A mid-day Walk on the Dungeness Spit
If you’re new to Sequim and haven’t experienced walking “the Spit”, like most of us, don your hiking boots, grab your poles and pack water.
Although the majority of 1/2 mile forest trail leading to the spit from the parking lot is beautiful and relatively flat, once you approach the bluff things get tougher as you descend down the hill. The walk back up can be a struggle too, especially for anyone with joint issues. (Unfortunately, if you’re wheelchair bound, or need assistance, I know of no other way of getting to beach, other than by kayak, which of course can be challenging as well).
Once on the beach, prepare yourself for a 5-mile walk to the lighthouse if that’s your goal…no, I haven’t done it – and I have a kayak and I still haven’t done it!
However, visiting the lighthouse was/is not my goal. Like many others, I prefer to walk the spit in search of shorebirds and wildlife, e.g., otters, loons, eagles (at least one pair nests in a tree near the picnic area parking lot), oyster catchers, etc, and to photograph the cliffside, the driftwood, and the view from the bluff.
And be it known that we have President Woodrow Wilson to thank for establishing the refuge on January 20, 1915, and for ensuring that our native bird population has a place to breed and thrive.
If I’ve kept your attention thus far, please visit the U.S. Forest Service website for more information, before you venture out, and whatever you do, DON’T FORGET YOUR CAMERA!
