on wet suits to play in the water? It's natural to play in the waves, and wade in deep.

Your kids must be picking up a wonderful love of nature from you. Are any of them interested in photography yet?

Is that a photo of someone surfing out there? I didn't know you could do that on the WA coast.

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

OP, I swim in Monterey Bay without a wet suit. I also went to summer camp in the San Juans many years, and all the kids got basic swimming instruction, to make sure they'd be safe when boating. We got used to the 48-degree temps. Of course, we'd have to take long warm showers after being in the water a long time, because of the hypothermia. Growing up in the Bay Area, we'd play in the ocean water in bathing suits. IDK what you expect kids to do; put on wet suits to play in the water? It's natural to play in the waves, and wade in deep.

Your kids must be picking up a wonderful love of nature from you. Are any of them interested in photography yet?

Is that a photo of someone surfing out there? I didn't know you could do that on the WA coast.

People surf the entire Pacific Coast all the way up to Alaska. In fact Yakutat Alaska is a surfing mecca for very hard-core surfers.

[Jane917]

Thanks for sharing your journey. We always try to avoid Cannon Beach (and Seaside) on a summer weekend. If you go before June 15 it is a different experience. We try to spend a week at Gleneden Beach (south of Lincoln City) a week each June, but always get out of there before the 15th. Try to avoid Lincoln City at all costs.

[silibran]

Originally Posted by Jane917

Thanks for sharing your journey. We always try to avoid Cannon Beach (and Seaside) on a summer weekend. If you go before June 15 it is a different experience. We try to spend a week at Gleneden Beach (south of Lincoln City) a week each June, but always get out of there before the 15th. Try to avoid Lincoln City at all costs.

We go to Cannon Beach before Memorial Day and after Labor Day, and usually mid week.

But the beach at Ecola State Park is much less popular than the Haystack beach. But of course, the city will have throngs of people there on a Summer weekend.

But yeah—the Coast is glorious. We love it.

There are some more secluded beaches south of Cannon Beach.