Birch Bay State Park
Birch Bay, WA
Birch Bay State Park sits nine miles south of Blaine, a 225-acre park with nearly 8,000 feet of shoreline on a bay that runs noticeably warmer than most of Puget Sound. The mixed rocky and sandy beach looks out toward the North Cascades and the Canadian Gulf Islands, and locals treat the relatively mild water as reason enough to come back all summer.
A real sandy and rocky family beach with genuinely warmer water than most of the Sound, well documented and rarely overrun.
How we score beachesThe bay's shallow water warms up faster than almost anywhere else on this stretch of coast, so it's worth checking here first if the goal is actually swimming rather than just wading.
A Discover Pass is required for day-use parking.
Dogs are allowed on leash.
Summer brings the warmest water in the bay and the busiest camping season.
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