I walk along this trail regularly. Most of the time it seems as colorless as the overcast sky. All it took was some bright daylight the other day to bring it to life.
Category: Trails
Open!
The new trail at the Dungeness Recreation Area is open. This trail reroutes walkers further inland of the south end of the bluffs.
We found the trail open last Wednesday, earlier than expected. I took this photo and the one above it as we walked south from the first parking lot at the bluffs.
This is a shot looking back to the north. It’s not a long trail but I think it’s very nicely done. It’s not much to look at this time of year but it will be gorgeous in the spring and summer when there’s more foliage.
Walk this way
Ten days ago I posted photos of the closed southern portion of the bluff trail at Dungeness Recreation Area and an adjacent new trail under construction further inland. The other day we came upon the ranger-manager as he worked on the new trail which routes walkers inland from the bluff.
The old bluff trail, refurbished only three years ago, is permanently closed due to steady erosion and to prevent idiots misguided walkers from scaling adjacent unprotected bluff areas. Posts and wires are being installed along the new route which should be open (weather permitting work completion) within a couple of weeks. You will, no doubt, see this new trail once my feet get authorization to enter. Can’t wait!
Closed!
I’ve posted a number of shots of the eroding bluffs at the Dungeness Recreation Area. But I didn’t expect the south end to be completely closed like this. I don’t know if it’s a proactive effort to avoid further erosion or an attempt to keep people from climbing up a steep and particularly dangerous off limits area.
Another parallel trail further inland is under construction but apparently it’s not ready yet. Walkers are diverted to another trail, along the edge of a marshy area. It was pictured in my post yesterday.
Oops
Here’s another chunk of the Dungeness Recreation Area bluff that’s headed seaward. Most of the land here is just compacted sand, really. Give it enough rain, throw in a little wind, and voila! A new jog in the trail.
Anticipating Mother Nature
I’ve mentioned before that erosion is a problem along the bluffs of Dungeness Recreation Area. Two or three stretches of bluff trail have been rerouted in the past four years that we’ve lived here.
A new trail has been started near the southern edge of the bluff trail. It will route walkers well back from the edge, which has given way once already just in the time we’ve walked there.
This is the existing trail. The fence at the right is only a year or two old but is losing ground. And the orange cone? An attempt to stop walkers from scaling the hill ahead, a piece of which recently collapsed.
Spring view
I can’t really complain about winter weather. It’s rained and been windy but hasn’t been so bad lately. And the water content of the snowpack in the mountains increased from 24% of normal at the first of the year to 80% of normal last week. That’s very welcome! What I miss is foliage. And color. I’ve browsed some photos I hadn’t gotten around to posting before and I’ll roll out a few for some brief winter relief.