Dungeness Spit National Wildlife Refuge/Dungeness Recreation Area
Sequim Wa.
Olympic Peninsula
I’ve had my eye on this hike for a really long time, so I chose Dungeness Spit for our family camping trip last summer. A “Spit” is a narrow point of land extending into a body of water. Dungeness Spit is the longest natural sand spit in the United States and there is a working lighthouse at the end of the 5 mile trek. You can read more about the New Dungeness Lighthouse here.
Dungeness Recreation Area Campground
Sequim Washington
Olympic Peninsula
Dungeness Recreation Area is known as the portal to the Dungeness Spit. When I found this out I was ecstatic! Dungeness Spit hike was on my to do list for a long time but since there is no overnight backpacking and I live hours (and a ferry ride) away I didn’t think it was possible. Since this campground is only half reserve-able and there were none left for that weekend, I felt anxious about chancing the drive all the way there. We planned this trip with our friends who couldn’t arrive until Friday night so we left early (6:30 am) Friday morning in hopes that at least one camper would be leaving at a check out time. Fortunately for us several people were leaving, probably to avoid the busy weekend. The first site we found was decent but a little small for two families. We started to set up and noticed a couple packing up at what looked like a group site. They walked over to us as they were leaving and told us that their site was the best in the campground and that we should snatch it up before someone else grabbed it.
New Dungeness Lighthouse
Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge
Sequim Washington
New Dungeness Lighthouse is located on Dungeness Spit on the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge in the town of Sequim on the Olympic Peninsula. To get to the lighthouse you must hike 5 miles on a natural sand spit. A “Spit” is a narrow point of land extending into a body of water. The hike is long but worth it. You definitely need to time your hike according to the tides. During low tide there is enough sand to walk comfortably. At high tide you’ll be walking on logs and rocks and it will take you much longer. Check out my Dungeness Spit Hike post for more info.
Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park
Hole in the Wall Hike
Northwest Washington Coast Day 2
As soon as it was light I got up and walked to the beach to watch the tide begin to go out. I skipped breakfast since I was so eager to get to Hole in the Wall and again, it was another incredible experience for me. I saw a couple of early morning hikers and I watched the surf gradually lowering to reveal tons of rocks that weren’t there the day before. My hiking companions decided to sleep in since we didn’t get much rest during the night. So once again I was on my own to explore this amazing place at such an incredible low tide. The sun was coming up creating beautiful colors and the beach had a touch of early morning fog. It was going to be a perfect day!
Round Lake State Park
Near Sandpoint Idaho
Sunset from the Tromp the Swamp hike.
I asked my husband to find a state park in Northern Idaho near Silverwood theme park for our family vacation. I mentioned Priest Lake assuming that he would reserve one of their 435 campsites on the lake since it is so large and popular. When he told me he reserved a campsite for 3 days at a place called ‘Round Lake’ I was pretty annoyed. I gave him one thing to do and he found the smallest campground at a lake I had never heard of. 🙂 It was too late to change it, so I decided to make the best of it. I must say now that I was incredibly suprised at how beautiful, serene and awesome Round Lake was.
Pearrygin Lake State Park
Methow Valley, North Central Wa.
August 30, 2007
Pearrygin Lake is located within minutes of Winthrop in North Central Washington. I wasn’t sure what to expect since I had never camped east of the Cascades, but to my surprise Pearrygin Lake is now one of my favorite places to camp. The set up is different then what I am used to. The campsites are different, much larger and more open with a little lack of privacy, but that is the only downside. There were more RV’s than we are used to as we are strictly tent campers, but that didn’t bother us at all.
Baker Lake
Highway 20 near Concrete Washington
Baker Lake is located near Concrete Washington, just past Baker Lake Resort. We camped there last summer for 3 days and aside from a few “pests”, we had an overall great time. Some friends knew of a spot along the road where a few makeshift campsites are set up next to the lake, and you can camp without a fee and it is completely private. Of course there are some drawbacks, no bathrooms or garbage cans, but we are used to hiking so we made do.
Kayak Point
Stanwood Washington
Snohomish County Park
Kayak Point is one of our favorite beaches to go for swimming, crabbing, boating and camping. It is located close to our house, so it is quite convenient for even an unplanned beach day.
Our Life in the Pacific Northwest 