Launched from Cline Spit County Park into Dungeness Harbor with a couple friends. Paddled around the end of Cline Spit and Graveyard Spit (named from an intertribal battle that took place in 1868 - https://www.historylink.org/Fi...) into Dungeness Bay. A really beautiful place we’ve paddled many times over the years. We paddled across the bay toward New Dungeness Lighthouse. You can land there and take a tour of the historic lighthouse (there are public restrooms) or you can walk Dungeness Spit 5.5 miles one way to get there. Great view from the top deck of the Olympic Mountains to the south and Vancouver Island B.C. Canada across the Strait of Juan de Fuca. We didn’t stop this trip but paddled out to the end of Dungeness Spit, hoping to see an elephant seal that often rested on the beach there in past years. No such luck. We paddled out into the Strait a couple hundred yards as it was a calm day. Then back across the bay to the mouth of the Dungeness River where there was a huge flock of mergansers and seagulls. Paddled up he river against a gentle current about a half mile and then back to Cline Spit.
Conditions
Check the tide charts for the bay as the current can get strong on the tide change, particularly at the channel between Cline and Graveyard Spits. Also check the marine wind forecast. An afternoon westerly can get howling in the afternoon in the warmer months. The tip of Dungeness Spit has strong roiling currents at times nearshore.
Trip Details
Trip Dates:
9/13/2009
Sport/Activity:
Kayaking
Skill Level:
Intermediate
Water Type:
Open Water/Ocean, River/Creek (Up to Class II)
