Distance to closest 'real' Beaches (Seattle, Tacoma: appointed, real estate, employment)

[MtnSurfer]

Hello,

I am curious how long it takes to go to the nicer Pacific Ocean beaches near Seattle such as Second Beach with the beautiful scenery and wildlife.

My hobby is nature photography. So the sandy areas around the Sound don't really interest me that much. I want to see waves crashing on the rocks, seastacks, etc...

If someone wanted better beach access would it be best to live in lets say Tacoma? That way you could drive to Westport.

Thanks,

Derek

[neptune]

The prettiest parts of Washington's Pacific coast are in Olympic National Park, about a 4-5 hour drive from Seattle. Ocean Shores is closest to Seattle metro but it's not very scenic; Westport is ok, but none of Washington's coastal towns are like California's if that's what you're asking. IMO you're more likely to see marine wildlife from the San Juans. If you want to live closest to the Pacific Ocean though, Olympia is closer than Tacoma, and somewhere in Kitsap might be even faster b/c you take the back roads to get there.

[MtnSurfer]

Wow,

4-5 hours to Olympic National Park seems a lot longer than I thought just looking at a map. Is that because you have to cross the Sound?

I guess if that were the case I would rather travel south to Tacoma first, then either NW or SW toward the coast. That would seem faster than the alternative.

The reason I would need to live near Seattle or another larger city is for employment opportunities.

[jwb123]

It's only about 3.5 hours to Pacific County, like the Long Beach/Ocean Park area. It's a basic coast line though (dunes, sand, water), not particularly "scenic" by some standards.

[MtnSurfer]

Neptune - I am not really interested in 'California' type beaches per se although Big Sur and N. Cal. does have some very scenic coastline.

I am really looking for those rugged PNW coastlines with sea stacks, waves and wildlife. Here is just one of many examples of a great landscape from Second Beach:
Discussion Forums

It actually sounds like it would only an be hour or so more to drive to the Olympic National Park coast from Vancouver/Portland than driving there from Seattle. Is that because you have to cross the Sound to go more direct?

I am really looking for the ideal place to live and work near a relatively large city (eg - Seattle, Tacoma, Vancouver/Portland) while having great access to beautiful coastlines and mountains.

Maybe Vancouver/Portland would be better in this regard as much of the Oregon coast would be accessible as well. And ONP within 5-6 hours. Hmm ...

[bmsea]

Westport is about 2 hours from seatac (2-1/2 hours from Downtown Seattle) and from Westport to Tokeland, you have 18 miles of sandy pacific northwest beaches.
You can look at pics on my blog at Discovering Westport
Westport has the jetty and marina, as well as beaches. Grayland is just one long state-highway of a beach, and Tokeland is on the mouth of the Willapa River where the bay opens up into the Pacific Ocean. Beautiful tidelands.

To get there, take I-5 to Olympia, and then head toward Aberdeen. In Aberdeen, turn left when you see the sign to Westport and follow highway 105 until it dead ends and you have to either turn right to Westport or left to Grayland/Raymond. At that point, you can go straight, and you're on the beach, or continue on... right to Westport, left to Grayland/Tokeland.

You won't be disappointed!

[bmsea]

Originally Posted by neptune

If you want to live closest to the Pacific Ocean though, Olympia is closer than Tacoma, and somewhere in Kitsap might be even faster b/c you take the back roads to get there.

The back roads take a lot longer, from my experience! You're better off staying on the main highways!

[Redline]

I'd say about 1300 miles to San Diego.

[chris]

MtnSurfer,

If being close to those beaches is your priority then you'd probably want to live in Port Angeles (), although there's not a lot going on there.

Second Beach is obviously really cool along with the other beaches in the LaPush area all the way up to the NW tip of the state in terms of scenery.

Most areas south of Pacific Beach are going to be flat land (like others mentioned) and not a lot in terms of scenic, memorable areas, unless you like driftwood, bonfires and driving on the beach (which I do like).

[neptune]

Originally Posted by bmsea

The back roads take a lot longer, from my experience! You're better off staying on the main highways!

When I say back road, I mean anything other than a national interstate According to mapquest, it's 3 hours from Port Orchard to Forks and 3.5 hours from Olympia.

MtnSurfer Portland/Vancouver isn't a bad idea at all, although a recent affordability index gave Seattle slightly better marks because the economy is so much stronger here, so the cheaper real estate doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. Oregon's beaches are generally a lot more scenic and it's easier to get to them from 101, but there are coastal areas within Olympic National Park that trump all of the above, unfortunately they are much more remote than they look on a map, and they're not right off the highway. The only rain forests in continental US are also nearby. But if you live in the Portland area you could always drive up on occasion and the rest of the time be 1.5 hours from Canon Beach.