Combers Beach Trail

Combers Beach Trail is a 500 m one-way route from the ocean-side Highway 4 parking lot to the Pacific shore; return the same way for 1 km total. It drops through cedar-hemlock forest and a spruce-fringe stretch before opening onto a wide sandy beach. It is a good short choice if you want a real coast payoff without committing to a long hike, though the steep gravel slope makes the climb back more work than the distance suggests. Allow about 30–60 minutes for the walk and a look around.

The upper gravel section is about 2 m wide and slopes more than 10%. Lower down, a roughly 1.2 m-wide boardwalk has several steps and 2.5 cm gaps. The route passes through cedar-hemlock forest, then spruce fringe; on the way back you retrace the same steep descent and climb.

At the boardwalk bottom, the forest opens onto the Pacific and an expansive sandy shore. This is the payoff: frame the trees at the trail exit against the open beach and surf. Shorebirds use the sand as a resting place, though a particular sighting is never guaranteed. Sandhill Creek reaches the beach on the left and shifts its course; it can run deep and strong, so do not assume a crossing is safe.

Start at the Combers Beach parking lot on Highway 4, about 3 km south of Green Point Campground. The large lot has room for RVs and buses, and two large outhouses are at the trailhead. The annual dog restriction runs April 1 through October 1; outside those dates, dogs must be leashed and under physical control. Beach access is not maintained in winter and early spring, when storms can leave steep banks or driftwood in the way; tides, currents and erosion also change access.