PNWSights
A wide panorama of Dungeness Spit stretches far into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with driftwood scattered along the narrow gravel bar and low green grasses in the foreground. Calm blue water borders both sides of the spit under a pale sky, with tiny figures walking in the distance.

Dungeness Spit

Sequim, WA

Dungeness Spit is the longest natural sand spit in the United States, extending 5.5 miles into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The New Dungeness Lighthouse sits at the tip and has been in operation since 1857. The spit is part of the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, which protects important habitat for migratory birds and harbor seals.

Photography Guide

Best Time
golden hour
Crowds
Quiet
Shot Types
widelandscapedetailportrait
Best Seasons
springsummerfall
Practical Tips
The full 11-mile round trip to the lighthouse requires planning for tides and takes most of a day. A refuge entrance fee is required, and dogs are not permitted.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

Eleven miles round trip on sand, with the tide doing what tides do, and a lighthouse at the far end that has been blinking since before the Civil War. That is the proposition. Most people walk a mile or two and turn back, and I understand the impulse, because the spit is strange and exposed and the wind off the strait can be relentless even in July. But if you commit to the full walk, something happens around the third mile that I have not quite found anywhere else on this coast. The spit narrows. The Olympics rise behind you to the south, snow still on the high peaks well into summer. Vancouver Island sits low and blue across the water to the north. You are walking on a thread of sand between two different worlds, and the scale of it only becomes real when you look back and cannot see where you started. I prefer late September. The migratory birds are moving through, the summer families are gone, and the light at golden hour does something to the driftwood and the wet sand that I have tried and mostly failed to photograph. The lighthouse at the tip is small in the frame no matter what lens you bring. That is the point. This is a place that resists the heroic shot and rewards the quieter one - a single seal head in the chop, a line of sanderlings, the way the strait goes silver an hour before sunset. Check the tide tables. Bring more water than you think. Leave the dog at home.

Gallery

A wide panorama of Dungeness Spit stretches far into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with driftwood scattered along the narrow gravel bar and low green grasses in the foreground. Calm blue water borders both sides of the spit under a pale sky, with tiny figures walking in the distance. Photo: Chris Light / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
An informational sign for Dungeness Spit stands in the foreground, with the long sand spit stretching straight into the Strait of Juan de Fuca beyond it. Driftwood, beach grass, and a few tree trunks frame the bright blue water and clear sky. Photo: Chris Light / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
A rocky, driftwood-strewn beach on Dungeness Spit curves into the distance under a clear blue sky, with small white waves breaking along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Bright daylight highlights the pebbled sand and weathered logs lining the shore. Photo: KimonBerlin / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
Wide view of Dungeness Spit stretching into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with the driftwood-covered sandbar leading toward the distant lighthouse on the horizon. Small groups of people walk along the windy shoreline under a clear, pale blue sky. Photo: KimonBerlin / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
A wide view looks out over the long, pale sand spit stretching into the calm Strait of Juan de Fuca, framed by dark tree trunks and soft green foliage in the foreground. The hazy blue sky and gentle light give the scene a quiet, coastal feel. Photo: KimonBerlin / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.0
A driftwood-strewn sand spit curves into calm blue water under a pale gray sky, with the New Dungeness Lighthouse small on the horizon at the far left. Tall beach grasses fill the foreground, emphasizing the wild, low landscape and long sweep of the shoreline. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Wide view from above of Dungeness Spit stretching into the blue Strait of Juan de Fuca, with driftwood scattered along the sandy ridge and small groups of people walking near the waterline. The foreground is shaded with grass and scrub, while the distant spit curves toward the horizon under a clear sky. Photo: Chris Light / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
A sweeping view looks down Dungeness Spit, with the narrow sandbar curving into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and driftwood scattered along the shore. Dark evergreen trunks and branches frame the scene in the foreground against calm blue water and a hazy horizon. Photo: laffertyryan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0
Golden-hour view of Dungeness Spit stretching far into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with low surf along the sandy ridge and calm tidal water in the foreground. Evergreen branches frame the scene, and the warm light softens the distant horizon. Photo: Dicklyon / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
A long driftwood-strewn sand spit stretches into the Strait of Juan de Fuca under a clear blue sky, with calm water on both sides. Dark evergreen branches frame the right edge, adding contrast to the bright open shoreline. Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

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