Category: Trails

The river trail

The gorgeous spring weather was irresistible last weekend, though it was also windy. To bypass the winds we headed to a more sheltered trail near the Dungeness River. It was perfect.

The trail is on a raised dike along the edge of the river. As part of a habitat restoration project to improve salmon runs, parts of this dike will eventually be removed to allow the river to flow more naturally. What you see here is a small tributary. When allowed to freely flow rivers are very sinuous and often change course, particularly during high water in the winter. A nearby road is probably also going to be removed.

Lots of happy people and dogs walked on the trail last Saturday. For many of us it was the end of a long siege of cabin fever.

Dungeness Recreation Area Master Plan Update 6

The Dungeness Recreation Area (DRA) Master Plan Update includes plans to construct a number of new walking trails. Though new walking experiences are always welcome — there’s a lot to see in this 216 acre gem — two trails seem problematic to me. The first, above, would link to the existing eastern entrance to the park and be constructed parallel to Lotzgesell Road running east to west. The road is seen in the left edge of this shot by the power poles. I assume the new trail would be to the right of the existing trees.

The proposed path would traverse seasonally flooded areas. This pond is not far from one end of the trail. The path would require extensive fill to rise above flooded areas, or a more technical constructed boardwalk. And just outside the park, on Lotzgesell Road, an old county roadbed is presently used by many walkers. As a subscriber to the old “KISS” principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid) it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Another trail, branching off the eastern entrance trail, would travel off onto a northern pathway that is currently used informally. Like the trail I mentioned above, this one would skirt a seasonally flooded area. I’m told there is a dike running along the property line on the right. The trail would traverse a large, open field and eventually link to trails that lead to upland, forested areas. It’s a pretty walk but I wonder if it makes sense to construct a trail through an area that Mother Nature likes to flood.

A third path, branching off not far from the northern pathway, would move more sensibly through elevated forested areas, moving east-west. It would emerge in the area shown above, across from an existing trail through forested areas. Both trail locations are marked by light shafts in the photo above.

Finally, planners propose a realignment of the trail that currently traverses areas of the bluffs. Many parts of this trail have been closed due to continual erosion so it shouldn’t be surprising that trail adjustment is planned in response. Planning maps call for six viewpoints, allowing walkers and visitors to look onto the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

Many locals have not been aware of the Master Plan Update. I am focusing my blog on it in hopes of informing more park users of this process. The comment period on the Master Plan Update has been extended to March 23. Click here for more information on the Plan and how to comment.

To my blog followers from out of the area, please bear with me. I’ll be back to my briefer posts this weekend.

Dungeness Recreation Area Master Plan Update 2

Today I continue to inform locals about the Dungeness Recreation Area (DRA) Master Plan update. One key proposal in the DRA Master Plan is to add 45 campsites with electrical service for recreational vehicles. This new camping area would be constructed in a forested area across the road from the existing camping loops. The trail above is next to the proposed area.

County parks staff emailed Master Plan Update questionnaire links to campground users who thus far have provided a majority of the responses to the proposed plan. Campers who come and go from one to several nights, primarily in summer, generally favor expansion of campsites though not universally. Many locals, including residents adjacent to the park, have been unaware of the process and thus have not provided opinions.

There are currently 66 campsites without electrical service. Many are large enough to accommodate recreational vehicles. About a dozen sites closely parallel the bluffs and because of continual bluff erosion Parks staff foresees their eventual closure. Bluff trails are already closing because of this and the Master Plan foresees moving all adjacent trails back from the bluffs.

Campers pay up to $25 per night and during summer months the campground is frequently full. New sites are proposed to allow more overnight visitors.

Here is one of the issues that generated concern at the last Master Plan meeting: The proposed campground will remove over 2 acres of forest habitat (2.4 acres by my calculations) in an area that is surrounded by increasing development. Other habitat at the south end of the park has been degraded over the years by a variety of activities from farming to hunting. The forest area is one of few untouched areas in the park. While the campground is popular during the summer months, there is little to no competition for sites the rest of the year.

The Master Plan does not exist in a vacuum. Running a park, any park, costs money. DRA has a full time resident manager. Summer staff is hired during the busy season. There’s always maintenance, plus water, electricity, trash removal. And the current manager and volunteers have worked hard to improve and upgrade trails and keeps the campsites looking nice. All this comes with a price tag.

The comment period on the Master Plan Update has been extended to March 23. Click here to see a map showing the location of the new campsites. Click here for information on how to comment.

Tomorrow I’ll show you the access road to the park and describe plans for it.

To my blog followers from out of the area, please bear with me. I’ll be back to my briefer posts in about a week.

Dungeness Recreation Area Master Plan Update 1

Local parks officials have been working with consultants to update a Master Plan for the Dungeness Recreation Area (DRA) in Sequim. This area is close to my heart. It’s also close to my house. It’s the reason we live where we do. If I can I walk here five to seven days a week. It is a gem.

We have attended two public meetings to discuss the Master Plan and its process. Parks staff solicited input from the public at a meeting last November attended by a handful of locals. Last week an update was presented. Attendance was better after a neighbor emailed residents of the adjacent Blue Ribbon Property Owners Association. However, very few locals had been aware of the process or the meetings. Many of us are concerned about the increased development. Because of this I will be giving a pictorial summary in the coming days to inform more neighbors and park users. My hope is that more can comment on the plan.

The DRA is 216 acres of combined open space with hiking trails, two camping loops of 66 sites, and a group camp area. Its western boundary is perched on bluffs that overlook the Strait of Juan de Fuca with views to the Pacific Ocean to the far west and Vancouver Island and the San Juan Islands to the north. The park abuts the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge and one of the world’s longest natural sand spits. While the park is popular with summer campers and the wildlife refuge draws tourists and birders, DRA is popular with locals who regularly come from throughout the region.

Locals from the neighborhood walk into the DRA through several entrance points but many locals drive here. On a sunny day the DRA is especially popular.

Some of the key features of the new Master Plan include creation of a new 45 site recreational vehicle camp loop, access road realignment, a new pullout lane at the entrance, and new trails. I will highlight some of the key features here over the coming days. To see conceptual maps click here and here (be patient; they make take some time to load). The Master Plan comment period has been extended to March 23. Click here for information on how to comment.

To my blog followers from out of the area, please bear with me. I’ll be back to my briefer posts in about a week.