Book excerpt: • Best hiking trails, campsites, fishing spots, paddle routes, beachcombing, and more • Trip and activity options include related natural history information • Includes Olympic National Park's spectacular 70-mile-long wilderness beach strip A wild ocean snuggled up to a wild land in the furthest corner of our Lower 48 states—the Washington coast is a unique adventure destination and this new guidebook covers all 157 miles of it. Whether you’re out for a single day of salt air and sand castles, or a week long backpack with surf lulling you to sleep at night, you’ll discover your best options with Washington’s Pacific Coast. Author Greg Johnston has had a long and intimate relationship with this coast, and his voice is distinctive, passionate, often opinionated, and clearly knowledgeable. His authoritative guide provides detailed, fun, and family-friendly activities, as well as expansive information, history, and geology. (If Captain Cook passed by where you are, this guide will tell you—and make the trip feel all the more satisfying.) In addition to numerous hiking options—including some never-before-published trails—Greg covers every state park along the coast, other public parks, campgrounds, fishing and clamming spots, paddling options, and the best beachcombing destinations. In addition to describing the abundant outdoor recreation opportunities, Johnston also delves into the rich cultural and natural history of the coast, as well as practical details such as tsunami preparedness, Leave No Trace practices, weather and ocean beach precautions, and more.