Bryan spent what probably amounted to months of research finding this place. Salt Creek Recreation Area, located about 20 minutes outside of Port Angeles, was a brilliant discovery. It’s owned by Clallam County though, and we got there too late on Friday to camp there and the gate was closed at 8. We paid a lousy $35 fee to camp at an RV park on Crescent Bay, which is just a skip down the road. Next time we’ll just arrive on Saturday instead.
We woke up bright and early Saturday morning, rolled up our sleeping bags (we sleep in the back of the Wedge), and drove across the street to the surfing area. It’s the nook/arm of Crescent Bay – Bryan knew this from all his research – and we started walking down the beach not sure what to expect. Toward the end of Salt Creek, that heads out to the bay, is a dude who turned out to be really friendly and offered to explain to us how the cove works, where you can paddle to and at what tide it works best. Super helpful! The waves were only ankle-high and not tall enough to really get any surfing on. So over to the campground we headed, to unpack our shelter and explore.
Looking back/down at Salt Creek and surfing zone from the campground area.
More of Salt Creek/Crescent Bay surfing zone, from a little further away
We could walk from our camp area to the bluff overlooking the surfing zone in a matter of minutes. I don’t think you could easily get down to actually surf from the bluff – maybe you could? With a wetsuit and board, it wouldn’t matter about the tide coming and going but if you are in shoes then you’d definitely get locked in or out — you have to approach it from the roadside. There are trails winding all over the Salt Creek rec area, including one that hugs the bluff. It was perfect to scope the waves and lineup, and watch how it worked. All through Saturday the swell didn’t pick up to anything big enough for a shorter board, but we saw lots of longboarders and kayakers out there. 19 total, which seemed like a fair amount for this small space.
Our new camping shelter, REI's "Alcove"
The rocks sticking out behind that wave are Tongue Point - it only shows at low tide.
Exploring Salt Creek and Tongue Point -- stairs leading down to Tongue Point. This picture was taken at high tide, so the stairs lead to the water.
Saturday was spent exploring Salt Creek, driving out west toward Neah Bay to check out another surf break near Twin, and generally relaxing and enjoying nature. There was rain on and off all day, which brought a rainbow that was almost constantly seen across the strait – always cheery to see that! When night came, we saw a squall off in the distance but the skies over us stayed clear. We slept under a blanket of stars and the near-full moon made for a great view out from the window over our bed.
Sunday started rough: we both forgot the little kooler was left out, so the raccoons got to our breakfast (and everything else) before we did. The coffee pot and our cups, silverware — EVERYTHING had their prints on it. So we packed up, I made PB&J for breakfast, and off to check out the surf. It was coming in nice! Bryan got excited, he got into his suit and then … zipper broke off. Not fixable. So after that frustration, we packed up again and headed into Port Angeles to grab a coffee. On the way in we decided to check out Hurricane Ridge, only about 30 minutes outside of Port Angeles.
Hurricane Ridge lodge - on the edge of majestic peaks
Super old poma lift towers -- these things are probably as O.G. as it gets
The pictures make it look like there was a dusting of snow up at Hurricane Ridge, it’s actually just a strong layer of frost that mostly melted after the sun broke through the clouds. On top of that, it wasn’t all that cold, despite it being close to 6,000′ and all.
After we had enough of Hurricane Ridge, we got back on the hiway and headed back to Seattle. We’re already planning our next trip back to Salt Creek as soon as the swell forecast is big enough.
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That’s practically my back yard! I spent most of my childhood on 5 acres 3 miles down the road from Salt Creek Park! There are so many great hiking and back packing areas out there. Check out Sol Duc Hot Springs, and Crescent Lake. The hot springs have a bunch of hikes and beautiful waterfalls, and obviously a great set of natural hotsprings, and Crescent Lake has hiking and biking trails, VERY old and no-longer used train tracks, and has what’s called The Devil’s Punchbowl. That’s a great place to go cliff diving. It’s a naturally formed cut-out into the side of the hill, and the edges go straight down. The weird part is that it’s only about 15-20′ diameter and very circular! Also, there’s a part of Lake Crescent called the Log Cabin Resort. This is another place where the land/water line is really abrupt. Only, here, there’s a nice grassy slope for everyone to have picnics and enjoy a bit of sun, then there’s a little bit of flat rock where the water meets the land, and then a sheer drop-off in the water. You can stand on the dry rocks, lean over, and see dimes sparkling in the crystal clear water a good 15 feet directly below you. There’s even a bit of steps in part of the rock to help you climb out of the water ^_^. Anyways, lots of fun things. If you go out to the Pacific Coast, there’s a place called Shi Shi beach that’s really awesome too. When I went, it was all foggy, but that happens. If you want a nice leasure hike, there’s also the Hoh Rain Forest, and in there, go to the Hall of Mosses. The moss there hangs like sheets and curtains from the trees. When I first went there, it rained the whole way out, and right when we got there the sun came out. Walking through there, with the bright sun beams streaming through the trees, and then the steam from the fresh rain rising up… it felt like I was walking into enchanted woods or something right out of a fairy tale. Anyways, I ramble. The whole Olympic Peninsula is beautiful. If you ever need any more ideas for up there, just let me know!