Westport Spot Guide

North of the Long Beach Peninsula, sprawling woods and lowlands are punctured deeply by Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor, both surrounded by summertime beachbreak, damp sand dunes and depressed communities such as Moclips, Tokeland and Copalis Beach.

On the outer edge of Grays Harbor is Westport. It's another depressing burg of the poverty stricken Washington coast, home to more endless miles of beachbreak, heavy swell and onshore winds. Dreary, vacant streets with seemingly perpetual overcast. Fishing and charter boats stuffed into the marina, large American trucks bumper stickered with "Supported By Fishing Dollars." Beach access south of town is found at Midway Beach Road, Cranberry Beach Road, Grayland Beach Road, Bonge Avenue and Schafer Road.

About a mile south of the South Jetty is Westport Light State Park, another dunes beach but with a steeper drop-off than of that found at the jetty. More funky sandbars, more closeouts, more wind. The two principal surf spots in this area are the South Jetty -- another standard jetty break that gets very good on occasion -- and Half Moon Bay, on the other side of the jetty, tucked into the harbor entrance. It's a crescent of white sand, driftwood and a Coast Guard watchtower surrounded by dunes to the south and jetties and the Westport marina to the north. It's not a real scenic spot, but one that proves mighty invaluable during the huge, south-wind days/weeks of winter. It's a shallow, flat-bottomed beachbreak that's hollow and fast for a section or two.

The north end is bigger but windier. Dumpy waves -- no real length to them, but you can get shacked. Directly across the bay is Ocean Shores, home to another half-baked jetty setup. If you care to venture into an even more depressing area with even more beachbreak, embark onto Highway 109 out of Aberdeen. Lined with clear-cuts, the road first takes you into Ocean City, which offers a few temperamental sandbars at the end of Second Avenue. Then it's on to not-so-lovely Copalis Beach, with beach access through Griffiths-Priday Ocean State Park, at the end of Benner Road. The Copalis River empties here, and, yes, it might get good during the early summer. Farther north is Roosevelt Beach Road before the sagging face of Pacific Beach comes into view. Here, you can hit the water by taking Homer Street to Analyde Gap Road or by sliding into Pacific Beach State Park, at the end of Second Street. Finally, up in tiny Moclips, the beach lies at the end of Second Street. Above Moclips, the 23 convoluted miles of the private Quinault Indian Reservation remain off-limits to surfing and the general public, and a only select few can brag of surf within its borders, namely at one excellent right-hand pointbreak.