Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
Go AWAY!
DONT GO HERE
Ok I gave it 5 stars. If you go, go quietly, in awe of nature, her gifts to us and the wonderful work of the WA Parks for leaving this to us to hike in, identify birds and to be on a beach which stretches fo rmiles.
Driftwood is not stable.. please don't be like the wild guests who were playing and one fell. Stay off driftwood.
Walk quietly, sing, chase waves, love ths sky. But please share with reverence this special place.
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I have spent many a day birdwatching in this NWR. You can expect lots of woodland birds on the walk to the spit and grassland birds near the beach. A scope will allow you too lots of deep water birds and considering that the spit extends so far into the Straight you can also on occasion see pelagic birds. If the weather is right (meaning awful) you can get some real strange birds seeking shelter from the storm. Enjoy the time and the views.
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Memorial Day Weekend visit was awesome! I initially wanted to hike over at one of the Alpine Lakes but saw the snow reports and decided to save that for summer. This was the perfect alternative.
Found a campsite by pure luck, the campground has an amazing location. Our campsite was pretty private (look for #10) and we had our own mini- trail to the bluffs and could hear the waves crashing as we went to sleep. The trail led down to the spit.
OMG - you wouldn't think that 10 mile roundtrip walk along the beach would be strenuous but we were both sore for days after the hike! Take snacks, water, and make sure you bring sunscreen because we forgot to. A friendly camper told us that whole trip would take 5.5 hrs and we scoffed but it DID end up taking us 4.5 hrs with a few stops. $3 entry fee which we forgot but luckily there were so many ppl giving extra that the gatekeeper let us through).
Lighthouse keepers are visitors themselves, staying in the house in exchange for doing chores and giving tours. Sounds like a fun getaway for older couples, keep that one in the book for twenty more years.
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Probably one of the best coastal experiences in Washington, walking along this spit, which extends out 5 miles. Check your tide tables and don't head out if the ocean conditions make you nervous.
The ever changing wildlife will keep you coming back for more.
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I purposely timed this hike so close to the incoming tide movement I had to run to the end of the spit & back (10 miles including hurdling over drift wood). The sand is silky smooth powder in places, but so much dang debris! I wanted to take off my shoes. I love this area of WA, amazing to learn that an area near the Olympic Forest (Port Angeles) gets about the same rain as Los Angeles. Coincidence by name alone?
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One of my favorite day trips is to the Dungeness spit. From the parking lot (there is a $3 fee) you have to hike down to it about a 1/2 mile. The spit extends out into the Pacific Ocean 5 miles and is truely a great experiance. At the very tip there is a lighthouse, and admitidly, I have never walked all the way down there. The waves crash up on the sandy beach and there is tons of driftwood to play on....great family time!
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