Looking for more outdoor fun near Ocean Shores?
Head to Duck Lake for an easy place to paddle.
CURRENT INFO
- Check out the Washington Trails Association (WTA) website or the book Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula by Craig Romano.
LOCATION
- The Copalis River Spit Trail is located at Giffiths-Priday State Park on the Washington Coast, about 8 miles north of Ocean Shores on Highway 109.
LENGTH
- 1.6 miles out-and-back to hike to the beach as we did below, or 4 miles out-and-back if you hike to the northern tip of the spit
DIFFICULTY
- Moderate — There is little elevation gain, but when we hiked it, many sections of the trail were overgrown with brush, especially as we went further along. Some sections are also right along the edge of the sand bank above the creek, where erosion makes the trip more treacherous. Fortunatley, you can usually walk off the main trail briefly to avoid these sections. Hopefully trail work will be done soon to improve these conditions.
WE HIKED IT
- June 2020, about 3 hours including some play time by the river and the beach, and navigating an overgrown trail
GOOD TO KNOW
Griffiths-Priday is a Washington State Park, so be sure to bring your Discover Pass. There’s a restroom at the trailhead and a large grassy area with picnic tables, but wear good footgear – there are some prickly plants hiding out in the grass! It’s still a great space for lawn games. Also, we experienced a few bug bites in June, so I recommend bug spray.
HIGHLIGHTS
This wild beach feels a world away from the cars of Ocean Shores, and the winding Copalis River has its own unique beauty.
THE KIDS’ TAKE
You can’t beat the beach by the river, which offers great sand for building and is sheltered from the wind.
WHILE YOU’RE HERE
Griffiths-Priday is a short drive from Ocean Shores, Seabrook, and other small towns of the central Washington Coast. For a fun outing in Ocean Shores, go for a paddle on Duck Lake.
Our Experience
While staying in nearby Ocean Shores, I decided to look into the nearby hiking opportunities. Ocean Shores’ expansive beaches offer plenty of space to play, but I’m no fan of driving on the beach. Instead, I longed for more of a back-to-nature experience. So one cloudy afternoon, I drove north with my two boys to Griffiths-Priday State Park to hike the Copalis River Spit.
Ours was one of the only cars in the parking lot, and the picnic area was empty, but the large lawn, sheltered from the wind, was inviting. Perhaps not as inviting as it first looked, however. We soon discovered some mosquitos buzzing about and returned home with several bites. Luckily, we didn’t have problems with bugs further down the trail.
The trail starts at the far end of the picnic area. Before long, we arrived at the sandy banks of the river. I had the foresight to bring the sand toys (essential for a beach hike, according to my kids), and the boys whooped and hollered as they ran down the embankment onto the beach. As they started happily playing, I reminded them that this was just the first stop. Soon, we’d need to continue on and make our way to the ocean beach.
“What?!” J exclaimed. “I thought this was the end!”
“We’ve hardly even hiked,” I explained. “We have to head north along the river to reach the ocean.”
J was not keen on this idea at all. He insisted we could reach the ocean by crossing the Copalis River right where we were, no further hiking required. Now, the Copalis River is not particularly deep in this spot, but neither is it shallow enough for wading, and the swift-moving current poses a challenge. I informed J that crossing it simply wasn’t possible, but J was unconvinced. He decided to build a bridge, determined to succeed.
As you may imagine, the bridge didn’t quite come to fruition, although we got a start with a few small driftwood logs. Eventually, I convinced both boys that it was time to continue our journey. We left the riverside beach behind, only to turn the wrong way on the trail, heading south instead of north.
“This is odd,” I thought. “The trail must change direction soon.” But after we crossed over the road, I realized my mistake. Pulling out my Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula guidebook, I reviewed the map. Sure enough, we should have turned due north when we left the river, but I had seen only the southward trail. Fortunately, the correct trail was easy to find once we made our way back. Reader, let this be a lesson: bringing a hiking guide with you is always a good thing.
The boys were a little annoyed by my detour, as it added more time to our hike, but they trudged dutifully on. As we went, the trail grew wilder and wilder. Brush encroached onto the path, almost blocking our way at times. This actually raised J’s spirits; the trail was turning out to be a real adventure! This was especially true when the trail skirted the edge of the bluff. In some places it had eroded away to nearly nothing. I held tight to T’s hand and looked for small detours in the brush away from the drop-offs.
All the bushwhacking made the trail seem longer, and we were all excited to finally reach the river’s mouth where it poured into the mighty Pacific Ocean. Together, we found a spot along the bluff where we could climb and jump our way down to the sand. The beach before us was wide and windy, empty of any other people, and littered with the bleached remains of Dungeness crab shells. Despite the wind, we pulled out our picnic blanket, pinning it down with the weight of our backpack and water bottles, and settled in for a snack.
We spent a little more time on the beach, looking for possible treasure among the detritus, and drawing in the sand. But the wind was strong, and before long, we decided to head for home.
Making our way back through the jungle of native salal and invasive Scotch broom, J boldly led the way. As we came nearer to the end and the trail became tamer and less overgrown, and we passed a few other hikers on their way out. I had to wonder if they, too, would follow the call of adventure, pushing past all obstacles to finally reach their goal.
