Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge
Managed by United States Fish and Wildlife Service
603 acres
No dogs
Directionsto the trailhead
Photo: Steven Pavlov · CC BY-SA 4.0A−Outdoors
Outdoors in Hoquiam
13% of Hoquiam’s land is conserved, and 97% of residents live within a half mile of a park
13% of Hoquiam’s land is conserved, about 769 acres. 123 acres are parks and preserves, 14 per 1,000 residents. 2.4 miles of mapped trail cross Hoquiam, 0.3 per square mile of land.
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns · #119 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
13%
769 acres · of 9.5 sq mi of land
Trails
2.4 mi
0.3 per sq mi of land
Park land
123 ac
14 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
97%
of residents within ½ mile
Lakes & rivers
2
6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Hoquiam?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Hoquiam have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Hoquiam is ahead of 76% of U.S. towns, #119 of 285 in Washington. The share of residents near a park holds the grade up; trail miles pull it down.
A−
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Hoquiam’s overall grade.
Conserved land13% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%A−Trails0.3 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (2 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4B−Park land14 acres of park per 1,000 residents (123 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13BParks close to home97% of residents within a half mile of a park · WA 92% · U.S. 72%A−
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 76%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 58%
Water is 42% of Hoquiam’s area (7 of 16 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 7%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from B+ to A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Elton Bennett Park
Park
13 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Sonshine Park
Park
10 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
John Gable Community Park
Park
9 acres0.2 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 12 parks & preserves
John Gable Community Park9 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsRayonier Point Park2 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
DirectionsGrays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge603 acres · United States Fish and Wildlife Service
DirectionsElton Bennett Park13 acres
Sonshine Park10 acres
Beacon Hill Park3 acres · City of Hoquiam
Little Hoquiam Boat Launch1 acres · City of Hoquiam
DirectionsJohnny Green Riverside Dike Park1 acres
DirectionsArt Pocklington Central Playfield1 acres
28th Street Landing and Boat Launch1 acres · Port of Grays Harbor
DirectionsOld Cannery Park1 acres · City of Hoquiam
DirectionsEmerson Triangle Park1 acres · City of Hoquam
DirectionsWho protects it
769 conserved acres
13% of Hoquiam’s land. Water is left out: Hoquiam has 9.5 square miles of land and 6.9 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Hoquiam’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service1,205 ac
Town or city106 ac
County39 ac
State natural resources19 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits1 ac
National Wildlife Refuge · 1,205 acLocal Other or Unknown · 86 acLocal Park · 58 acUnknown Easement · 19 acState Resource Management Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 19 acres are conservation easements, usually private land. Public access isn’t recorded for 2 of 14 parcels. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge | U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service | 1,205 | Restricted |
| Loth64 Local Other or Unknown | Town or city | 48 | Open |
| Loth203 Local Other or Unknown | County | 39 | Unknown |
| John Gable Community Park Local Park | Town or city | 16 | Open |
| Elton Bennett Park Local Park | Town or city | 15 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 13 | Open |
| Lions City Park Local Park | Town or city | 8 | Open |
| Beacon Hill Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Rayonier Point Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Hoquiam Surge Plain I & II State Resource Management Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 1 | Open |
2 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
29 places to go in Hoquiam
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Hoquiam
Little Mario
DirectionsPlus 14 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Boat launches in Hoquiam
28th Street Boat LaunchIn 28th Street Landing and Boat Launch
DirectionsLittle Hoquiem River Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 4 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Hoquiam
Waterfront Viewing TowerIn 28th Street Landing and Boat Launch
DirectionsPlus 7 scenic views without a name on the map.
Trails & water
1 named trail and 2 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 0.9 mi
Sandpiper Trail0.7 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
9Basketball
6Tennis
6Baseball
4Softball
2Football
2Soccer
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →12 places on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service). The map also marks 6 historic points from OpenStreetMap: plaques, memorials and old buildings.
Hoquiam's CastleBuilding · listed 1973
About itF. Arnold Polson House and Polson, Alex, GroundsBuilding · listed 1979
About itHoquiam River BridgeStructure · listed 1982
About itCarnegie LibraryBuilding · listed 1982
About itLachlin McTaggert HouseBuilding · listed 1985
About itSeventh Street TheaterBuilding · listed 1987
About itJoseph Lytle HomeBuilding · listed 1990
About itUS Post Office-Hoquiam MainBuilding · listed 1991
About itJudge Charles W. Hodgdon HouseBuilding · listed 2005
About itHoquiam Olympic StadiumBuilding · listed 2006
About itMasonic Temple-HoquiamBuilding · listed 2007
About itAmerican Veterans Building-HoquiamBuilding · listed 2011
About itWhen to get out
The best walking months in Hoquiam: May to September
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 8.9 | 10.2 | 11.8 | 13.5 | 15.0 | 15.9 | 15.5 | 14.2 | 12.5 | 10.8 | 9.3 | 8.5 |
| High (°F) | 48 | 50 | 53 | 56 | 61 | 64 | 68 | 69 | 68 | 60 | 52 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 12.9 | 7.9 | 9.3 | 6.2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.0 | 8.2 | 12.9 | 12.4 |
July is the driest month (1.0 in) and August the warmest (highs of 69 °F). 12.9 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Hoquiam →
Next door
Hoquiam and its neighbors
Hoquiam has the second most mapped trails of the 2 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hoquiam | 13% | 0.3 | 14 | 97% | A− |
| Aberdeen | 8% | 0.6 | 25 | 98% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Hoquiam
Where can I hike in Hoquiam?
The longest trail networks: John Gable Community Park, 0.2 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Hoquiam is conserved land?
13% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Washington town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Hoquiam’s trails?
Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge and Elton Bennett Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Hoquiam?
14,322 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Hoquiam or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 377 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Hoquiam have?
Ahead of 76% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #119 of 285 in Washington. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Hoquiam neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →