A great way to spend a beautiful sunny day is a hike on the Copalis Spit. It is a stretch of sand dunes, dune grass and some Ponderosa Pine trees between Connor's Creek and the Copalis River.
To get there take Highway 109 North to the Green Lantern and take a left. There a sign for the State Park just before the turn. Follow that road to the park which is on the right side of the street. It is just about a 15 minute drive from Ocean Shores.
This park is a day use and has plenty of parking, restrooms, picnic tables, barbecues and a picnic shelter (which can be reserved through Ocean City State Park).
According to the State's website this park is a 364-acre marine park with 8,316 feet of saltwater shoreline on the Pacific Ocean and 9,950 feet of freshwater shoreline on the Copalis River. It is designated as a wildlife refuge.
The trail that leads along the beach isn't marked, but it is located just west of the picnic shelter. For most of the hike the trail is pretty well defined. There are parts of it along Connor's Creek where tidal influences have undercut the dunes; be careful of the edge and potential earth movement. In spots the trail has been eroded, but can easily be picked up again. It is about a 4 mile trip.
If you want to go to a stretch of beach with little to no vehicle traffic this is the spot for you. During the winter cars can drive that portion of the beach but the only access is at the Ocean City Beach access; but during the summer no cars are allowed down that way. The day we went; we were the only people on that part of the beach.If you aren't up for the 4 mile hike take the left turn before the Green Lantern. There is a footbridge that leads directly to the beach.
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