August-September, 2020
I did it. 🙂 I walked out onto Dungeness Spit today. One big thing I learned today while I was out on the Spit is that it is impossible to take a photograph that represents how it feels to walk out onto Dungeness Spit. I don’t even have words for how it felt … I certainly don’t have photos that begin to show how incredible this geologic and geographic wonder is.
So … I won’t even try. I’ll share a few of my photos here (and one aerial photo off the internet). And I’ll share some things I learned. And I will hope that every one of you can, one day, come here and feel the power and wonder of the earth and the wind and the ocean.
First off … here’s the aerial photo I found on the internet …
The Dungeness Spit connects to land in the upper right corner of the photo above. Of course, where it connects to land is also where the trail from the bluff above comes down to the beach. And then there’s that amazing 5-mile long spit … and the “thumb” midway that heads back towards the mainland. The snow-topped Olympic Mountains are at the very top of the photo, way in the background.
There is a lighthouse near the end of the Spit (lower left in the photo above), although the lighthouse is not truly out at the end of the Spit as you might expect it to be. This Spit grows! It lengthens by 13-15 feet every year. So when the original lighthouse was built, it was close to the end of the Spit, but after all these years, the new lighthouse (built where the original lighthouse was built) is now about one-half mile from the end of the Spit.
You can walk out to the lighthouse (though not beyond it). Various websites estimate the time it takes to do that to be between 4 hours round-trip and 7 hours round-trip. You’ll want to plan the trip so the tide is NOT high at any point in your walk, or you’ll be walking in the ocean. You are not allowed to walk on the top part of the Spit itself, only on the beach next to the water. The top of the Spit, and the beach on the “inboard/mainland” side of the Spit, are a wildlife refuge/preserve … no humans allowed, not even on the beach on the side of the Spit that faces the mainland. So, since the outer beach here is not flat, but tilted, then you will be walking for five miles (each direction) on shifting sand and slippery-slidey beach rocks such that you are leaning to one side for five miles … and then you’ll lean in the opposite direction, and slip and slide on the beach, for the full five mile walk back. I decided I didn’t need to prove that I could do that!
I walked about one mile out on the beach, then sat and enjoyed the view, then walked back.
BUT, before I show you my walk out onto the Spit … let me start my journey back up at that wooden deck with the telescopes. I took another photo from up there today and it’s even more impressive than the photo I took yesterday. The Dungeness Spit is the longest natural sand spit in the USA. In the photo below, you still can’t see the end of the Spit off the right side of the photo.
I hope everyone is using a good-sized computer monitor or other device to look at photos from this blog. The photo above needs to be enlarged to appreciate it, and you need more than just your phone or a notebook to do that. In the photo above, in the upper right, you can see the lighthouse … five miles away!
If you can’t tell that the little white dot way out there is the lighthouse, then here, let me zoom in so you can see it … five miles away.
I took the two photos above from that wooden deck, then I walked down the path to the beach. The path down to the beach was very hard-packed and well maintained, almost like blacktop but still it was dirt. But the surface of the path going down the hill was hard enough to easily support a wheelchair, although the path was somewhat steep for the bottom half of the path … smooth, but steep.
My view of the beach (below), just before I reached the bottom of the path.
Interestingly, no pets are allowed … NO pets, not even service animals. And no running is allowed. This is a wildlife preserve … the wild birds, shore mammals, marine mammals, and their habitat are very closely protected. All people stay on the beach on this one side of the Spit, you cannot walk up in the driftwood or the grass and certainly not over to the other side, and you walk slowly. I didn’t see cameras but there were signs saying there were cameras. While I was here, someone was being escorted (rather unceremoniously because the human was arguing) … someone was being escorted back up the path because they had brought their pet dog with them. Believe me, there were plenty of signs in the parking lot and on the path so this human new dang well they were breaking the rules.
I took the photo below from the bottom of the path, just before I walked out onto the beach. The tide was low while I was here … plenty of room on the beach to walk.
There were families here, a few of them, sitting on driftwood right on the edge of the beach. The kids (and a few adults) were playing with the waves. They were having a blast. 🙂
But mostly the Spit was empty.
This is not just another beach, even for the Pacific Northwest, much less the world. Most saltwater beaches in the world have land behind them. This one does not … it has no land behind it, just more saltwater behind it, on both sides of it … for five miles. This Spit jabs out into the water for five miles! Why?
Here are some websites with information … a very short Wikipedia article … an Olympic National Park article with more information … US Fish & Wildlife info. The most and best information I could find was not online, but it was on those information signs up on that wooden deck that had the telescopes. I took photos of those signs since I was certain I would not remember the information. I’ll share a few of those signs with you at the end of this blog post … signs that explain how the Dungeness Spit came to be.
Looking northeast.
Looking to the west … out towards the Pacific Ocean.
Looking southwest, photo taken as I stood to leave and walk the mile back to the trail.
What a super day. I hope I never forget this place.
* * * * * * *
Ok … as promised, here are my photos of some of the signs that were up on the wooden deck where the telescopes were. There was LOTS more information on these signs than what I’m sharing here. There was detailed information about the current lighthouse and the original lighthouse, there was information about plants and animals and birds, information about the original people who lived here for thousands of years before Europeans arrived, information about a town here (before the town of Sequim) and a shipping dock, information about how the Spit is sometimes completely washed away in spots by some of the massive winter storms here but then the Spit fills in again within a few weeks.
The first photo below shows high tide during a minor winter storm, and a fellow trying to navigate through the logs and wood on the beach since he would be arrested if he hiked further up on the land of the Spit. The text below the photo on this sign talked about the danger to your life if you try to walk out here at the wrong time.
The signs below explain a bit more about how the Spit was formed, how the “thumb” was formed, why the Spit continues to lengthen, etc. The photos with text below this first one match up to the numbered photos on this one sign.
Of course, these folks below and lots of others too are what it’s all about. It isn’t about us (you and me) … it’s about them.
Not surprisingly, while I was sitting on some driftwood out there a mile from where the Spit connected to land, I took a little video, and then I took a very tiny bit more video when I walked even further out along the Spit before I headed back. Here’s the whole video. The folks you see at the very end of the video gave me permission to show them in the video online.
There are no two ways about it … you simply have to come see the Spit. Let me know when you’re coming and I’ll meet you there! 🙂
This is so wonderful. I want to come visit. I’ve never been to Washington State and there’s so much to see out there. The beach on the Spit reminds me very much of Whitefish Point, in the UP of Michigan. It is full of huge driftwood like this too. One of my favorite places. Of course it has land behind it, so not really like this spit at all. That part of it reminds me of the sand spits that come off the beach and poke out into Lake Huron at Tawas State Park, on the eastern side of Michigan. Those change each year though, and certainly aren’t as long.
I can see not wanting to walk the whole 5 miles and back on that sloped and rocky beach. I walked a mile once on the shores of the little finger of Michigan, on rolling rocks about the size of softballs and thought I’d never get home! Plus…if it takes between 4 and 7 hours to do it (and of course it would take me 7 just because I’d stop too much) I don’t know how you’d fit that in between tides very easily. Of course I know nothing about tides, I suppose there are at least 7 hours between high tides? Maybe? Oceans are so much different than Great Lakes.
Anyway, this is definitely on my bucket list.
Dawn, I looked at some photos of Whitefish Beach on the internet, it’s gorgeous, just like Dungeness. No wonder it’s a favorite. And then I looked at Tawas State Park … holy cow that’s a lot like Dungeness. Smaller yes, but same idea. There is so much to see in the world! Michigan is high on my list.
Ok, tides … there are HIGH high tides and there are LOW high tides. Sometimes a high tide will be maybe 13 feet high, but sometimes a high tide will be only 8 feet high (and that would make it a LOW high tide). So you watch for a low high tide such that you’ll still have beach to walk on. Ordinarily, here in the PacNW, there are two high tides and two low tides in any given day, so that’s about 12 hours in between high tides. But it varies a great deal. Sometimes the low tides are so high, and the high tide in between them is so low, that there really isn’t much change between them. Etc. It depends on the time of year (winter tides are different that summer tides) and it depends on the moon, that old blue moon does pull significantly on the water. And, even in just little old Puget Sound, the tide heights are different depending on where you are, which bay you’re in, or the south end of Hood Canal, or around the back side of Whidbey Island, etc. In other words, you need a tide table from NOAA or another trusted source.
Terrific photos and description. I have been to–and walked to the lighthouse–several times, and it is amazing. The lighthouse itself is also worth taking a tour of. You do have to pay close attention to tides and timing, however, as it’s very awkward and time consuming walking back on the driftwood, which I did the first time I walked the spit: learned my lesson! Your descriptions of the campsites (in previous blogs) and the bluff trails were spot on. Makes me want to go back! When shall we meet?
Oh wow, Laurie, you’ve been all the way out! Not many people have I think. And I didn’t know there was a tour of the lighthouse, I’d love that. Ok, let’s go. I’ve got my tide tables and my lunch packed. 🙂
Awesome! I’m in!!
Cool! 🙂 Let’s all keep in touch. Maybe early January in 2022, someone makes a reservation and then let’s everyone else know right here on this blog. Please feel free to use comments here to do that.
Oh man I want to see the spit. Your photos are amazing and if real life is even better then we DO need to see it. If this weren’t the middle of winter, we’d be packing up the motorhome and heading your way. Let’s rendevous!
Ok, Tim, let’s make a plan! But yes, let’s wait for summer ok? 🙂
Ann, we can’t believe that we have never been to the Sequim area at all, much less out to the Dungeness Spit. We have been RVing for years, we live in BC, thought we had explored everything in Washington and Oregon and lots of BC too, but obviously we have missed one of the best places to see. No no no Tim, please don’t hold a rendezvous until the border opens again and we can come south … lol!
Ok everyone, we have to wait until the Canada/USA border opens before we make a plan to meet at Dungeness. Jim & Janey have to join us there too.
I think this is one of your best blog posts ever! The descriptions are excellent, the photos are so beautiful. It feels like I’m right there with you. Why would someone bring their darn dog down there!?! Hrmph.
Thank you, Judy Bee. What nice words. Thank you.
And yes, why would anyone knowingly break the rules? And then complain that they were being escorted off the property because of it. Sheesh!
I used to live in Washington State and I’ve never been to Dungeness Spit either! Thanks Ann. This was great!
Nevada, you come to our rendezvous too, ok? 🙂 It is funny how so many people haven’t seen what’s right in their back yard. I’m doing my best to find things right here in Washington and go see them and share them. If you know of things I haven’t seen yet (I bet there are hundreds or thousands of things), then let me know.
I’ve never been here either and I’ve lived in Washington for years! You’ve mentioned that you’ve been a boater for so long that you don’t know anything about the land in Washington. I’m just like that too. Sold my last boat a few years ago and feel a bit lost, guess I’d better buy an RV! The Dungeness Spit area is fascinating. Hmm, maybe I’ll buy a small trailerable fish boat too so I can still explore on the water. Your photos and info are great, thank you!
Yep, you lived here but you haven’t seen so much that’s right here. Me too, Rob. Seems like we spend our travel time getting AWAY from home rather than seeing home. On the other hand, we boaters have sort of an excuse … boating takes a lot of time and money, so we want to spend as much time on our boats as possible. On a boat, when you get to a marina, you don’t have a car, so you don’t see much of anything other than what’s within walking distance of the marina. Go buy an RV! And a trailerable boat! Go and then tell us all about it. Thanks Rob. 🙂
Thanks for a wonderful trip down memory lane. In the 80s, we ran the spit. There were no rules then about running or which side of the spit you could visit. It was mostly empty of people…..just us and the birds and the sound of lapping waves. It was a gorgeous day.
When we got to the lighthouse, we asked the Coast Guard person for some water. He unlocked an old-timey well pump and gave us water. We then continued to the end of the spit, turned around and headed back. We were pretty tired by time we got to the trail up to the parking lot, so we walked that section.
Thank you Ann for the great post and descriptions and pics. We have enjoyed reminiscing about this Great Run. Happy Valentine’s Day.
All right! Another two people who have been all the way out to the lighthouse … and even to the very end of the spit! So … if the spit lengthens by 15 feet/year, then between 1985 and 2021 (that’s 36 years), then the spit has lengthened by maybe 540 feet since you were there. I’m amazed at how the Dungeness Spit keeps growing.
Your run sounds wonderful … the birds and the waves and a gorgeous day. Thank you for sharing it.
Happy Valentines Day (yesterday) to you two too … and to everyone! 🙂