Hike of the Week: Dungeness Spit

Hiking on the Dungeness Spit.

Dungeness Spit
Salivate over this maritime treasure

Hike of the Week
by Craig Romano
photo by Craig Romano
produced by Michael Fagin

March 18, 2005


Quick Facts
Location: Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, Strait of Juan de Fuca
Land Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Roundtrip: 11.0 miles
Cumulative Elevation gain: 100 feet
Access: From Sequim head 4 miles west on US 101 to Kitchen Dick Road. Turn right (north) and follow signs for Dungeness NWR and Recreation Area. Refuge entrance is about 3.5 miles from US 101.
Notes: $3 per car entrance fee (Golden eagle, access, and age passes as well as federal duck stamp accepted). Dogs are prohibited.

No need to head all the way to the Pacific if it’s a good shoreline hike that you seek. One of Washington’s best saltwater strolls is along its North Coast-on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Actually, it’s right in the Strait of Juan de Fuca! Venture over to the Dungeness Spit-a 5 ½ mile narrow strip of sand, dune and beached logs that protrudes straight into the strait.
The longest coastal spit in the continental U.S., Dungeness was formed by wind and water currents forcing river silt and glacial till to arch into the strait. Narrow and prone to breaching during storms-the spit is also resilient and well-established.
It’s possible to hike to the tip-where a lighthouse has been keeping guard since 1857. Try to negotiate during low tides for easier walking. Lying within the Olympic Rain-shadow, the Spit receives less than 20 inches of rainfall annually, making this a great hike year-round.
Ships continuously ply the busy waters of the strait. Keep your nose to the surf-you never know what interesting things may have washed ashore. Curious seals will keep an eye on you. Pack your binoculars. The bird watching is supreme. Over 250 species have been recorded on the spit and in Dungeness Bay, including many that are endangered or threatened. Marbled murrelets, harlequin ducks, and snowy plovers frequent the area. Due to its importance to bird and marine life, the spit has been protected within a national wildlife refuge. Please respect areas closed to public visitation.
The 630-acre wildlife refuge is bordered by a 216-acre Clallam County Park that in addition to serving as the trailhead to the spit-also contains developed campsites and a one mile bluff trail. But the best views are from below the 100 foot bluffs. Follow the refuge trail a ½ mile through cool maritime forest. Emerge at the base of the bluffs and the start of the spit. Now choose-north to the lighthouse or south under the towering bluffs. If you head south, you’ll not only have the golden bluffs and azure coastal waters commanding your attention-but snow-capped Mount Angles hovering in the distance as well. Shoreline hiking doesn’t get any better.