Walking Trails

Willapa Bay, WA

Counties in Southwestern Washington

The geographical focus area of my Notebooks for Four Days in Grayland

Clark County    Population 425,000     Cities: Vancouver, Camas, Washougal, Ridgefield, Battle Ground; Columbia River, Cascades

Cowlitz County     Population 102,000     Cities: Longview, Kelso, Castle Rock; Columbia River, Mt. St. Helens, Cowlitz River, Cascades

Grays Harbor County    Population 74,000     Cities: Aberdeen, Hoquiam, Westport, Montesano; Chelais River, Grays Harbor

Lewis County    Population 75,000     Cities: Centralia, Chelais, Pe Ell, Toledo, Packwood; Forestry, Agriculture, Chelais River, Cascades

Pacific County    Population 23,000     Cities: Raymond, South Bend, Long Beach, Ilwaco; Willapa Bay, Long Beach Peninsula, Columbia River  

Wahkiakum County     Population 4,000     Cities: Cathlamet, Skamokawa; Columbia River, Willapa Hills, Grays River

The total population of these six Counties is 703,000   Except for Clark County, all of other five counties are in rural, forested, riverside or marine areas, famlands in valleys.  Five of these six Counties have only small cities. 

List and map of the Counties in the State of Washington

In contrast, the City of Portland, Oregon, across the Columbia River from Vancouver, has a population of 650,000; Mulnomath County, which includes Portland, has a population of 735,000, and the Portland Metropolitan Statistical Area has a population of 2,753,000. 

Our two married children lived in Portland from 2000-2016 while we lived in Red Bluff, California, from 1998-2017.  We traveled extensively in Oregon from 1999-2019.  All our family now lives in Vancouver.  Since my wife and I have lived in Vancouver, Washington, in the northeast Orchards neighborhood, from 2017-2022, we have traveled far more in Southwest Washington as well as the Columbia Gorge, and throughout Washington. 

To drive south on Interstate 205 or 5 from Vancouver into Portland involves encountering considerable traffic and reduced speeds.  It is 50 miles of urban and suburban development, and heavy traffic, from my home in Vancouver to Wilsonville, Oregon, and the start of the agricultural Willamette Valley.  Most of the roads to the Oregon coast are very busy with business and tourists from larger Oregon cities heading to the beach. 

To drive north on Interstates 205 or 5 from Vancouver is far easier, more scenic, with far less traffic, and faster.  Interstate 5 and 205 meet just north of Vancouver in the Salmon Creek area.  Interstate 5 follows the Columbia River from Vancouver to Longview.  You can see the Columbia River from Woodland to Longview.  The views include rivers, forest, hills, mountains, farmlands.  The key roads to the coast for me are WA 4 and WA6, and both have little traffic, spectacular rural or riverside scenery, and driving through forests and farms. 

So to get to my imaginary and the real "Grayland Beach" I drive north into Southwest Washington.