It helped a lot that we were able to lure our friends Pam and John into hiking with us. A 10-mile hike on a sandy spit with nothing but gulls and driftwood could be tiresome—or meditative, depending on your frame of mind. (Oh, and there’s an additional half-mile to actually get to the spit, making the hike 11 miles in total.) But factor in good company, and the miles fly by.
An aerial view of Dungeness Spit; 5 miles one-way to the lighthouse (image courtesy of Wikipedia)
The hike must be timed to coincide with low tide, lest you find yourself stumbling over rocks and driftwood on the return trip. We met up early for our adventure on a beautiful late June morning. Maintaining a brisk pace and with no lack of conversational topics (don’t ever play Beatles trivia with John—you will lose), we arrived at the lighthouse in about two hours.
Our most exotic bird sightings were gulls (and lots of them)
We had a beautiful day for our hike
The lighthouse comes into view, but there’s still a long way to go
Here’s an interesting tidbit: Dungeness Spit is the longest naturally occurring sand spit in the United States and one of the longest in the world. Another tidbit: The lighthouse was originally one-sixth of a mile from the tip of the spit. But the spit continues to grow, and the lighthouse now sits approximately one-half mile from the end of the spit. We had no desire to hike to the tip of the spit. Getting to the lighthouse was good enough for us.
We were given a choice; Serenity or Reality
New Dungeness Spit Lighthouse and the light keeper’s house
New Dungeness Spit Lighthouse
Looks like the wind always blows from the west
It’s a lovely lighthouse, in pristine condition. Built in 1857, it was the first in the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. It still acts as a beacon for sailors today, although sadly (at least to my way of thinking), a utilitarian acrylic lens replaced the original beautiful glass prism Fresnel lens in 1976.
Pam and John head in for the tour
Inside the New Dungeness Spit Lighthouse
The original Fresnel lens from Cape Flattery Lighthouse on Tatoosh Island, near Neah Bay
From the top of the lighthouse (wish the lighthouse still had the original Fresnel lens)
A view of the light keeper’s house from the lighthouse
If you’re not in the mood for an 11-mile round trip hike, you can get a ride if you pay $375 a week to stay in the light keeper’s house as a volunteer (along with 4-6 other paying volunteers). Responsibilities include staffing the lighthouse, giving tours, raising and lowering the flag, mowing the lawn, and polishing the brass. The volunteer program keeps the lighthouse staffed year round, and prevents the vandalism that typically befalls lighthouses that no longer have a full-time keeper.
Heading back from our lighthouse adventure
Gulls picturesquely posed against the mountains
Lavender Fields And More Adventures In Sequim
Our campground at Dungeness Recreation Area was just a few miles from Sequim, and we were looking forward to visiting the lavender fields. Sequim is famous for its many lavender farms—it has the perfect Mediterranean climate for growing the fragrant herb. We’ve twice been in mid-July for the annual Sequim Lavender Festival. In late June, the lavender was a faint hint of the beauty to come, but we still enjoyed wandering the fields at Purple Haze Lavender Farm. The last time we were here, we indulged in lavender infused gin and tonics while we strolled the fields. This time, there were no gin and tonics offered. We made do with lavender ice cream.
Lavender fields at Purple Haze Lavender Farm
Beautiful poppies and delphinium in Purple Haze gardens
“Peace”
Our other adventures in our three days in Sequim included biking another portion of the Olympic Discovery Trail, this time from the campground to the Dungeness River Audubon Center. We also indulged in a strawberry picking extravaganza at Graymarsh Berry Farm. It never looks like a lot of berries until you get them home. Lastly, we enjoyed a delicious lunch at Nourish Sequim, a delightful farm-to-table restaurant with beautiful gardens.
Railroad bridge at Dungeness River Audubon Center
A brilliant Western Tanager along the trail
Picking strawberries at Graymarsh Berry Farm
The beautiful gardens at Nourish Sequim, a farm-to-table restaurant
Grilled local salmon sandwiches and salads from the garden
Where We Stayed
Dungeness Recreation Area is a wonderful county campground less than 10 miles from Sequim. There are no hookups, but the location makes up for the lack of amenities (it’s not completely roughing it; there are bathrooms, showers, potable water, a dump station, and even good Verizon coverage). Our site was perched at the edge of the bluff, with peek-a-boo views of the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. You can choose full sun sites or shady sites (the website offers helpful descriptions), and most of the sites are spacious and private.
Walking trails skirt the bluff, the sunsets are wonderful, and Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge is walking distance from the campground. So is the lighthouse, if you’re in the mood for an adventure.
Dungeness Recreation Area
This was probably the most spacious campsite we’ve ever had
Those gulls against the mountains are a rare and lovely image. Volunteering at the light house sounds right up your alley, especially the educational tours.
Sheila, I don’t think that particular interpretive gig will lure us away from Lopez. Not unless you and Bruce come with us! :-)
Oh no you don’t! you are staying right here on Lopez.
Tina, you’re right — there’s really nothing I can imagine that will lure us away from Lopez!! You’ve made it too perfect for us. :-))
I am SO very glad you invited us to join you and we convinced each other this was a good idea:) What a fun day with special friends:) The lavender in Sequim was so beautiful. I loved that everyone, even the stores, used it as a border flower. Walking in the fields was special. We sure timed our visit right:)
Pam, I doubt that we would have made this hike without you two! I’m happy we convinced each other, as well. The time really did fly by, and we never ran out of things to talk about. One more adventure to add to our collection of shared hikes. :-)
I wonder if the spit hike would have been as enjoyable without friends to chat the time away….
Thanks for showing us the views from the lighthouse and of the lighthouse, I’ll probably not see it in person!
Love the lavender fields and the flowers at the farm, where to next?
Sue, that hike was certainly was a lot more fun with Pam and John! It really was a sweet lighthouse, and the views were wonderful. We’ve been on Lopez since early July, and will be heading to Glacier the first of September. Hope to meet up with you guys somewhere this winter!
This post brings back wonderful memories from the month we spent in Sequim a few years ago! (Though we chose not to make the long hike out to the lighthouse…!) It’s such a beautiful area and your photos really do it justice.
Lisa, I understand why you wouldn’t want to make the long trek out to the lighthouse, even with your love of hiking! It was a lot of fun sharing it with good friends on a beautiful day, though. I’m glad you enjoyed the photos—it’s such a beautiful area, as you know.
Beautiful lighthouse and spit, as well as birds and lavender. Places to see in the future!
Tom & Georgina, I think you would enjoy this area. Make sure to visit Sequim a bit later in the summer, because that’s when the lavender is in full bloom. Maybe stop here on your way to Lopez next year? :-)
Sure glad you four took that hike on the spit so I could see it. I bet the lively conversation added to the experience – good to know about the trivia, we won’t get sucked in!
Although we only got a quick day trip this time, Sequim is still one of our favorite little towns. The area is gorgeous, and the lavender is beautiful. So happy you captured the hippie statue!!
You snagged a great spot in Dungeness, it’s a beauty (I think we had the one next to it).
Jodee, it was a beautiful hike, and I’m really glad we got to see the lighthouse, but it could have been a bit tedious without the lively conversation. (Really, don’t play Beatles trivia with John. Or at least don’t have any money involved :-))
I’m glad you timed your visit to see the lavender in full bloom. First time we’ve ever seen a hippie chainsaw sculpture. :-)
Good on you for doing the long hike to the lighthouse!! I lived in Sequim for four years during high school and I never seriously considered doing that hike. Of course, I could see the lighthouse from my bedroom window, so why bother with such a long walk?! If you look at that aerial photo in your blog and notice where the middle of the spit bends back toward land, you’ll see a tiny spit coming up to almost meet it. That’s Cline Spit and just a few hundred feet from there is where I used to live. The property is quite well known in Dungeness as the Cline-Bigelow farm and there is a beautiful old red barn there. My mom bought the property in 1973 from old Mrs. Bigelow who was born in the house. I think the current owner is restoring the barn which only had mice and owls in it when I lived there! But boy, was that a gorgeous place to live. The Strait of Juan de Fuca out one window and the Olympics towering in the distance out the other. Not a lavender stem in sight in those days. It was all dairy cows.
Janet, that is a fabulous story! I knew you lived in Sequim during your high school years, but I had no idea you lived in such a magnificent location. Wow, what incredible views you had! You must have had some pretty crazy weather at times, too. Thanks for sharing this.
Sequim is a favorite of ours along with the lavender. That is one hike I don’t think we will ever take even if the Strait is beautiful. Love the peace signs.
Debbie, I’m so glad we made the hike! It’s one of those things that I wanted to do, just because it’s there. But having good friends to share it with made it so much more fun.
We enjoy your posts so much. We visited the area in 2011. The pictures bring back so many wonderful memories. We can’t wait to come, hoping for next year.
Thank you for sharing!
Ilse
Ilse, thank you for commenting! I’m so glad you’re enjoying our posts. We love the Olympic Peninsula (actually, all of the Pacific Northwest) and never tire of our explorations. Happy travels!
That opening picture just just breath taking. Enter it in a National Parks or Geo photo contest. Tell Wiki to enter theirs too. Super wise move to have company on such a trek. I’ll take serenity any day. You can head to reality. Great pictures of the lighthouse. What a beautiful structure. LOL – the wind always blows from the west. What was your first clue?? Hmmmm about the $375. I thought lighthouse volunteers got their “housing” in exchange for doing the tours. Not so here apparently. Ahhhhh lavender farms. I had it all over my farm garden. The smell is so heavenly. Feeling so sorry for you having only lavender ice cream. Those guys with the peace signs look like brothers. Fantastic taninger picture. You guys sure know where to go and what to do. I want to hire you to plan all of my entire trip to Oregon. Every single day of it.
Sherry, we’ll take serenity, too. :-) The lighthouse truly is lovely, and we’re very happy we made the trek, especially with such great company.I was surprised about the volunteers paying for hosting, too, but it seems to be working, since there’s a waiting list!
One thing for sure, Eric looked so fit walking/hiking on a sandy trail! But thank you for taking us there through your colorful and vivid pictures especially of the Tanager.
A group hike with friends always makes the trek more fun and enjoyable especially this trail.
Mona Liza, hiking with good friends is the best! We’re looking forward to more adventures with you and Steve sometime in the near future. :-)
We’ve been out on that spit more times than I can count, but we’ve never hiked to the lighthouse. Three little kids will put a big damper on that plan! Besides that, we got a few “firsts” for our birding list and well, we were just enthralled with the shores along the way. After a while, the lighthouse seemed like, whatever. :)
I agree, Linda, it’s a beautiful place to spend time, with or without hiking to the lighthouse. There is no way I’d try to make that hike with three little kids!
Love it! Adding it to our bucket list.
This is a beautiful campground, Brenda. Perfect for your Casita! Try to get one of the sites on the outer loop (we loved our site, number 55).