Map: USGS Clallam Bay
Favorite Eats After Hike: Turnip The Beet, Yodelin, Nourish Sequim, Linda’s Wood Fired Food, Finn River, Sunsets West Co-op, or just Pack A Cooler. You can learn more about these places in my Must Hike Must Eat Eating Out Guide.
Find out current conditions and as always, practice Leave No Trace. Pretty Please.
Hike Details:
Clallam Bay Spit Community Beach is a unique, 1+ mile stretch of shoreline west of Port Angeles and on your way to Neah Bay perfect for stretching the legs and beachcombing for ocean treasures. Quietly tucked into a curve on SR 112 as you enter the quaint town of Clallam Bay, it offers year round restrooms and a dog-friendly place to picnic, walk and learn about local shipping history.
The 33 acre park rests where the Clallam River spills into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and offers views across to Vancouver Island, as well as the possibility of catching osprey in flight or a sea otter bobbing on the waves. An old coast guard station and light house anchor the east end of the beach where headland tidepools and derelict dock footings engage your curiosity at low tide and the west end leaves you pondering a crossing of the Clallam towards Middle Point. The beach is accessed from the community park on a seasonal bridge over the Clallam River but there is a short path near the guard station if you find the bridge is pulled up for winter. You can read my hike guide description at Washington Trails Association.
My Hikes:
1/14/2023
On my way to Bogachiel State Park, I took SR 112 from Port Angeles and meandered the coast before stopping for two leg stretchers, one at Salt Creek Recreational Area and one at the “Spit”.
As was my first visit, the bridge was pulled up so after using the restroom and reading about shipwrecks, I headed over to the short trail at the end of Frontier St by the old coast guard station. The owner of the co-op made it sound like the bridge had recently been down but online information says it is seasonal, most likely due to the nature of winter storms.
The beach was empty but for one other couple and I walked the spit towards Slip Point admiring the smooth, aggregate nature of the beach. Barnacles as large as my hand, sea urchins fading from deep purple to bleached white and strands of bull kelp caught my eye as I approached the point. It was high tide so I didn’t get to see the tidepools but the walk was interesting nonetheless.
11/26/2016
After waiting out the rain in Forks and getting a tip from the owner of Destiny Gift & Thrift, we drove over to Clallam Bay Spit for what was promised to be prime beachcombing territory. They had told us about a secret place to park which was good because if you pull into the official parking lot for the spit, you see a trail that leads to a bridge that supposedly goes over to the spit but actually ends midair with a gate.
So, remembering what they had told us in the store, we went out and followed Frontier Rd (at the bend of SR112) south, turned left at the T and parked at the sign for the sheriff’s office. There was a little trail along a fence for someone’s private property, but we stayed on the other side down to the beach. It was an amazing little cove and although we didn’t find much more than living treasures in its many tidepools, we walked out to Spit Point among the old lighthouse boardwalk pilings and watched the colorful sunset color the sky.
Directions: From Port Angeles, you can either follow SR112 50 miles to Clallam Bay or stay on 101 and turn right onto 113 and follow the signs into Clallam Bay. From Forks, follow 101 north to 113 and turn left. When driving through town towards the water, 112 bends to the left to continue out of town. Here, you will see the parking lot for the community beach. On your right will be a small strip of stores with the Sunsets West Co-op and other shops. Turn right onto Frontier St and follow my directions above.
Click here for another hike nearby. To read more about our trip, head on over to Buried Treasure in The Twilight Zone.
Thank you so much for stopping by Must Hike Must Eat!
If you need some healthy eating inspiration start here:..
Need some eating out suggestions when friends want to stop after a hike? I have a Pacific Northwest Eating Guide here.
Find out what’s been happening outside the blog:
If you have a question you don’t want to post in the comments, you can ask them here: