Clallam Bay Spit Park

Dog-FriendlyKid-FriendlyNo PassStrait of Juan de FucaIBA

May 31

IBA (Important Birding Area)

Directions: From Port Angeles, From Port Angeles follow US 101 west for 5.4 miles to the junction with SR 112. Turn right on SR 112 and continue for 44 miles to the community of Clallam Bay. Trailhead for beach access located in town where SR 112 makes a bend left near its intersection with Frontier Street.
Ownership: Clallam County Parks
Trail Distance: minimal, more than one mile of beach
Difficulty: easy
Fees/Permits: none
Notes: Kid-friendly, dogs permitted on leash, picnic area, restrooms

Located at the mouth of the Clallam River in Clallam Bay on the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this one mile sandy spit offers wonderful beach walking, beautiful views of Vancouver Island, and excellent birdwatching. The river provides plenty of nutrients to the bay attracting a wide array of birds and mammals.

Along the beach, watch for common goldeneyes, common and hooded mergansers, California gulls, herring gulls, glaucous-winged gulls, mew gulls, black oystercatchers, marbled murrelets, harlequin ducks, and rhinoceros auklets. Along the river look for belted kingfishers, violet-green swallows, green herons, great blue herons, lesser yellowlegs and Pacific-slope flycatchers. And as with most areas along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, bald eagles are common.

Nearby Birding Areas

Miller Peninsula State Park

Sequim, WA
2800 acres of undeveloped beaches, bluffs, and forestland on the Strait of Juan de Fuca between Sequim Bay and Discovery Bay.

Railroad Bridge Park

Sequim, WA
The park provides access to the 130-mile long North Olympic Discovery Trail, consisting of former railroad lines.

Dungeness Spit National Wildlife Refuge

Sequim, WA
The eelgrass beds in Dungeness Bay host some of the state’s largest concentrations of wintering harlequin ducks, scaups, black brants, black-bellied plovers and dunlins.

Salt Creek County Park

Port Angeles, WA
When the tide is low, take to a series of staircases leading to beaches, and rocky shelves for better viewing.

Pillar Point County Park

Port Angeles, WA
If you have a boat or kayak you can paddle to nearby DNR beaches and tidal flats. Otherwise you can observe birds from the park’s small beach.

Clallam Bay Spit Park

Clallam Bay, WA
Mile long sandy spit with beach walking, views of Vancouver Island, and excellent birdwatching. The river attracting a wide array of birds and mammals.

Moderate

Rachel Hansen

Clallam Bay Spit Park

Pillar Point County Park

Cape Flattery

The Olympic Peninsula Bird Trail