Aberdeen & Hoquiam, WA - Aberdeen WA Weekend Getaway

Preview: Aberdeen was named after a city in Scotland. The Gaelic word means “the meeting of two rivers,” which is appropriate for this Washington town established at the confluence of the Chehalis (chuh-hay-lis) and Wishkah (wish-kah) rivers. The name Hoquiam (hoh-kwee-uhm) derives from the Indian term ho-quiumpts, meaning “hungry for wood,” which referred to the abundance of driftwood at the mouth of the Hoquiam River. The term would also aptly describe the side-by-side cities today, with their sawmills, wood-products factories, and lumber-laden ships bound for Asia. This is an area mainly dependent on logging and the manufacture and shipping of lumber and wood products. Aberdeen’s first sawmill was built in 1884. The shipbuilding industry flourished until the 1920s, followed by the establishment of plywood, shake, and pulp mills as well as furniture and other wood-product factories. The area, like so many of its kind, shows some wear from years of industrial use and scars from recent recessions and slumps in the wood-products industry. Nevertheless, the Aberdeen/Hoquiam area is of interest to travelers and may offer even more in the near future. It has long been a convenient stopover for travelers heading north to the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic National Park or south to the beaches and parks of Washington and Oregon. The communities offer adequate eateries and overnight accommodations. For those with time to linger, there are museums, some handsomely restored homes, and a number of annual events worth investigating. This is also an important stopover area for non-human travelers. In April and May, the 98 square miles of Grays Harbor estuary, tidelands, and marshes attract shorebirds by the hundreds of thousands. They congregate here each spring to rest, feed, and store fat for their long journey north to arctic and subarctic nesting areas. This chapter includes information on lodging, campgrounds, RV parks, restaurants, entertainment, shopping, and outdoor activities near these coastal cities.
© Copyright Kathy Strong (Editor) published by Insiders' Guide all rights reserved.


Best Time to Go: Year-round
This travel guide comes from:
Driving the Pacific Coast: Oregon & Washington Guide Book