Seashore Conservation Area
Managed by Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
529 acres3.9 mi of trail
Ocean Shores Beach Highway
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Photo: Michael Barratt · Public domainA+Outdoors
Outdoors in Ocean Shores
28% of Ocean Shores’ land is conserved: 1,502 acres
9.6 miles of mapped trail cross Ocean Shores, 1.1 per square mile of land. 96% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 344 acres are parks and preserves, 47 per 1,000 residents.
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns · #15 of 285 in Washington. What drives it
Conserved land
28%
1,502 acres · of 8.5 sq mi of land
Trails
9.6 mi
1.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
344 ac
47 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
96%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
13 mi
9.0 mi lanes · 3.6 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
21
5 beaches · 6 boat launches
What kind of outdoors town is Ocean Shores?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Ocean Shores have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Ocean Shores is ahead of 96% of U.S. towns, #15 of 285 in Washington. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; conserved land ranks highest, park acres per resident lowest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Ocean Shores’ overall grade.
Conserved land28% of the land · typical WA town 4% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (10 mi) · WA 0.8 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land47 acres of park per 1,000 residents (344 acres) · WA 11 · U.S. 13A−Parks close to home96% 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 96%
LessMore
Washington towns of 2,500+ (285)Ahead of 95%
Water is 38% of Ocean Shores’ area (5 of 14 square miles), so every share here is of land; over land and water together, the conserved share would read 17%.
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would range from A 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
The longest trail network is Seashore Conservation Area, with 3.9 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Weatherwax Nature Preserve
Nature preserve
73 acres1.4 mi of trail
Weatherwax TrailLoop Trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lot
Oyhut Wildlife Area
Managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
682 acres0.4 mi of trail
Dogs on leash
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Ocean Shores Airport Wildlife Area
Managed by Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
186 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yetWebsite ↗
All 13 parks & preserves
Seashore Conservation Area529 acres · 3.9 mi of trail · Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission
DirectionsWeatherwax Nature Preserve73 acres · 1.4 mi of trail
DirectionsOyhut Wildlife Area682 acres · 0.4 mi of trail · Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
DirectionsTriangle Park1 acres · 0.2 mi of trail
North Bay Park8 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsOcean Shores Airport Wildlife Area186 acres · Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
Spinnaker Park4 acres
Chinook Park4 acres · Ocean Shores
DirectionsGunderson Park2 acres
Milo Schneider Park2 acres
DirectionsEmerson Park1 acres · Ocean Shores
DirectionsOcean Shores Rest Area1 acres
DirectionsMarine View Boat Launch and Park1 acres · City of Ocean Shores
DirectionsWho protects it
1,502 conserved acres
28% of Ocean Shores’ land. Water is left out: Ocean Shores has 8.5 square miles of land and 5.3 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ocean Shores’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife1,400 ac
State parks537 ac
Town or city100 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits5 ac
State Conservation Area · 1,930 acLocal Conservation Area · 73 acLocal Park · 27 acState Park · 6 acLocal Recreation Area · 4 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oyhut State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 657 | Open |
| Olympic-Willapa Hills-South Puget Sound Wildlife Area Complex State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 558 | Restricted |
| Seashore Conservation Area State Conservation Area | State parks | 531 | Restricted |
| Ocean Shores Airport State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 186 | Open |
| Weatherwax Nature Preserve Local Conservation Area | Town or city | 73 | Open |
| North Bay Park Local Park | Town or city | 7 | Open |
| Point Brown Local Park | Town or city | 6 | Open |
| Damon Park Local Park | Town or city | 5 | Open |
| Pacific Park Local Recreation Area | Land trusts & nonprofits | 4 | Open |
| Chance A La Mer State Park | State parks | 4 | Open |
5 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
26 places to go in Ocean Shores
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Beaches in Ocean Shores
5 beaches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Playgrounds in Ocean Shores
11 playgrounds without a name on the map.
Dog parks in Ocean Shores
1 dog park without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Ocean Shores
North Bay Park Boat LaunchIn North Bay Park
DirectionsPlus 5 boat launches without a name on the map.
Scenic views in Ocean Shores
2 scenic views without a name on the map.
Disc golf in Ocean Shores
Tidewater Disc Golf Course
DirectionsTrails & water
3 named trails and 21 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Unpaved · 6.7 mi
Ocean Shores Beach Highway3.2 mi
Weatherwax Trail0.6 mi
Loop Trail0.2 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Duck LakelakeLake MinardlakePerkins PondpondBallou BayouBass CanalBlue Heron BayouBridges BayouEmily & Hanny B. WaterwayGrand CanalGrow Old Along With Me PassageKaroo's KanalMarr's ShallowsOcean WinsOreja's AguaOtter AlleyOyhut CanalParty Pup PassageRaccoon LagoonStarrynight PassageTwaunnie's DreamWilliam C Marr Fishook
Biking & sports
13 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
9.0 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
3.6 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
4Basketball
4Baseball
4Tennis
3Pickleball
2Soccer
1Softball
1Skate park
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The best walking months in Ocean Shores: 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) | 49 | 51 | 53 | 56 | 60 | 63 | 66 | 67 | 66 | 60 | 53 | 48 |
| Rain (in) | 12.5 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 6.5 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 8.5 | 12.5 | 12.3 |
July is the driest month (1.2 in) and August the warmest (highs of 67 °F). 12.5 inches fall in January, the wettest month. The climate in Ocean Shores →
Questions about parks and trails in Ocean Shores
Where can I hike in Ocean Shores?
The longest trail networks: Seashore Conservation Area, 3.9 miles; Weatherwax Nature Preserve, 1.4 miles; Oyhut Wildlife Area, 0.4 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Ocean Shores is conserved land?
28% 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 Ocean Shores’ trails?
OpenStreetMap records dogs as welcome at Weatherwax Nature Preserve (on leash) and Oyhut Wildlife Area (on leash). For the rest, check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Ocean Shores?
13 miles of bike routes are on the map: 9.0 of painted or protected lanes and 3.6 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Ocean Shores?
6,994 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ocean Shores or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 344 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Ocean Shores have?
Ahead of 96% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #15 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 Ocean Shores 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 →