Fourth of July in Ocean Shores brings thousands to the beach

Published 1:30 am Wednesday, July 1, 2026

With tens of thousands of revelers headed to the Ocean Shores beach, the city has worked up rules and advise to keep everyone safe.

The fireworks area is allowed only on the beach from the Damon Road approach to the Marine View Drive approach. No fireworks are allowed in the city or on the Dune Trail.

Fireworks hours are noon to 11 p.m. on July 2 and 3, and from noon to 11:59 p.m. on July 4.

The Grays Harbor Auxiliary Volunteer Emergency Resource Team will have First Aid Tents at the Damon and Chance approaches.

Keep fireworks at least 100 feet away from dunes, and do not aim towards dunes. Fireworks are not allowed on any portion of the Dune Trail. No fireworks are allowed on decks or balconies of hotels or residential properties, and only legal fireworks are allowed — no bottle rocket-type fireworks.

Parking for the Dune Trail is in designated areas only and is first come, first serve.

When using the Dune Trail, no fireworks allowed, including sparklers, no barbecues, no campfires, when setting up your seating area on the ocean side of the trail leaving room for emergency vehicles to pass. Lawn chairs and coolers are permitted.

In case of emergency, colored flags will be placed on the High Dune Trail compliments of ACE Hardware. These flags will be your location reference. The flag placement will be, starting at the entrance of the Chance A La Mer beach approach (Shilo side), red, orange, yellow, green, blue and ending with purple at the Damon Road approach.

Tune into 88.9 FM for music and emergency messaging. Violations of fireworks, motor vehicle or other laws can result in citations ranging from $150 to over $1,000.

The beach is a state highway; all licensing, registration and rules of the road apply the same as city streets. The speed limit is 25 mph (less in crowded areas).

For beach fires, keep 100 feet from dunes, do not burn driftwood logs and completely extinguish with water.

Monitor tides closely. Be careful where you park and set-up.

There are no lifeguards or surf rescue on Ocean Shores beaches. Show extreme caution and supervise children closely.

In order to ensure that we do not have things washout into the ocean, cleaning up on the Fourth of July is a must.

The city of Ocean Shores Public Works Department has designated litter bag dump stations at each beach approach. The Public Works team will be emptying those stations into dumpsters throughout the weekend. Garbage bags will be handed out by community volunteers at the beach on the day of the 4th.

On the July 5 volunteers will meet at the Shilo beach approach to do clean up at 8 a.m.

If you see unsafe activity in or around the dune grass please call 911. For non-emergency call 360-533-8765.