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Ilwaco, Washington

In a treacherous location, a charming town awaits.

Ilwaco Washington

Rhonda and Alan Boguslawski

The Cape Disappointment Lighthouse stands guard over the ghosts of the Graveyard of the Pacific, on the ancient basalt cliffs at the treacherous Columbia River Bar. It warns weary Pacific Northwest coastal cruisers to enter at their own probable peril. Few would guess that the charming little town of Ilwaco, Washington, is just inside and around the corner.

Awaiting the visitor are colorful people, fishing, festivals, a waterfront with a variety of art galleries, shops, and surprisingly good restaurants, and miles of gorgeous hiking and biking trails. There’s fuel, pumpout services, free hot showers, a laundry, a small grocery with the basics a few blocks away, marine supplies and a D.I.Y. boatyard, and bus service to the Long Beach Peninsula and Astoria, Oregon. In the photo, we’re anchored off Walker Island.

Rhonda and Alan Boguslawski are from Vancouver, Washington

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