Washington has the longest natural sand spit in the country, and the lighthouse at the end makes you earn it
Washington has the longest natural sand spit in the country, and the lighthouse waiting at the end of it makes you work for the view. Dungeness Spit curves more than five miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Olympic Peninsula near Sequim, narrow enough in places that you can see water on both sides. It’s still growing too — about 15 feet longer every year, so the spit on the map is already a little behind reality.
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The walk starts in shaded forest above the bluff — a half-mile of moss and salal that drops about 130 feet before spitting you out onto open beach. From there it’s flat sand the rest of the way: driftwood, shorebirds, and open water until the lighthouse finally comes into view. Round trip, you’re covering 11 miles, so budget most of a day and don’t let the flat part fool you into thinking it’s short.
Time it around low tide if you can. The sand narrows fast when the water comes in, and the driftwood logs piled along the high-tide line look sturdier than they are — they shift with the surf and can catch you off guard. Check a tide table before you head out; the refuge posts one, and it’s worth the five minutes.
Watch for harbor seals hauled out on the sand near the point — this refuge exists partly to protect them, so admire from a distance and let them rest. More than 250 species of birds pass through here, and the tideline stays busy with shorebirds working it for food, especially during spring and fall migration.
The lighthouse has outlasted an earthquake and its own keepers
New Dungeness Lighthouse first lit in December 1857, the second lighthouse built in Washington Territory. An 1861 earthquake cracked the tower badly enough that crews eventually cut 30 feet off the top and capped it with a lantern room salvaged from the decommissioned Admiralty Head Lighthouse in 1927 — which is why the proportions look slightly off if you know what you’re looking at. The Coast Guard kept it staffed until 1994, the last lighthouse on the West Coast to lose its crew.
Volunteers have run it ever since. The New Dungeness Light Station Association puts teams of keepers up in the old dwelling for a week at a time — mowing the lawn, polishing brass, leading tours up the tower’s 74 steps — and the waiting list to get a turn is famously long, often close to two years. Skip the week-long commitment and you can still tour the tower and small museum on most days if you make the walk.
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What to know before you go
The Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge charges a $3 entrance fee per group of up to four people, or $12 for an annual pass — cash or check, exact change appreciated. Dogs, bikes, and camping aren’t allowed anywhere on the refuge, and the rules are strict enough that they actually work; this land has been protected for wildlife since 1915.
Sequim and Port Angeles both work as home bases if you’re staying over. Port Angeles puts you closest to the rest of the Olympic Peninsula if you’re stacking this with a few more stops.
Trip tips: grab a rental car to get out here, and lock in a hotel in Sequim or Port Angeles before the good rooms are gone.
Rules and fees change — always confirm current requirements before you go.
