Kaleberg Archive for Keyword: tides, Page: 1

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07/01/24 - Cape Alava - Part 1 It's almost a two hour drive out to Cape Alava, so we don't get there that often. There's also the matter of the tides. We weren't planning on doing the entire loop, but if we had hoped to hike the triangle to Cape Alava and then via Sand Point, we'd want the tides low enough to get comfortably around the headlands. There have been some good low tides lately, so we figured we'd head out and at least get from the trailhead to Cape Alava, and, if we had the energy, to return via Sand Point. There were a few nice views of the strait along 112, but the road was twisty and not banked well. We passed through Clallam Bay and Sekiu noting the number of rental cottages along the water. We took the Hoko-Ozette road and, once again, managed to get the very last free parking spot. We weren't the only ones taking advantage of the good weather and the low tide. We crossed the Ozette River near where it flows into Lake Ozette, and headed into the forest. A lot of the trail is boardwalk, and there were lots of ups and downs. Several times, we'd take a series of steps down, cross a wooden bridge, and then take another series of steps back up. We made our way to Alstrom's Meadow. On our way back we met a group of Alstroms pondering their relation. Here the forest thins and the trail follows mostly a boardwalk through a sea of grass. Then, we entered the coastal forest and began our descent to the beach. It was a long way down. The forest here was subtly different from the earlier inland forest. Then, we began to get glimpses of the ocean.	The Ozette River
The bridge over same	The Ozette River heading into the lake
Forest trail	A candelabrum tree with horizontal and vertical branches
Steps on the trail	One of the bridges
More trail	An omen?
Another bridge	More steps
Pacific dogwood	Towards the meadow
Across Alstrom's Meadow	More boardwalk
A boardwalk closeup	The trail repaired, a story told
More meadow	More boardwalk
Even more trail	Even more steps
Trail through forest	More forest trail

Keywords: cape alava, tides, weather

05/14/24 - Second Beach at Low Tide - Part 2 We made our way south along the broad beach to the sea stacks and sea caves at the base of the coastal bluffs. Again, starfish were plentiful. We explored for a bit. The tide was so low, we could have headed farther, but we know our limits. We had a peaceful walk back. As a bonus for visiting Second Beach at low tide, our GPS track was underwater. The edge of land ever changes with the tides, so the cartographers tend to mark the high tide line. That means a low tide walk takes one past the land's end.	At the base of the bluffs
A driftwood inspiration	Misty bluffs
Even more starfish and anemones	Variation on a theme
Anemones and more	Another starfish
Starfish in contrast	More starfish at our feet
Looking back	Yet another starfish
Sea stacks in the background	Yet another you know what
The sea cave	At the base of the bluffs

Keywords: second beach, tides

07/07/23 - Second Beach, Low Tide, Ocean Mist We went to Second Beach at a recent extreme low tide. The sun was bright, but the air was misty down by the cold sea. We hiked out to the seastack that is only reachable during very low tides and we explored and explored. We also hiked down to the south end of the beach and explored some more. We took so many pictures, we had to break this into two posts. This section focuses on the sea, sand, seastacks and spray. The other section focused more on the tide pools and the amazing return of the starfish.	The hike from the parking lot to the sea
A seastack with the wrong camera settings	Another seastack with the wrong camera settings
A seastack with the camera in the proper mode	The seastack cave
Extreme low tide	More seastacks and the Pacific Ocean
Sea mist offshore	Another look out to sea
Blue ocean	From a distance
Pigeon guillemots on a rock	We'll have to look these up
Beach mist	The tide is out
Green haze at the south end of the beach	More green haze
More seastacks and low tide	More on that theme
Contrast	A group of researchers studying the beach at various distances
Return through green forest	More of the hike back

Keywords: second beach, tides

06/09/23 - Dungeness Highlands When the tides are against us at Dungeness Spit, we'll head inland and stick to the highlands. That's an out and back hike we take along the bluffs, then inland to a viewing point. It's a short walk from there to the parking lot, so we turn around and retrace our steps. There are grasslands, forests, thickets and some wonderful mountain views.	Along the bluffs
Sunny trail	Distant mountains and nearby roses
More sunny trail	More distant mountains
Seen along the way	Heading north
More open country	Another vista
Yet another	Another thicket - They're popular.
Another look at the Olympic Mountains	And another
A tree full of birds	A close up
Back through the thicket	A floral collage

Keywords: dungeness, dungeness spit, tides

01/11/22 - Dungeness Spit Near High Tide We usually avoid Dungeness Spit at high tide, but, in January, just about every low tide suitable for hiking is at night. This will be the situation until February. We recently took advantage of a falling tide during the day and walked down to the spit. The tide was high, and the beach was full of driftwood. There were large logs which can be dangerous, but they were all securely anchored on land. With the tide going out, they were unlikely to cause problems. The going was rough. We didn't have to clamber over any logs. Usually, we could time the waves breaking on the rough winter sand and scoot around them. As we neared the stake at the one half mile mark, there was less driftwood but the beach was rough and rocky. It was beautiful with the wild gray skies and the breakers crashing into the spit. There were few birds on the water. We didn't get all that far, maybe a mile out all told, but what we saw was wonderful. On the way back, there were the mountain views. We still prefer hiking the spit at low tide, but it's nice to know it is passable even in less than perfect conditions.	The spit
The view from the ground, rather daunting	Driftwood and salt water
Some more driftwood blocking our path	A chunk of a big log
Some artistic driftwood	Our hiking trail, not as bad as it looks
The half mile stake in the distance, to the left of the spit	Another view of the spit
The view back	Another view out
Strait meets sand	Another look back
Just a bit past the half mile stake	Another mountain view taken while balancing on a driftwood log

Keywords: birds, dungeness spit, tides, winter

08/01/21 - Second Beach at Extreme Low Tide There have been some extremely low tides out at Second Beach this summer. The beach only recently reopened to the public, so we took advantage of the reopening and a recent low tide to see the beach at its widest and head out to the sea stack that is usually an unreachable island. We expected big crowds, but the trail and beach were relatively quiet. The Third Beach trailhead parking lot, in contrast, was overflowing. We hiked through the forest and descended to the beach. There is usually a driftwood barrier to clamber over, but the beach was clear this time. The driftwood had drifted elsewhere. We made our way to the sea stack dry shod. It was great to see so many starfish. With the plague wiping out so many of them some years back and recent stories of sea creatures being cooked in their shells we expected the worst. There were starfish and a good many of them. It was far from the years before the plague, but they were not hard to find. We explored the sea stack, its caves and its seaward side. Then we headed down the beach into the light mist. With an extreme negative tide like this, there was lots of beach and it was easy going. There were more starfish down near the cave at the end of the beach and anemones galore. We spent some time exploring here and then made our way back to the return forest trail.	The trail to Second Beach
No driftwood blocking the way	The hole in the wall towards La Push
The sea stack off shore	A welcome sight
More starfish	Even more starfish
Anemones	A starfish pool
Faint mist	More sea stacks
Pelicans or pterodactyls?	More pelicans
The beach	More starfish and friends
Tide pools	Even more starfish
Saying good bye to the sea stack	The trail back

Keywords: second beach, summer, third beach, tides

06/17/21 - Dungeness Spit It is hard to walk the Dungeness Spit in the winter. The mid-day low tide is usually almost as high as its surrounding high tides, and the what there is of the beach lacks sand so progress is hard going. We're in the season of good tides now. Check the left hand side of this web page or our tide tables to find a good tide. Note that the lighthouse is closed for the duration, so no bathroom or running water. Still, this is the best time of year for the ten mile round trip hike.	The forest walk to the spit
The sea and clouds	Take off!
More sea and clouds	An eagle on the driftwood - Check inland now and then.
The view back to land, again mainly sea, sand and sky	A view from the climb out
The forest trail again	and again

Keywords: dungeness spit, tides, summer

02/14/20 - Dungeness Spit, Now With Sand We went back to Dungeness Spit again, and this time there was lots of beach. It was easy walking. Of course, this time the tides were with us with a tide under two feet at around two o'clock. There will be good hiking tides at the Dungeness Spit every two weeks or so, so consider the days around February 29th or March 11th if you want to get out to the lighthouse or just have a good walk out into the strait.	A nice broad beach
Farther out, still lots of easy going sand	A common sight on the spit
Signs of spring	The Dungeness Spit

Keywords: dungeness spit, tides

02/02/20 - Winter Tides at Dungeness Spit

In January, we had take a walk at the Dungeness Spit with the tide nominally at five feet. We usually recommend hiking the beaches of the North Olympic Peninsula when the tide is down around three feet or so, but it was a mild day, and we found lots of sand on the beach and easy going. Not so on our most recent five foot tide visit. The tide tables told us the same tide height, but the tides begged too differ. Recent rains, storm winds and evil gremlins gave us a lot more wild sea and a lot less walkable sand.

There will be some better tides later in February. We'll aim for three foot tides and report back.

A local salamander to brighten our day

Not much to walk on

That's the 1/2 mile stake.

Another view of the spit and rollers

The wintry sea

Keywords: beaches, dungeness spit, tides

01/20/20 - Dungeness Spit The autumn tides make it hard to take long walks on Dungeness Spit, but in January they start to get better. We went out with the tide at five feet and falling. The beach was broad and sandy which made for easy going. There was even a rainbow to make things even nicer.	The rainbow and rollers
The spit with lots of sand	Salt water
Lots of broad beach	Driftwood
More driftwood	Still more driftwood
A natural sculpture	Looking down at the spit

Keywords: autumn, dungeness spit, tides

07/24/19 - Dungeness Spit Lighthouse There have been some good low tides lately, so we headed out on Dungeness Spit, and, somewhat to our surprise, made our way all the way out to the lighthouse in what was a record time for us. There was good footing and a bit of cloud in the sky that made the walk all that much easier. It's a fascinating walk, almost five miles out on a narrow spit jutting into the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. Even when one is walking it, there is a feeling that it is something strange and wonderful. The lighthouse makes it even better. It's a haven with fresh water and a clean bathroom. Thank you lighthouse volunteers.	The broad low tide beach
One often sees interesting ships on the strait	First glimpse of the lighthouse
The haven	Mount Baker
Rock art	The way back with mountains
The way out, a path into the sea	Driftwood lines the way
We call this Ribsy even though most of the ribs are gone.	There was a lot of pink seaweed on the beach.

Keywords: dungeness spit, tides

07/12/19 - Second Beach - Low Tide There have been some really low tides at the West End beaches, but road work at Lake Crescent has made it difficult to get out there except on weekends. This time, however, time and tide did wait for us, so we made our way out to Second Beach at an extreme low tide. According to the GPS, most of our walk was underwater, though with the low tide we were always on dry sand. We made our way out to the big seastack that is usually cut off by water and explored. This time, we didn't even have to wade, and we were able to make our way almost all the way around the seastack. The big news was starfish everywhere, but more on that in another post. For this post, the big news was a journey out to a usually inaccessible sea stack and getting a chance to explore its caves, beaches and tide pools.	GPS map showing us walking on water
Stairs to the beach	The seastack at extreme low tide
At the seastack	Hidden cave on the far side
One of the sea birds	Exploring the far side
Another view from the far side	The seastack via land bridge
Barnicles on the rocks	Exploring the seastack, misty skies
The near side of the seastack	Mysterious caves
The main seastack is on the right.	Across the beach
Sea, sand and seastacks	Algae on the rocks
Plovers	The candelabrum tree, a happy mutant, with three branches again

Keywords: beaches, birds, lake crescent, second beach, tides

09/26/18 - Dungeness Spit to the Lighthouse We are getting into the autumn tides which make it hard to get out to the Dungeness Spit. The walk takes from three to four hours, and when the tide is above three feet, it can be rough going. We managed to catch a good tide in late September and, much to our surprise, made it all the way out to the lighthouse for a ten mile round trip walk. As usual, the spit was hypnotic. It's a long narrow strip of beach that just heads out to sea. On one side of the path is Strait of San Juan de Fuca and on the other side there is a low rise decorated with driftwood and beach shrubs. The best walking is down towards the water. Above there is sand, rocks and pebbles.	An overview of Dungeness Spit
A hypnotic walk	More of the spit
Beach life	The bay protected by the spit
The lighthouse in the distance	The lighthouse as we approached
The spit on our return walk	Ribsy - one of our landmarks, about a mile out

Keywords: autumn, dungeness spit, tides

03/14/18 - Dungeness Spit at Low Tide

Every two weeks or so, there are some great tides at the Dungeness Spit. We recommend planning any long walks on the spit when the low tide gets down to three feet, but lately, the daytime low tide has been getting down below one foot. That means lots of broad beach, and there is lots of sand for easy walking. The light house is only five miles out. What are you waiting for?

For our Dungeness Spit tide tables . Good, low, daylight tides are marked in green.

Wide, sandy beach

An eagle on the driftwood

The orange cap marks "my spot"

Good, easy walking

A view from above

Keywords: dungeness spit, eagle, tides

03/31/17 - Dungeness Spit Low Tides There have been some pretty impressive low tides at the Dungeness Spit lately. Every two weeks or so the low tides are mid-day, so there is a lot of beach for walking. We've been taking advantage of it. (Check out our tide tables here.)	One of the newts on the trail
A big broad beach	A look back at the mountains

Keywords: dungeness spit, tides

05/10/16 - Really Low Tides at Dungeness Spit There have been some really low tides at Dungeness Spit lately. They’re great for hiking. In general, if the low tide is above three feet, it will be rough going if one heads out to the lighthouse. The sand will be softer, and there will be lots of rocks. When the tide is lower, there is often a band of wet sand that makes for much easier walking. We’ve had some really low tides lately, as low as negative two feet at the mid-day low tide. This made for great walking, though we haven’t made it out to the lighthouse yet. As always along the coast, check the tide tables. A low tide can make your walk much easier.	The broad beach
The view south towards the mountains	A view from above
Mount Baker and its reflection	Green forest

Keywords: dungeness spit, tides

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