Sand Island (Washington)

Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located 45 miles (72 km) north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state, in the United States. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flooded the Chehalis River. The bay is 17 miles (27 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide. The Chehalis River flows into its eastern end, where the city of Aberdeen stands at that river's mouth, on its north bank, with the somewhat smaller city of Hoquiam immediately to its northwest, along the bayshore. Besides the Chehalis, many lesser rivers and streams flow into Grays Harbor, such as the Hoquiam River and Humptulips River. A pair of low peninsulas separate it from the Pacific Ocean, except for an opening about two miles (3 km) in width. The northern peninsula, which is largely covered by the community of Ocean Shores, ends in Point Brown. Facing that across the bay-mouth is Point Chehalis, at the end of the southern peninsula upon which stands the town of Westport. Grays Harbor is named after Captain Robert Gray, who entered it on May 7, 1792, in the course of his fur-trading voyages along the north Pacific coast of North America. Gray named the bay Bullfinch Harbor, but it was afterward named Gray's Harbor by Captain George Vancouver, whose contemporaneous explorations of the region—the ships of the two captains had met at sea, only days earlier—were well publicised at the time, while Gray's voyages were not. Gray's Harbor was the name that stuck (the apostrophe was omitted under US Board on Geographic Names guidelines). A few days later, on May 11, Gray found a navigable channel into the estuary of the Columbia River, and sailed into it, the first white man known to have done so.Settlement of the area began in the early 1870s and was largely dependent on the lumber industry. As the forests of the eastern United States depleted, many loggers from the East and the Midwest migrated to the Grays Harbor area, as well as many Scandinavians and Finns from Europe.Grays Harbor National Wildlife Refuge is located on 1,500 acres (6.1 km2) of intertidal mudflats, salt marsh, and uplands around Hoquiam. The Daily Washingtonian was a daily newspaper in Grays Harbor founded by Otis M. Moore.

Damon Point in Grays Harbor County, Washington is a former Washington State Park. The park consisted of 61 acres (25 ha) at the southeastern tip of Ocean Shores Peninsula on a 1-mile (1.6 km) by 0.5-mile (0.80 km) piece of land jutting out into Grays Harbor. Today, the Washington Department of Natural Resources controls the land, and has been restoring it as bird habitat, especially for the threatened streaked horned lark, but also for other birds, including the snowy plover.

SS Catala was a Canadian coastal passenger and cargo steamship built in Scotland in 1925, for service with the Union Steamship Company of British Columbia. In 1927 the ship became a total loss after stranding on reef, but was recovered and returned to service. Retired in 1958, Catala was later used as a floating hotel until wrecked on the Washington State coast in 1965.

Bottle Beach State Park is a public recreation area on the southern shore of Grays Harbor in Grays Harbor County, Washington. The 64-acre (26 ha) state park consists mainly of tide flats with 6,000 feet (1,800 m) of shoreline near the historic townsite of Ocosta. It was created at the urging of birding experts Bob Morse and Ruby Egbert, who personally donated funds for land purchases at the site in 1993 and for whom the park's Ruby Egbert Natural Area is named. The park opened in 1995. Activities include hiking, birdwatching, and wildlife viewing.

Johns River is a short tidal river flowing into the south end of Grays Harbor in the U.S. state of Washington. Johns River originates in the Willapa Hills in southwestern Grays Harbor County, near the North River Divide, which separates its basin from that of the North River. There are two main sources of Johns River, the South Fork and the longer North Fork Johns River. Including the North Fork the river is about 15 mi (24 km) long. Both forks flow generally west and northwest. Florence Creek is a tributary of the North Fork, while the South Fork's tributaries include Archer Creek, Big Creek, and Hall Creek. After the two forks join the river is joined by Balloon Creek, Crawford Ditch, Atwood Creek, Bluff Creek, Gold Creek, and Beaver Creek. Johns River enters Grays Harbor at Markham, about 5 mi (8.0 km) west of Aberdeen.The river's lowermost course runs through the Johns River Wildlife Area Unit, part of the Johns River Wildlife Area.

Ocosta is an unincorporated community in Grays Harbor County, in the U.S. state of Washington.

Westport Airport (FAA LID: 14S) is a city-owned, public-use airport located one nautical mile (2 km) north of the central business district of Westport, a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States.

The Humptulips River is a river in Grays Harbor County, Washington, in the United States. Its main tributaries are the East Fork Humptulips River, about 20 miles (32 km) long (32 km), and West Fork Humptulips River, about 30 miles (48 km) long (48 km). After the forks join, the main river is approximately 20 miles (32 km) long. The Humptulips has a drainage basin of 276 square miles (710 km2). The river's average discharge is 1,344 cu ft/s (38.1 m3/s), with a maximum recorded discharge of 37,500 cu ft/s (1,060 m3/s), in November, 2006, and a minimum of 82 cu ft/s (2.3 m3/s), in September, 1944. Variant names, according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), include Hum-tu-lups, Humptolups, Humtutup, and Um-ta-lah. The name comes from the Humptulips Indians, part of the Chehalis tribe. Some sources say the word "humptulips" means "hard to pole" while others say it means "chilly region".

Westport is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It had a population of 2,213 at the 2020 census. Westport is located on a peninsula on the south side of the entrance to Grays Harbor from the Pacific Ocean. The public Westport Marina is the largest marina on the outer coast of the United States's Pacific Northwest. The marina is home to a large commercial fishing fleet and several recreational charter fishing vessels. A summer-only passenger ferry, discontinued in 2008, previously connected the town to Ocean Shores, across the mouth of the harbor to the north. It is home to the Washington Tuna Classic, which happens each August.

Markham is a census-designated place (CDP) in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 111 at the 2010 census.

KLWA (101.3 FM) is a radio station licensed to Westport, Washington, United States. The station is owned by Educational Media Foundation.While still licensed, the station went off the air in 2008, but returned in August 2012.

Ocean Shores Municipal Airport (FAA LID: W04) is a city-owned, public-use airport located two nautical miles (4 km) northeast of the central business district of Ocean Shores, a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. It is included in the National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2011–2015, which categorized it as a general aviation facility.