Dungeness SpitDungeness Spit

Walk Dungeness Spit on a low, falling tide. The lighthouse is about five miles out along the beach, near eleven miles round trip, and at high tide the sand all but disappears and you are forced over driftwood, which can add hours and even strand you. Today is a minus tide, the prize: the lowest low is around 4:27 am (-0.9 ft), so set out a couple of hours before it and turn back well before the tide fills the beach again. Check today's low on the Conditions tab, give yourself a wide margin before the tide turns, and carry water. Tide predictions come from the NOAA Dungeness station (9444471), right on the spit.

It is a long one. From the parking area an easy half-mile trail runs through the forest to a bluff overlook, then a steep path drops to the beach, and from there it is roughly five miles along the sand to the New Dungeness Lighthouse, about eleven miles round trip. Most people allow around five hours plus time at the lighthouse, so carry water and time it to a low, falling tide. There is no shortcut back: it is the same beach walk in reverse, and the tide decides how easy it is.

Yes. The New Dungeness Lighthouse at the end of the spit is cared for by the volunteer keepers of the New Dungeness Light Station Association, who give free guided tours of the tower and grounds, usually daytime hours during the season (donations are appreciated). You can climb the tower for a sweeping view back down the spit. Winter hours vary and tours are not guaranteed year round, so treat them as seasonal, and remember it is still a five-mile walk each way to reach it.

Dungeness is premier birding: the refuge has recorded more than 250 species of birds. The sheltered inner bay draws wintering waterfowl, with thousands of black brant from late fall into spring; migrating shorebirds work the tideflats in spring and fall, raptors hunt the spit, and harbor seals rest and pup along the sand. This week, 28 species have been logged at the refuge's Dungeness Spit hotspot. Bring binoculars; the free Merlin app from the Cornell Lab is great for IDs on the spot.

No. Dungeness Spit is a national wildlife refuge, and pets are not allowed anywhere on the spit, to protect the resting and nesting birds and the seals. Drones and other flying machines, kites, ball playing, fires, and camping are also not allowed, and you must stay on the Strait (ocean) side below the boundary markers; the inner Dungeness Bay tidal flats and Graveyard Spit are closed. If you are hiking with a dog, the adjacent Clallam County recreation area and other nearby beaches are better choices.

Yes, there is a federal refuge entrance fee for Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, charged at the trailhead. A current America the Beautiful interagency pass or a signed Federal Duck Stamp covers it, and an annual Dungeness pass is also available. Fees change, so we do not quote a figure here; check the official fee page for the current amount: https://www.recreation.gov/sitepass/1382.

Today's tides at Dungeness Spit: low 4:27 am (-0.9 ft), high 1:30 pm (6.9 ft), low 5:05 pm (6.4 ft), high 9:15 pm (6.9 ft). Today's range is about 7.8 ft. Today has a minus tide, the best window for the long walk out to the lighthouse. Tide data comes from the NOAA Dungeness station (9444471), on the spit.

Dungeness Spit juts miles into the strait, so it is more exposed than Sequim and the weather can turn while you are far out on the sand. Today: A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms between noon and 5pm. Mostly sunny. High near 64, with temperatures falling to around 61 in the afternoon. Northwest wind around 5 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%. Tonight: Partly Cloudy, 51°F. Bring layers and water, and turn back if the wind and tide build against you.

The spit faces north and west across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Vancouver Island, so it catches wide sunsets and dark north-facing skies. Tonight's sunset is around 7:45 pm. On clear, dark nights the open northern horizon over the strait is a good place to watch for aurora when activity is high. Note the refuge spit closes to walking outside daylight, so plan night sky from the bluff or nearby.

The Dungeness Recreation Area and the spit trailhead are about 15 minutes northwest of Sequim. From Highway 101, take Kitchen-Dick Road north, then Lotzgesell Road and Voice of America Road to the parking area. From there the half-mile forest trail leads to the bluff overlook and the path down to the spit. There is a federal refuge entrance fee at the trailhead, covered by an America the Beautiful pass or a Federal Duck Stamp.

Jamestown S'Klallam land. S'Klallam families from the village at Dungeness founded the nearby community of Jamestown in 1874, and the tribe's relationship with the spit and bay runs unbroken from time immemorial to today, including co-stewardship of the wildlife refuge since 2024 (jamestowntribe.org).

A phenophase is a stage in the seasonal life of a living thing: the week the bigleaf maples leaf out, the morning the salmon start running, the first frost on the salal. It's a way of telling time by what's happening outside rather than by the calendar. The study of it is called phenology, the science of nature's timing, of when things bloom, migrate, ripen, and rest. Phenophase brings that down to one place at a time. We read the live signals for a spot, its tides, light, birds, and blooms, and tell you what season it's truly in right now, and whether it's worth the trip.