From Washington to you
Dismal Nitch
Dismal Nitch · Pacific County · November 10–15, 1805
A November 1805 storm pinned the Corps of Discovery to a rocky Washington cove for six days — Clark called it “that dismal little nitch.”
The Corps of Discovery followed the north shore of Grays Bay for two days trying to round Point Ellice. A winter storm forced them off the Columbia on November 10, 1805, and pinned them to a cove of jagged rocks and steep hillside. William Clark named the spot “that dismal little nitch.”
NPS says the party was trapped for six stormy days. For only the second time on the expedition, Clark said he was concerned for the safety of the Corps. On November 15 a break in the weather let them load the canoes and round Point Ellice. They landed on a sandy beach and established Station Camp.
The site later held a fish receiving station, a ferry landing, and a train station. Washington demolished the ferry landing in 1968–1969 and built the Megler Rest Area. It was renamed the Dismal Nitch Rest Area in 2005. The wayside is on SR 401, ten miles south of Naselle. The sources below are National Park Service pages.
- History
Sources (1)
government · Tier S
National Park ServiceDismal Nitch
Last reviewed: September 21, 2026
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