Ediz HookEdiz Hook

Today's tides at Ediz Hook: low 1:39 pm (-0.1 ft), high 9:45 pm (6.5 ft). Today's tidal range is about 6.6 ft. Today has a minus tide, baring the widest sand and gravel flats for beachcombing. (Ediz Hook is a spit, so it's flats and beachcombing at low water, not rocky tide pools; for those, head to Salt Creek.) Tide data comes from NOAA station 9444090 in Port Angeles.

Yes. A paved road runs the length of the spit out to the tip, past the Coast Guard station, with pullouts and views across the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Vancouver Island. It's a popular short drive for sunset and bird-watching. Note that the waters inside the hook carry submerged deadheads (waterlogged logs floating vertically, just awash), a hazard for boaters, not drivers.

Ediz Hook is one of the best birding spots on the north Olympic Peninsula, a spit jutting into the strait that concentrates seabirds and shorebirds. This week, 40 species have been logged at the Ediz Hook hotspot. Winter brings rafts of sea ducks; migration brings movement along the spit. Bring binoculars; the free Merlin app from the Cornell Lab is great for IDs on the spot.

Yes, harbor seals regularly haul out on and around the spit and are often visible from the road, especially near the tip. Keep your distance (it's the law, and it stresses them less); a long lens or binoculars beats getting close.

Sometimes, and the spit is a genuinely good shore vantage when whales are moving through the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The eastern strait sees both Bigg's (transient) orcas, which hunt seals and sea lions year-round, and occasionally the endangered Southern Residents, plus gray, humpback, and minke whales. We show recent marine-mammal sightings near here: Humpback, about 3.2 km away, reported yesterday. Sightings are never guaranteed from any one spot. Scan the water on calm days and bring binoculars. (Sightings via the Acartia / Orca Network cooperative.)

You'll see otters around the spit, though it's worth knowing what you're looking at: true sea otters are mostly on Washington's outer Pacific coast, while what's commonly seen in the Strait is often a river otter, a harbor seal, or a sea lion. We surface recent nearby observations from iNaturalist to help sort it out. Either way, give wildlife room.

Yes, a Port of Port Angeles camera looks out across Port Angeles Harbor toward Ediz Hook and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, so you can check the water, the light, and the cloud cover before you head out. We show the current view right on this page (and link to the live feed). Great for a quick "is it clear and calm out there" check before the drive to the tip.

It depends on what you're after. For beachcombing the flats, today's low is around 1:39 pm. For birds, early morning on a calm day; for sunset, the spit faces west across the water toward the Olympics and Vancouver Island. Check the wind, since Ediz Hook catches whatever's blowing down the strait, and a breezy day on the spit feels much colder than in town.

If you're after clams or crab, it depends on the season and the beach being open, so check before you go. Always confirm the beach is open on the Washington Department of Health Shellfish Safety Map (https://www.doh.wa.gov/CommunityandEnvironment/Shellfish/RecreationalShellfish/Maps) or the Biotoxin Hotline (1-800-562-5632) before harvesting; biotoxin (red tide) closures happen and matter, and harvesting during one is illegal. For crab and clam seasons and a shellfish or seaweed license, check Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW). Today's minus tide bares the most flats; if seasons are open, the biggest low tides expose the most ground.

Ediz Hook and the adjacent waters are a known spot for salmon (in season) and bottomfish from the shore and boat. Strait water temperature is around 52°F (mid-strait buoy 46088). You'll need a WA fishing license; check WDFW for current open seasons and regulations.

The spit faces west across the Strait of Juan de Fuca toward Vancouver Island and the Olympic foothills, making it one of the better sunset spots in Port Angeles. Tonight's sunset is at 9:10 pm, with golden hour starting around 8:21 pm. On clear, dark nights the spit is also a decent place to watch for aurora when activity is high.

Sometimes. When geomagnetic activity is high, the northern view across the water from the spit, away from much of the city's light, can show aurora low on the horizon. Right now the planetary Kp is about 2.67. We flag it on this page when conditions line up.

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.