04/09/23 - What's Happening at the Dungeness Dike?

There have been a lot of changes at the Dungeness Dike and Towne Road. The old dike is gone. There's a new dike instead. A good chunk of Towne Road is now part of the Dungeness River. The good news is that the new dike is open for walkers and explorers and parts of the old dike are now foot trails.

The new dike near the parking lot

A chunk of the old Towne Road underwater

More of the new dike

Wetlands

More wetlands

Young forest

A heron

More of the new dike

Heading towards the river

Further along

The old dike is gone, but there is still a trail.

More of the trail

It's a very basic trail for now

Forest scene

Returning along the new dike

A forest in the making

Old Towne Road

Keywords: dungeness dike trail, trails

05/27/19 - Dungeness Dike Roses

The Dungeness Dike Trail off Towne Road is another hike that changes dramatically from winter to summer. The grasses grow taller, the bushes and trees leaf out and block the views of the river. The brush by the trailside grows higher and encroaches on parts of the trail. This time there were a few red poppies and bushes full of fragrant wild roses.

A red poppy

Spanish moss

The trail by the pasture

Another bit of trail

And another bit

Roses

More roses

A bit of the river

The trail home

Keywords: dungeness dike trail

04/30/13 - The Dungeness Dike

The Dungeness Dike Trail has its trailhead along a pretty stretch of Towne Road, not far from the Old Dungeness Schoolhouse. It's a pretty tame walk, but it offers spectacular mountain views. The trail follows the river, as it is a dike, and there are side trails that lead down to the river proper. We saw a few adult bald eagles flying around the fields, possibly a mated pair, and, by the river, we saw a group of three young bald eagles who posed for photos.

It's like something produced by the Swiss National Tourist Board.

Welcome to Switzerland.

The Dungeness Dike Trail

The Dungeness River

Two young eagles

A third young eagle

Another view of the river

The blue sky

California poppies

Keywords: dungeness dike trail, spring, birds, eagle

03/16/11 - A Gathering of Eagles

The trees were full of bald eagles at the Dungeness Dike Trail. There were at least eight, more likely a dozen of them. Was it the season? The river in flood? We had seen a couple in one of the trees along Towne Road, but the spotting was even better along the dike itself.

A Bald Eagle

Another Bald Eagle

There's scenery too (and probably bald eagles in those trees).

Keywords: dungeness dike trail, birds, eagle

04/30/10 - Dungeness Dike Poppies

Here are some of the amazing orange California poppies along the Dungeness Dike Trail. They were so brilliant, we thought they were artificial, like surveyor's marking tape, from the distance.

California poppies up north

Keywords: dungeness dike trail, flowers

01/15/10 - If The Creek Don't Rise ...

With the recent rain and warm weather it looks as if the creek has risen.

At Morse Creek, we use that almost horizontal branch on the left as our benchmark. The waters are usually a foot or so below its bottom, but with the recent rise it is well over the top.

On the Lake Angeles Trail, the little rivulets, often dry, that cross the path are full of water. Ennis Creek, the stream under the log bridge, was roaring.

The Dungeness River was in full fettle. The little side channel visible from the Dungeness Dike Trail, which is often empty in the summer, is a veritable torrent.

That's the view downstream from the railroad bridge.

There's lots of water under the bridge on the Lake Angeles Trail.

The Dungeness River is roaring as well.

Keywords: dungeness dike trail, lake angeles, morse creek, weather

01/10/09 - Tree Down Dungeness Dike

There was a tree down across the Dungeness Dike Trail. It is a bit of a mess, but you can scramble through. A couple we met claimed to have heard the tree crack during a wind storm a day or two ago. It was probably quite a noise given that a trunk two or three feet in diameter simply cracked through. It's easy to underestimate the power of a wind storm and overestimate the strength of an old tree.

Keywords: dungeness, dungeness dike trail, weather

10/29/08 - Here Too Are Salamanders

It pays to keep one's eyes on the ground, even on the Dungeness Dike Trail. While enjoying the fall foliage we found this little fellow, an Olympic torrent salamander.



Keywords: dungeness dike trail, animals, salamander

12/24/06 - The Dungeness Dike Trail

We were exhausted from all our Christmas preparations and just wanted a place to stretch our legs so we checked out the Dungeness Dike Trail off Towne Road. It is right near the Dungeness Valley Creamery and Nash Huber's farm stand, so we could get some exercise and do some shopping.

The trail is a little gem. We had seen cars parked at the dike access area, and we had heard that this was a good area for birding, but now we have discovered another little treasure. Read our report for more info.

The Dungeness Dike Trail

Keywords: dungeness dike trail, farms, trails, christmas, dungeness, nash huber, shopping