Heading out to a beach in West Island, AK can be made into a excellent adventure and has many benefits for yourself and your friends. Spending time in the sun, splashing in the water, and creating memories with your friends and family to name a few.
Locating a beautiful swimming beach in West Island with plenty of space for beach activities isn’t too difficult. If you need some assistance with locating a great beach near you, you can use our list below. Search for a beach, a city, or a zip code to get started.
Beaches Near West Island
The beach may be periodically shut down due to water quality issues as a result of temporary occurances like E. Coli outbreaks, stormfall runoff, or algal blooms. Review the beach’s website before you leave for the beach for water quality updates.
The majority of beaches in West Island, AK are accessible to the public, however many are on private property. Be sure to look at the beach’s website to find out if you can visit the beach without any restrictions. Fairly often, beaches may only stay open for specific seasons of the calendar year or for certain hours of the day.
West Island, AK Beach Guidelines
When you visit a beach in West Island, there are always guidelines that you must follow. Nearly all beaches will expect you to follow these rules:
- Only visit the beach when it is open.
- Building a fire could be illegal on most public beaches in West Island.
- Never go beyond the swimming area.
- Alcoholic beverages is not allowed.
- Don’t forget, if you bring something with you, you’re required to clean up after yourself.
- Even if a lifeguard is supervising the beach, understand that you are swimming at your own risk.
West Island Beach Tips
- Only swim in the designated swim area. If there’s a specified swim area it is likely unsafe to venture outside of that area. The area may have sharp objects under the water, be assigned to watercraft, or is unsupervised by a lifeguard.
- Know that there are restrooms. Restroom details are probably the last thing on your mind when you plan out your beach trip. However you never want to be caught in a spot when you have to find a bathroom fast but you can’t find one in sight. If you cannot locate bathroom information on the beach’s website, then you should assume that a public restroom or porta potty is not open. Make sure you use the restroom before driving to the beach.
- Watch out for bugs. If you plan on going to the beach in the morning or late in the day, there’s a decent chance that mosquitos, sand flies, fleas and other nuisance insects may ruin your experience at the beach.
- Pick Up Trash. Don’t contribute to the issue of garbage on the beach. When you take something to the beach, you should clean up after yourself. Make sure to dispose of your litter in an appropriate waste or recycling can.
- Bring plenty of sunscreen. Apply your sunscreen whenever you arrive at the beach. Remember that sunscreen does go bad over time so look at the the bottle for when it expires.
- Keep items dry. It’s easy to use a purse, tote bag, or water-resistant travel bag to store beach items like beach balls, kid toys, flotation devices, and snorkeling gear. But these bags keep moisture from leaving, causing mold growth or just keeping beach gear from drying out.
- Will there be a lifeguard? Most popular beaches in West Island will have a lifeguard on duty, however do not assume that a lifeguard being present. While heading out to the beach, check to see if there are beach warning signs. Sometimes they display lifeguard patrol times.