Dungeness Spit Beach WA ‎Sunday ‎June ‎23 ‎2024 ‏‎8 03 28 PM

Dungeness Spit gets it's name from a combination of two names. Firstly, the the S'Klallam indigenous people named the spit Tsi-tsa-kwick and the bay Tses-kut. Then it was discovered by the British explorer named George Vancouver in 1792r. He called it "New Dungeness" because it reminded him of the Dungeness headland in the English Channel. The "Spit" keeps growing by approximately 15 feet per year. The lighthouse was originally built on the very end of the Spit. I haven't walked out there yet to see how far it has grown and cannot find this information. That is probably because of the constant yearly growth.

It has been designated a bird sanctuary and therefore dogs are not allowed. As per the rules, you are not allowed to take rocks off of this beach. There is a campground above the Spit. The hours of beach access vary depending on the time of year. Winter hours are shorter than summer. Please be mindful of your trash and take out what you bring in. I have seen garbage just 30 feet from the garbage can at the bottom of the trail, just at the base of the Spit... so close but yet so far... This is an incredibly beautiful place. Let's keep it that way.

A friend who grew up very near the base of it says it is the longest natural spit in the world. He also said that the Spit has a near straight downward drop off close to the waters edge at lower tides and that it is not clearly understood why. I have seen the waives double hit each other. I can clearly see this effect. The waves tend to double smack each other when they hit the shelf and bounce upward and then another bounces right on top of it. I have never seen this effect before. These waters are very dangerous. It is recommended to NEVER swim in them. If you get caught by the water and taken out past the shelf you are probably not going to survive. DO NOT GO SWIMMING IN THE WATER ON DUNGENESS SPIT.

Before it was a park and nature reserve it was a military fort. The Commanding officer used to have his troupes run all the way out to the lighthouse and back with full back packs as part of their physical training exercises.

My sources for information are Google and W.W.B.M.K.H..

Dungeness Spit Beach WA ‎Sunday ‎June ‎23 ‎2024 ‏‎8 03 28 PM