Road to the parking area is good (state Hwy) and pretty obvious trail head.  Option to start through the forest or the dunes.  We went to the dunes (beach really) and enjoyed the walk.  However, the path is pretty wet due to tides and 12 -15 downed trees that require some effort to get over.  Would be good for a chainsaw crew work party.  We decided to skip the forest section due to wet boots and went back to the parking area via the road.

Great time to go if you were in the area! No bugs and no flooded trails. I was worried about both of these when reading reports from earlier and given the recent rain.

I hiked to the beach from the parking lot and back, 3 miles or so through a cool forest, though it is slightly overgrown at times.

While reading through the few trip reports on this location, I was super concerned that the trails out to the beach would be flooded. Thankfully, they were all dry, but I could tell that it was a recent development. When I was not walking on sand, the tread was tacky and damp. As a result of the wet environment, the mosquitos were downright disrespectful. I had multiple applications of DEET on, and they still got a few tastes. However, they disappeared as soon as I got to the beach and the wind kicked up.

I started in the main parking lot, and made a lollipop route by using the Dune Forest Loop > Beach > Bear Berry > Boundary trails. I went about 2 miles up the beach before turning back around. I would have loved to have gone to the end of the point, but I was on a time crunch and had to be back in town. There were tons of plovers out and nesting, so I was mindful of only walking on the roped path and wet sand as directed by the signage both at the trail head and on the beach.

I was initially doubtful that this hike was cool/unique/iconic enough to be included as a 100 Classic Hikes from Craig Romano, but I was definitely proven wrong. The scrubby pine and salt marshes, the heavy moss growing down from the tree limbs, and the absolutely pristine beach walk was amazing.  I saw only two other people the entire time I was in the park and it only added to the allure. It's rare that I am on the Long Beach peninsula, but I'll be hiking this one as often as I can from now on.

While Sally and I were staying in Surfside north of Long Beach I was able to get in a hike at Leadbetter Point State Park between the Pacific Ocean and Willapa Bay on May 30th. Only one other car in the parking lot was I arrived. There is a restroom here along with a large map of the area trails. I started out hiking the Dune Forest Loop Trail (Red Trail) going CCW. I saw that state parks had installed new trail signs with maps since the last time Sally and I had hiked at the park 4 years ago. The trail goes up and down through the Pine trees going south. I passed the old remains of an old rusty vehicle motor that is laying along the trail. The first junction is for the "Blue Trail" that goes west out to the ocean beach. At the second junction I left the Dune Forest Loop Trail and headed south on the Martha Jordan Birding Trail. This trail continues going south and then turns east to go over a ridge. After going down one switchback the trail levels out and goes through a forest wetlands area with several bridges to cross. I then came out onto a gravel/dirt road. To the right was a tall metal gate with the road going into private property. I turned left and walked the road going east. I soon got to a really large wetlands pond area on the south side of the road. This is Hines Marsh which is a big beaver pond. The beavers have a dam at the outlet culvert going under the road. I continued on the road for another half mile where I came to another trail to the left that comes out at the Martha Jordan Birding Trail parking area along Highway 103. From here I walked the paved road 0.8 miles north to a small parking area in the state park where the Dune Forest Loop comes out near Stackpole Slough. There is a restroom at this location. 

I then crossed the road and took the loop trail out to Willapa Bay. It was now lunch time, so I used a large log for a bench with a great view of the bay. The tide was way out with the mud flats showing. While eating a guy showed up wearing waders to hike out across the mud flats. He said he had traps for Blue Crabs. I did see a few birds flying around, even two Bald Eagles came by. After eating I headed north along the trail by the bay. I then came to the large fallen tree you have to climb over that was there when I first hiked this trail 20 years ago. State Parks still has not cut it out. Further on are several more fallen trees to step over that have been there a long time. I then got to the junction where the Dune Forest Loop Trail turns left to get back to the main parking lot. The trail along the bay continues north to get to another loop trail and the Yellow Trail going to the ocean within the Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge.

Did not see any other hikers on my 5-mile loop trek. This was the first time I had hiked the Martha Jordan Birding Trail (only saw two birds, a Steller's Jay and a Golden Eagle at Hines Marsh). Made for a nice loop trail at Leadbetter Point. George

We walked north along the beach aka Bay Loop and continued on the Bearberry trail towards the ocean. About a 1/4 inland the trail entered a lake. Three steps and the water was 3/4s of the way up the rubber boots and the water extended quite a way on both sides of the trail making passage damaging at best for the surrounding area. We headed back to t bay and walked along the beach to the south parking lot and eventually returned along the beach to the north parking lot..

Rubber b were perfect footwear for the walk.

There were lots of birds. Eagles, hawks, shore birds, gulls. We watched a river otter chowing down on crabs and then rolling around on the beach. There were elk prints. And one other group of people.

And the weather was dry so it was perfect.