Contrary to the proclamation "The World's Longest Beach" emblazoned on the archway over Bolstad street in the town of Long Beach, the beach here is not the longest beach in the world. It should be called the "World's Longest Continuous Peninsula Beach" because it is the world's longest beach on a peninsula. It stretches 28 miles along Washington's southwest coast starting close to where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean and it then extends north to the entrance to Gray's Harbor. To get an eagle's eye view of Long Beach, go to Bell's View in Cape Disappointment State Park. It is a viewing platform constructed at the end of a quarter mile long paved trail along the top of North Head, which is the rocky headland that forms the southern boundary of Long Beach. It seems like you can see forever from up there. You may also see some of the bald eagles that inhabit the area. Long Beach is the site of the week long Washington State International Kite Festival held annually during the third week of August. Tens of thousands of spectators enjoy the performances of expert kite fliers that come here from around the world. It is one of the largest kite festivals in North America and probably the closest thing you can experience to Kite Heaven.
Kite flying activities include kite trains, Rokkaku kite battles, sport kites, lighted kites flying at night, freestyle competition and kite flying choreographed to music. Very spectacular are the mass ascensions, where hundreds of kites are launched simultaneously. The biggest kits do not look like traditional kites at all. You can see them as fish, dogs, tigers, crabs, colorful geometric shapes that spin around, and even a few superheroes.
Many people are attracted to Long Beach because they can drive on it. Long Beach is actually an official Washington State highway with a 25 mph speed limit. A four-wheel drive vehicle is helpful but not required. Beach driving tip: keep to the right and avoid the areas where the sand is completely dry; and drive instead where it is wet or damp. You will get much better traction this way. Getting towed is expensive, and embarrassing, especially if any of the locals are watching you!
Heavy Drums Bass by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/