Washington's Quiet Beach State Park Is A Low-Cost Gem With Scenic Shoreline, Wildlife, And Easy Hiking

Along its scenic stretches of the Pacific Ocean, Washington boasts more than 3,000 miles of coastline. Home to gorgeous coastal cities with expansive beaches and kite-friendly breezes, the Evergreen State has no shortage of family-friendly destinations offering remarkable views of harbors, bays, and wide-open ocean. For an affordable, no-fuss way to get your nature fix on the southern end of the Olympic Peninsula — home to one of the best small beach towns in America, Olympic National Park, and Olympic National Forest — don't miss a stop at Bottle Beach State Park. The modest yet ecologically significant park stretches along 6,000 feet of shoreline just north of the small community of Ocosta, on the southern tide flats of Grays Harbor.

Bottle Beach is an affordable way to spend an afternoon, whether you're looking for a leisurely walk, clamming year-round, or you brought your binoculars for spotting local wildlife. As of this writing, the daily parking fee, known as a Discover Pass, is $10 for one day. Or, for $30 for the whole year, you can visit other must-see spots around the state, like this rocky coastal paradise full of beaches and trails or a park with trees so unique they're considered "living fossils," among many others. It basically pays for itself in just three visits. Bottle Beach State Park is open dawn to dusk every day of the year. While spring and summer are popular for birding and warmer weather, don't miss the fall migrations, too.

Bottle Beach State Park boasts one of the most important areas for shorebirds along the Pacific Coast. Thanks to the offshore mudflats' abundant source of tiny, shrimp-like crustaceans that collect in phenomenal numbers — 55,000 per square meter (about 13.6 in some places — hundreds of thousands of migrating birds make Bottle Beach their eatery of choice every spring. Avians like sandpipers, semipalmated plovers, dunlin, and red knots are a prominent feature of the shoreline from late April into early May, and a number of other species of plover, dowitchers, whimbrels, and more pop through in the fall.

Follow the Bottle Beach Interpretive Trail is an easy, .7-mile route (technically 1.3 miles out-and-back) to traverse around 9.5 acres of restored marsh habitat. Flat and ADA-accessible, this trail starts at the parking lot and is for pedestrians only, so you won't be competing for space with bikes or other motorized vehicles. You'll also be able to stop at any of the three viewing platforms and cross a bridge over Redman Slough to take in the beautiful view and seasonal wildlife. The birdwatching is so important here that this route is formally designated as a Washington State Birding Trail.

Like many Washington State Parks, Bottle Beach participates in First Day Hikes, a celebration of the New Year for which Washington State Parks waives daily fees and holds special events to encourage a new calendar year full of hiking and the enjoying the outdoors. Unfortunately, dogs aren't allowed in this park due to the fragility of the marsh and making sure that the birds and other wildlife aren't disturbed.

A large majority of Bottle Beach State Park is co-named the Ruby Egbert Natural Area in honor of a local resident, bird-enthusiast, and nature-lover who made a sizable financial contribution toward the creation of the park in 2009. The area was formerly called Ocasta-by-the-Sea, a shipping terminal for the Northern Pacific Railroad, which has since been almost totally dismantled, but you'll still see the remains of pilings from the old wharf at low tide and the brick foundation of a railroad turntable on the beach.

The easiest way to get to Bottle Beach State Park is to drive, taking about two hours and 20 minutes (with traffic) to reach from Seattle and two hours and 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon. This quiet region isn't a locus of big hotel chains, but if small coastal motels and cottages are you vibe, you're in for a treat. 

The closest sizeable town is Westport, 10 minutes by car around South Bay, where you'll find cozy LOGE Westport, a surf-themed hotel with a communal, cabin-like vibe and surf equipment rentals to boot. Marina Cottages, which overlook both the Westport Marina and the Pacific Ocean, are cute, rustic, and dog-friendly, too (even though you can't bring Fido to the beach with you). There isn't any camping at Bottle Beach, but you're only 9 miles from Grayland Beach State Park, which offers full-hookup sites, primitive sites, and yurts.