From Washington To You
The long curve of Dungeness Spit sheltering a bay on the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
Photograph by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Public domain.

From Washington to you

Dungeness Spit

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge · Clallam County · established January 20, 1915

One of the world's longest sand spits shelters a bay President Wilson set aside in 1915 as a refuge, preserve, and breeding ground for native birds.

Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge occupies a long sand spit in Clallam County. FWS calls Dungeness one of the world's longest sand spits. President Woodrow Wilson established the refuge on January 20, 1915, as a refuge, preserve, and breeding ground for native birds.

A refuge brochure says the five-mile spit lengthens about 13 feet a year. FWS records 244 bird species, 18 land mammals, and 11 marine mammals. The hike to the lighthouse is five miles one way, about 11 miles round trip.

The spit shelters a bay of eelgrass, tideflats, and quiet water. The sources below are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service refuge page and brochure.

  • Geography & Geology
  • Wildlife & Ecology

Sources (2)

Last reviewed: September 20, 2026

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