In the print dialog pick “Save as PDF” to keep it on your phone. A5 makes a pocket booklet; A4 suits a desk printer.
Voykit pocket guide · United States
Pacific Beach
Skip unless you want a quiet, car-accessible beach with no crowds: half a day or one night is enough.
Pacific Beach is a tiny town on the Washington coast with a wide, sandy beach where dogs, cars, fires and fireworks are allowed — unlike Olympic National Park beaches north of Point Grenville. It is the closest ocean beach from Seattle via Olympia or Aberdeen, but there is little else: no shops, no nightlife, one restaurant open to the public. Come for a walk, a campfire or a sunset, then move on.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (cold, rain, short days)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $50–100 excl. bed · Mid $100–200 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Camping at Pacific Beach State Park (tent site) | $30–60 per night |
| Motel room at Pacific Beach Resort | $100–200 per night |
| Meal at the Windjammer restaurant | $15–30 per person |
| Gas (per gallon) | $4–5 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SEA · Seattle-Tacoma International
- About 2.5 h drive via Olympia or Aberdeen; no public transport direct to Pacific Beach
Typical fares
- Seattle → Pacific Beach by car
- about 2.5 h, 150 miles, no tolls
- Hoquiam → Pacific Beach by car
- about 30 min via Ocean Beach Road
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Walk: the town is about 1 mile end to end. A car is needed to reach the beach from Highway 109 or Ocean Beach Road.
See and do
Known for
- 50-mile drivable beach from Ocean Shores to Point Grenville
- Pacific Beach State Park campground on the ocean
- Dogs, cars, fires and fireworks allowed on the beach
- Windjammer restaurant and bowling alley at the Pacific Beach Resort
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Ocean Shores | Drive south on Highway 109, about 15 min | About 20 min |
| Moclips | Drive north on Highway 109, about 10 min | About 15 min |
| Quinault Rain Forest | Drive north on Highway 109 to Taholah, then east on the Quinault reservation road, about 1 h | About 1.5 h |
| Aberdeen | Drive south on Ocean Beach Road or Highway 109, about 30 min | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Pacific Beach State Park
- Campground and RV park directly on the sand; book ahead in summer.
- Pacific Beach Resort
- Motel, RV park and vacation rentals for retired military; Windjammer restaurant and bowling alley open to the public.
- Private vacation rentals
- A few houses listed on Airbnb and VRBO; check availability well in advance.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | Hello |
| Thank you | Thank you |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Where is the beach? | Where is the beach? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- No grocery store or gas station in town: stock up in Hoquiam or Aberdeen.
- Beach driving is allowed but check tide tables: avoid soft sand and incoming tides.
- Cell service is patchy; download maps and directions before you arrive.
- The Windjammer restaurant hours are check: call ahead.
Pacific Beach is very safe. The main risks are beach driving (soft sand, incoming tide) and the lack of services: no gas, no grocery, limited cell service. Bring what you need.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Pacific Beach yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- 50-mile drivable beach from Ocean Shores to Point Grenville
- Pacific Beach State Park campground on the ocean
- Dogs, cars, fires and fireworks allowed on the beach
- Windjammer restaurant and bowling alley at the Pacific Beach Resort
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Pacific Beach State Park: www.parks.wa.gov/559/Pacific-Beach
- Wikivoyage: Pacific Beach, revision 3594630 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=3594630
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Pacific Beach
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
The nearest US embassy is in Seattle (check address); most foreign consulates are in Seattle or Portland.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/pacific-beach). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.