Day Hike - Dungeness Spit

Meet at 10 AM Saturday at the kiosk at the trailhead parking lot, reached from US 101 by driving through Sequim and turning right at Kitchen-Dick Road, signed DUNGENESS RECREATION AREA, left on Voice of America Road and continuing to the parking lot at the end of the road. 

This is part of the two-day North Olympics Car Camp, fully described on the Tacoma Branch calendar.  It is restricted to those participating in the Saturday Dungeness Spit day hike, the Sunday Sunrise Ridge day hike and the Saturday night encampment at Dungeness Campground.  Registration for the car camp is by registering for both of those two day hikes.  Leader permission is required to assure compliance.

Someone in each car at the parking lot must carry a National Park Pass that can be shown to park officials upon request.  Alternatively, a $3 fee could be paid by one person in the car, placed in an envelope deposited in the slot of a tube.  Then the receipt for that payment must be carried by the payer.  ONLY ONE PASS OR RECEIPT IS REQUIRED FOR EACH CAR.

After everyone has arrived and secured a pass or payment receipt for their car, we will begin hiking a level half mile on a paved forest trail to a viewpoint of the spit, where we can take a group picture.  Then the trail descends 200 feet to the beach of the spit.  The hike along the beach to the lighthouse is five miles each way and will be close to low tide both directions to provide a firm walking surface for us.  At the lighthouse we'll have our lunch at a picnic table with an indoor restroom nearby, and take a free tour of the lighthouse and related indoor and outdoor exhibits.  Then we return by the same route. 

After returning to the trailhead, we will drive to our reserved campsites at the adjacent Dungeness Campground, set up camp and prepare for a camp dinner, followed by smores around the campfire.  In the evening we'll be able to enjoy the spectacular sunset from a viewpoint near our campsites.  Prepaid campsite fees will be collected in the evening.  There are restrooms at the trailhead, the lighthouse and the campground, but not elsewhere on the hiking route.

On Sunday morning we will all drive to Hurricane Ridge for the Sunset Ridge hike.  See the  description for that day hike for registration and detailed information.

Saturday night we will camp at Dungeness Campground, which is adjacent to the trailhlead