Tides today
- Low 4:54 am 0.8 ft
- High 9:32 pm 6.7 ft
Today's range is about 6 ft.
Weather
This Afternoon: Sunny. High near 83, with temperatures falling to around 80 in the afternoon. North northeast wind around 3 mph.
Tonight: Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, 58°F.
On the water
- Wave height: 1.0 ft
- Pressure: 1014 hPa (falling)
- Readings from NDBC buoy 46088, out in the middle of the Strait of Juan de Fuca; Hollywood Beach sits inside Port Angeles Harbor, sheltered behind Ediz Hook, so the water here usually lies calmer than this open-strait reading.
Air quality
AQI 44, Good (PM2.5).
Planning ahead
- Tomorrow (Thursday): low 5:45 am (0.2 ft)
- Friday: low 6:32 am (-0.3 ft)
Tomorrow's forecast: Slight Chance Rain Showers then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms, high near 73°F.
Birds this week
19 species have been logged this week at the Port Angeles City Pier hotspot, right beside the beach.
Recently seen: Rock Pigeon, American Crow, House Sparrow, House Finch, Canada Goose, Pigeon Guillemot, California Gull, Brandt's Cormorant.
ID what you spot with Merlin (free, from the Cornell Lab). Bug and plant IDs with FriendOrFoe, coming soon.
Marine mammals
No recent marine-mammal sightings near here. Whales move through the strait, so scan the water on calm days.
Recently observed nearby
Wildlife: Mule Deer (17), Snowberry Checkerspot (13), Steiroxys (12), Black Slug (9), Olympic Marmot (8), Bald Eagle (7), Yellow-pine Chipmunk (7), Purple Shore Crab (6).
Plants and fungi: Woodland Beardtongue (13), mountain owl's clover (9), California Jacob's ladder (9), Parry's Campion (9), fireweed (9), Silverleaf phacelia (8), Columbia lily (8), Partridgefoot (8).
Logged near here in the last week, via iNaturalist.
Sun and moon
- Sunrise 5:38 am · Sunset 9:02 pm
- Golden hour from 8:16 pm
- Moon: Waxing Gibbous 🌔 (68% lit)
- Dark-sky quality: Excellent (5/5)
- Active meteor shower: Southern Delta Aquariids, Perseids
Aurora
Planetary Kp is around 3.67. Below the threshold to expect aurora here tonight. We flag it when activity climbs.
ISS passes
- Wed 9:51 PM, WNW, max 47°
- Thu 9:03 PM, WNW, max 69°
- Thu 10:40 PM, W, max 14°
The downtown beach at low tide
Hollywood Beach is the in-town beach at the foot of downtown Port Angeles, on the harbor beside the City Pier and looking across the water to Ediz Hook. It is lovely and quaint year round, and the draw is the sand: as the tide drops the harbor bares a broad sweep of beach, great for sand toys and sinking your feet in, with a chance to spot red rock crabs from the shore.
Today's lowest low is around 4:54 am (0.8 ft); the lower the tide, the more sand opens up. Aim for a daytime low.
Tide times here come from the NOAA Port Angeles station in the harbor, the same station that reads Ediz Hook across the water; the beach sits behind the hook, so the water usually lies calmer here than out on the strait.
The City Pier
The City Pier reaches out beside the beach, and its viewpoint tower is worth the climb: big views of the harbor, the town, and the Olympic Mountains, and a fine spot for a sunrise or sunset photo. The Feiro Marine Life Center sits out on the pier too, a hands-on, inexpensive marine-life stop that is wonderful for kids; its hours vary by season, so check the current ones before you count on it.
You can fish or crab off the pier for red rock and Dungeness crab in season with a Washington license, but heed the harbor's catch advice: the Department of Health limits crab from Port Angeles Harbor to four meals a month and says not to eat the crab butter, because of harbor contamination. Digging clams or other shellfish is a different matter: the harbor is permanently closed to shellfish harvest by the Department of Health, so this is a beach to comb and a pier to fish with care, not a place to dig a bucket.
The waterfront and the view
Hollywood Beach is a natural way onto the Olympic Discovery Trail, the paved waterfront path that runs east along the coastline from here, a great stretch on foot, bike, or scooter with the harbor alongside the whole way; it is a shared path, so keep right and mind your lane. The whole downtown waterfront is a short walk: the shops, arcade, and ice cream at the Wharf, and the year-round Saturday Port Angeles Farmers Market just up Lincoln. Across the water, Ediz Hook curls out to shelter the harbor, the spit you can drive for the long strait views.
Getting there
Hollywood Beach sits at the foot of downtown Port Angeles, on the harbor beside the City Pier at the north end of Lincoln Street, looking across the water to Ediz Hook. Searching 'City Pier' in your maps app brings you straight to it, and it is free public city waterfront. Park in the pier lot off Lincoln, in the lot by the Wharf if you are shopping or eating, along the downtown side streets, or on the water just west past the Black Ball ferry terminal; downtown parking runs on posted time-limited zones, so check the sign.
Access and fees
Hollywood Beach and the City Pier are free public waterfront, managed by the City of Port Angeles, with no entry fee; downtown parking is free but time-limited. More on the City of Port Angeles pier page.
Know before you go
- The beach is the draw at low tide: broad sand for sand toys and sinking your feet in, with a chance to spot red rock crabs from the shore or the pier. It opens widest on a daytime minus tide, so check today's low on the Conditions tab.
- The City Pier has a viewpoint tower worth the climb for the harbor, the town, and the Olympic Mountains, and it is a fine sunrise or sunset photo spot. The pier is also a great entry onto the Olympic Discovery Trail, which runs the waterfront east on foot, bike, or scooter; it is a shared path, so keep right and mind your lane.
- You can fish or crab off the pier for red rock and Dungeness crab in season with a Washington license, but heed the harbor's catch advice: the Department of Health limits crab from Port Angeles Harbor to four meals a month and says not to eat the crab butter. Digging clams or other shellfish is closed harbor-wide; this is a working harbor, not a harvest beach.
- People wade and cool off on warm days, but it is cold harbor water with no lifeguard, and the county can post a bacteria advisory after heavy rain; keep swims short and shallow, and small kids in hand.
- All within a short walk: the Feiro Marine Life Center out on the pier, a hands-on marine-life stop for kids; the shops, arcade, and ice cream at the Wharf; and the year-round Saturday Port Angeles Farmers Market up Lincoln.
Plan a trip: find a place to stay nearby on Hipcamp, or get the Olympic Discovery Trail map on AllTrails+.
On the map
Hollywood Beach, answered
Where is Hollywood Beach in Port Angeles?
Hollywood Beach is the in-town beach at the foot of downtown Port Angeles, on the harbor right beside the City Pier at the north end of Lincoln Street, looking across the water to Ediz Hook. It is a short walk from downtown, free public city waterfront, and one of the easiest places on the Peninsula to put your feet in saltwater without leaving town. Search 'City Pier' in your maps app to find it.
Can you walk the beach at Hollywood Beach?
Yes, and it is the whole draw. At low tide the harbor pulls back to bare a broad sweep of sand, lovely and quaint year round, great for sand toys and sinking your feet in, with a chance to spot red rock crabs from the shore or the pier. The lower the tide, the more beach opens up, so aim for a daytime minus tide; the Conditions tab reads today's low for you.
What are the tides at Hollywood Beach today?
Today's tides at Hollywood Beach: low 4:54 am (0.8 ft), high 9:32 pm (6.7 ft). Today's range is about 6 ft. Tide data comes from the NOAA Port Angeles station right here in the harbor, the same station that reads Ediz Hook across the water.
What is there to do at the Port Angeles City Pier?
Plenty, all in one spot. The City Pier has a viewpoint tower worth the climb for big views of the harbor, the town, and the Olympic Mountains, and it is a favorite sunrise and sunset photo perch. You can fish or crab off the pier in season (see the crab and fishing answer), it is a great entry onto the Olympic Discovery Trail, and the Feiro Marine Life Center sits out on the pier, a hands-on, inexpensive marine-life stop that is wonderful for kids; its hours vary by season, so check current hours at feiromarinelifecenter.org.
Does the Olympic Discovery Trail go through Hollywood Beach?
Yes. Hollywood Beach and the City Pier are a natural entry point onto the Olympic Discovery Trail, the paved waterfront path that runs east along the coastline from here. It is a great stretch on foot, bike, or scooter, with the harbor on one side the whole way; it is a shared-use trail, so keep right, pass with care, and mind your lane.
Where do you park at Hollywood Beach and the City Pier?
There is no single lot you have to use. You can park in the pier lot off Lincoln Street, in the lot by the Wharf if you are shopping or eating, along the downtown side streets, or on the waterfront just west past the Black Ball ferry terminal. Downtown parking is free but runs on posted time-limited zones, so read the sign and watch your time. It is a short, flat walk to the sand from any of them.
Can you swim at Hollywood Beach?
You can wade and cool off on a warm day, but treat it as cold harbor water, not a swimming pool. There are no lifeguards, the bottom drops off, and Clallam County can post a bacteria advisory after heavy rain, so keep swims short and shallow, keep small kids in hand, and pick a calm, settled day. Most people come for the beach walk and the sand at low tide rather than a real swim.
Is Hollywood Beach good for kids?
Very. At low tide there is broad sand for sand toys and sinking bare feet in, red rock crabs to spot from the pier or shore, and the viewpoint tower to climb for the big view. The Feiro Marine Life Center out on the pier is a hands-on, inexpensive marine-life experience kids love (check current hours at feiromarinelifecenter.org), and a short walk away are the shops, arcade, and ice cream at the Wharf and, on Saturdays year round, the Port Angeles Farmers Market up Lincoln (portangelesfarmersmarket.com).
Can you crab or fish at Hollywood Beach?
Yes, from the pier, with care. In season and with a Washington license you can fish and crab off the City Pier for red rock and Dungeness crab; check seasons and rules with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (wdfw.wa.gov). But heed the harbor's catch advice: the Washington Department of Health limits crab caught in Port Angeles Harbor to four meals a month and says not to eat the crab butter (the hepatopancreas), because of harbor contamination (doh.wa.gov). Crab and fish from the pier, yes; just follow the license, the season, and the consumption limit.
Can you dig clams or harvest shellfish at Hollywood Beach?
No. Port Angeles Harbor is permanently closed to shellfish harvest by the Washington Department of Health because of sanitary conditions, so digging clams or gathering oysters, mussels, or other shellfish here is off the table no matter the tide. This is a working downtown harbor; come for the beach walk and the pier, not a clam bucket. For open shellfish beaches elsewhere on the strait, always check the DOH Shellfish Safety Map first.
How is Hollywood Beach different from Ediz Hook?
They are completely different stops on the same harbor. Hollywood Beach is the in-town beach: you walk to it from downtown, it sits beside the City Pier and the Olympic Discovery Trail, and the draw is the low-tide sand, the pier, and the waterfront in the heart of town. Ediz Hook is the sandspit itself, a few minutes away: you drive its length out past the Coast Guard station for the long strait views and the bird-watching. Come to Hollywood Beach for the walkable downtown waterfront, to Ediz Hook for the drive out the spit.
Whose ancestral land is Hollywood Beach?
Klallam land. Three S'Klallam villages stood on this harbor at contact: čx̣ayčáčɬč by what is now the ferry dock right beside this beach, č̕ixʷícən (Tse-whit-zen) at the base of Ediz Hook, and ʔiʔínəs (Ennis) at the mouth of Ennis Creek. The Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the nearest of the Klallam nations today, lives just west at the mouth of the Elwha (elwha.org; jamestowntribe.org).
What is a phenophase?
A phenophase is a stage in the seasonal life of a living thing: the week the bigleaf maples leaf out, the morning the salmon start running, the first frost on the salal. It's a way of telling time by what's happening outside rather than by the calendar. The study of it is called phenology, the science of nature's timing, of when things bloom, migrate, ripen, and rest. Phenophase brings that down to one place at a time. We read the live signals for a spot, its tides, light, birds, and blooms, and tell you what season it's truly in right now, and whether it's worth the trip.
Since time immemorial
Downtown Port Angeles is built over Klallam ground. At the time of contact three S'Klallam villages stood on this harbor: č̕ixʷícən (Tse-whit-zen) at the base of Ediz Hook, čx̣ayčáčɬč by what is now the ferry dock right beside this beach, and ʔiʔínəs (Ennis) at the mouth of Ennis Creek to the east, lived in for thousands of years into the 1930s. The Klallam are still here: the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, the nearest of the three Klallam nations today, lives just west at the mouth of the Elwha, where its people have been since time immemorial.
In their own words: Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe · Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe
Nearby places
- Ediz Hook · 2 mi
- Morse Creek · 4 mi
- Elwha River Valley · 13 mi
- Dungeness Spit · 15 mi
- Salt Creek / Tongue Point · 17 mi
- Hurricane Ridge · 18 mi
- Lake Crescent · 22 mi
A heads-up when it's a good day at Hollywood Beach: a daytime low to open the sand, calm harbor water, a clear evening up the pier tower. Coming soon.