Dungeness Spit

Drove out to the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge to meet up and hike with a friend who was visiting the area. This is an 11 mile round trip beach hike that is best done during low tide. Today, that meant hiking in the afternoon. It was lightly raining and very windy when we started.

Looking down the 5 mile spit towards the lighthouse at the far end.

The wind soon blew the storm away, and looking back towards the west, we could see some of the Olympic Mountains emerging from the clouds.

With good conversation, we were soon nearing the Dungeness Lighthouse.

Sign toward the lighthouse from the beach.

Dungeness Lighthouse and blue sky

On the hike back, we were able to see more Olympic peaks to the south

seagull in the surf

 

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge

We drove to Sequim to hike out to the Lighthouse on the Dungeness Spit in the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge an 11 mile round trip hike.

It was recommended to take the Primitive Trail down to the beach (and the wider trail back up) to help with social distancing.

There was lots of vanilla leaf in bloom along with some other wildflowers along the Primitive Trail.

Looking out over the Dungeness Spit from the viewpoint. (Lighthouse is off to the right)

In the morning, the view to the Olympic Mountains to the south was clear.










We had fun watching the waves crashing against the shore.
We only saw 5 other people as we hiked out to the lighthouse.

small shore birds

seagull ready to take flight from a large piece of driftwood.

enjoying the beach hike

lighthouse near the far end of the spit

lots of yellow sand-verbal along the path to the lighthouse

We choose Serenity at the lighthouse

short interpretive trail in front of the lighthouse

bald eagle on a large sign near the lighthouse

view of the lighthouse from an interpretive trail behind the lighthouse

The colors in the water went from clear to gray to green to deep blue in the late morning.

sea star

red kelp

sea gull on driftwood

small shorebirds taking flight as the waves came in

We saw many people out on the spit as we returned, there was plenty of room on the beach to make social distancing easy.

a little beach love

some other wildflowers seen along the trail today:

Dungeness Spit

The tides were good for hiking the Dungeness Spit out to the Lighthouse today, an 11 mile round trip hike. We saw some deer as we were hiking down to the spit.

The lighthouse is five miles down the spit.

We saw a seal swimming a short ways off shore,

 a juvenile bald eagle taking off,














and lots of shore birds.

View of Graveyard Spit extending to the south off of the Dungeness Spit














Where the Dungeness Spit bends towards the southeast, we could see the lighthouse in the distance.

 Looking back towards where we started, Olympic Mountains in the distance.

 Nearing the lighthouse.













Sign pointing to the trail to the back of the lighthouse.
















Back of the lighthouse.

 front of the lighthouse

View from the lighthouse, looking back down the Dungeness Spit to the south

 View to the south

 View to the north, Victoria BC across the water

 As we neared the south end of the spit on our hike back, we could see the Olympic Mountains peeking through the clouds.