Dungeness Recreation Area – Page 6

Open!

The new trail at the Dungeness Recreation Area is open. This trail reroutes walkers further inland of the south end of the bluffs.

We found the trail open last Wednesday, earlier than expected. I took this photo and the one above it as we walked south from the first parking lot at the bluffs.

This is a shot looking back to the north. It’s not a long trail but I think it’s very nicely done. It’s not much to look at this time of year but it will be gorgeous in the spring and summer when there’s more foliage.

Walk this way

Ten days ago I posted photos of the closed southern portion of the bluff trail at Dungeness Recreation Area and an adjacent new trail under construction further inland. The other day we came upon the ranger-manager as he worked on the new trail which routes walkers inland from the bluff.

The old bluff trail, refurbished only three years ago, is permanently closed due to steady erosion and to prevent ~~idiots~~ misguided walkers from scaling adjacent unprotected bluff areas. Posts and wires are being installed along the new route which should be open (weather permitting work completion) within a couple of weeks. You will, no doubt, see this new trail once my feet get authorization to enter. Can’t wait!

Closed!

I’ve posted a number of shots of the eroding bluffs at the Dungeness Recreation Area. But I didn’t expect the south end to be completely closed like this. I don’t know if it’s a proactive effort to avoid further erosion or an attempt to keep people from climbing up a steep and particularly dangerous off limits area.

Another parallel trail further inland is under construction but apparently it’s not ready yet. Walkers are diverted to another trail, along the edge of a marshy area. It was pictured in my post yesterday.

Can you see the color?

It’s faint but this couple is walking towards a rainbow, to the left.

Really? There??

Looking at my shot yesterday a couple of people noted that the ground under the bluff at Dungeness Recreation Area didn’t look all that solid. Too right! So you can imagine my surprise a day or two later when we noticed the people shown above staging an intimate little photo shoot below the bluff, not far from yesterday’s shot.

This is not an accessible area. You can rappel down the sandy cliff or walk back along the beach from Dungeness Spit. However it’s accessed this is not a good place to perch and I’m sure that the area manager would be plenty upset.

Here’s a longer perspective of this spot taken a couple of years ago. You may notice a speck of bird — that’s an eagle. This spot is favored by birds, mostly seagulls. So even if it were a sensible place for taking pictures it wouldn’t rank high in my book for somewhere to lie down. Notice all the white specks in the shot up above? They’re not feathers.

Oops

Here’s another chunk of the Dungeness Recreation Area bluff that’s headed seaward. Most of the land here is just compacted sand, really. Give it enough rain, throw in a little wind, and voila! A new jog in the trail.

Great place for ducks

The wetlands around Dungeness Recreation Area seem to be brimming with water this year. Since hunting has ended there, ducks have begun showing up, too.