Sequim BaySequim Bay

Yes, and it is one of the friendlier places to do it on this coast. Sequim Bay is a long, deep, protected bay sheltered from the open Strait of Juan de Fuca, so when the strait is rough the bay can lie out flat and glassy, which makes it a forgiving spot for a paddle, a beginner kayak, or a paddleboard. Launch from John Wayne Marina and plan around the wind, not the calendar; an afternoon breeze still puts chop on open water. Right now the forecast wind is NNW 5 mph; the Conditions tab carries the live read.

John Wayne Marina, the Port of Port Angeles marina on the bay's west shore at Pitship Point, has the public boat launch, with roomy parking, restrooms, and picnic areas. Launching takes a single-day or annual permit you buy at the marina. Sequim Bay State Park across the water also has a launch, but the park is closed for a construction project through September 15, 2026, so for now the marina is the way in.

It depends on where you go on the bay, and the two are run by different agencies. John Wayne Marina is the Port of Port Angeles: day visitors find easy parking and open access to the docks and grounds, and launching a boat takes a Port launch permit bought at the marina. Sequim Bay State Park is a Washington State Park, so a Discover Pass covers day-use parking there, not a federal America the Beautiful pass, and the park is closed for construction through September 15, 2026. We don't print fees here since they change; the marina and Washington State Parks pages have the current rates.

Both are part of the rhythm of this bay, in season. But the season has to be open and Sequim Bay sees real biotoxin (red tide) closures, so always confirm the beach is open on the Washington Department of Health Shellfish Safety Map (https://fortress.wa.gov/doh/biotoxin/biotoxin.html) or the Biotoxin Hotline (1-800-562-5632) before you harvest; harvesting during a closure is illegal. For crab and clam seasons and a shellfish or seaweed license, check Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife (WDFW).

John Wayne Marina is a tidy, quiet marina the Port of Port Angeles runs on the bay: docks to walk, sailboats and fishing boats coming and going, the Dockside Grill restaurant, picnic areas, restrooms, and a viewing spot out at the point to watch the water with the Olympic Mountains behind it. It is an easy, low-key family stop, the boat launch the main public access, with roomy parking even on busy days. The land was a gift from the actor John Wayne's family, which is how it got the name.

Not right now. Sequim Bay State Park is closed for a construction project building a new park entrance, scheduled through September 15, 2026. Until it reopens, John Wayne Marina is the open way to the water on the bay. Check the Washington State Parks page for the current status before you plan around the park.

Close by. The Olympic Discovery Trail runs the Sequim Bay area, climbing along the west edge of the bay and passing through Sequim, with a trailhead at Blyn at the head of the bay, across Highway 101 from the Jamestown S'Klallam tribal headquarters. It is a paved, mostly gentle stretch good for a walk or a ride; John Wayne Marina is near the corridor rather than directly on it, so check the Olympic Discovery Trail maps for the nearest access point.

They are opposite kinds of coast. Sequim Bay is calm, protected water: a sheltered bay for paddling, the marina, crabbing in season, and a quiet afternoon when the strait is too rough for anything else. Dungeness Spit, a few miles north, is the open strait: a long, tide-gated walk out across the sand of a wildlife refuge to the New Dungeness Lighthouse, exposed to the weather the whole way. Pick the bay for calm and ease, Dungeness Spit for the big walk.

The bay's eelgrass shallows are the draw: great blue herons stalk the flats, bald eagles work the shoreline, and harbor seals and river otters turn up around the docks and the points. Winter brings rafts of waterfowl, and Pacific black brant feed on the eelgrass on migration. This week, 25 species have been logged at the John Wayne Marina hotspot. Bring binoculars; the free Merlin app from the Cornell Lab is great for IDs on the spot.

Today's tides at Sequim Bay: low 5:44 am (0.8 ft), high 1:36 pm (5.8 ft), low 4:47 pm (5.5 ft), high 10:06 pm (7.5 ft). Today's range is about 6.8 ft. Tide data comes from the NOAA Sequim Bay entrance station, the bay's own (subordinate) station.

A calm morning is hard to beat: the bay is usually flattest early, prime for a paddle, with the Olympics out across the water. For the beach and the flats, time it to a daytime low tide. Today's low is around 5:44 am. For crabbing, watch for the open season and the closure status. The bay is at its quietest and loveliest on a still, clear day, which is much of the draw.

Sequim Bay is the homeland of the Jamestown S'Klallam Tribe, whose seat of government stands on the bay at Blyn. S'Klallam comes from nuxsklai'yem, "the Strong People" (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.