Skip to Main Content

World's Longest Beach

World's Longest Drivable Beach

Field review by the editors.

Long Beach, Washington

Long Beach's large arch gateway leading to the Pacific Ocean is labeled "World's Longest Beach." In an age of armchair web searchers and global beach aficionados, it's hard for such a brazen civic claim to go unchallenged. Longest beach boosters in South America, New Zealand and Bangladesh point out its folly.

Stuck on the Longest Drivable Beach.

The Long Beach beach, a state park, is 28 miles in length. The sand expanse is densely packed enough to support most vehicles, and in years past, has been promoted as the "World's Longest Drivable Beach." This provided added incentive for tourists, who could drive the length of the beach and go home with something to brag about.

We discovered the hard way that only part of the beach is sturdy enough for driving -- like a navigable river channel -- and we'd only traveled a few hundred feet off the entrance pavement.

Today, parts of the drive are forbidden, to protect clam beds, and Long Beach hedges officially by saying they are the "World's Longest Continuous Peninsula Beach." There are no plans to correct the entrance sign. And from the Earth's other longest drivable beach claimants, we're waiting to hear more about how billboards promote those drives, and whether there's a lucrative career in towing stuck tourists....

Also see: Hypertour: On the Beach

World's Longest Drivable Beach

Address:
Bolstad St., Long Beach, WA
Directions:
Drive north along main drag in Long Beach, beach entry is well marked.
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

World's Largest ChopsticksWorld's Largest Chopsticks, Long Beach, WA - < 1 mi.
World's Largest Spitting ClamWorld's Largest Spitting Clam, Long Beach, WA - < 1 mi.
World's Largest Frying PanWorld's Largest Frying Pan, Long Beach, WA - < 1 mi.
In the region:
Town of Metal People, Raymond, WA - 28 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in Washington

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in Washington.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Save Cool Vacation Destinations! ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Washington Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

Easter Island Moai in America (Mar 25-31, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings