If it’s a sunny day, I can think of no better place to while away the entire day than the Salt Creek Recreation Area on the northern shore of Washington, along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. With tidepools, a playground, mountain trails, and an old World War II defense station, Salt Creek has enough for an active day, and an open field next to the playground for a lazy one.
This is a first-come, first served campground that would be very hectic if it was full. However, on the day that we were there, only five of the campsites were occupied. So we felt like we had the run of the place. There are a couple of locations for day-use parking and several picnic tables scattered in various parts of the park. We basically went from one part of the park to another with little snack breaks in between.
First we hiked over to the two WWII bunkers. It’s actually not a hike, just a walk on the paved roads. Having been to restored WWII sites in the Philippines and in Europe, I can’t say I was too impressed with the deteriorating bunkers as a historical site. But it was a place to reflect on how lucky we are as Americans to be protected by two enormous moats.
Next up was a jaunt among the tidepools. For all the activity the this park has, I’m surprised by how rickety the stairway is down to the water. It is not easily accessible and parents should make sure their children have a firm grip on the rails. I consider myself a fairly healthy person, but I felt like an old lady unsure of my footing as we walked down. Once down on the rocks, you should also watch your footing and be aware of the tide. But it is a great opportunity to look at the little details of marine life – hermit crabs, sea stars, and bubble kelp. It wasn’t until a few minutes into our expedition that I realized we were surrounded by baby sea anemonemonees! Okay, I don’t really know that they were babies, but there were sea anemones in almost every crack and crevice available. This is a marine life sanctuary so please observe, don’t disturb.
After a brief picnic of baby carrots (for me), wasabi Funyuns (for Mike), cheese and crackers, the final part of our day was spent on the Cove Trail just inside the entrance to the park. According to the sign at the trailhead, there were two trails – 2 miles to the Cove and then another 2 miles to Striped Peak lookout. We didn’t even make it to the cove. Yes, we are couch-potatoes, but we are not that lazy. What did me in was the incline; due to physical restrictions, my lower back cannot take the strain of steep inclines. So after 1.5 miles, I had to cry uncle and stop at the spot overlooking the cove. Mike hiked on for a little bit, and I encouraged him to go at least to the cove so I could take a picture of him. However, after only a couple hundred feet he came to a very narrow part of the trail that was basically on the side of a cliff, and he decided he had had enough too. The cove looked like a beautiful hideaway, so I still recommend the hike if you’re physically able.
To get there you head west from Port Angeles on Hwy. 101 and then turn off right on to Hwy. 112 toward Neah Bay. Then you’ll turn right on Camp Hayden Road (there is a convenience store on the corner) and travel about 3 miles. The directions say you turn right into the park, but you really go straight after a bend in the road. The sign wasn’t very noticeable to us so we drove past into the Crescent Beach area. So if you are driving along beachfront, you’ve gone too far. However, don’t worry about trying to turn around, just keep driving in a square through the town of Joyce and you’re back to the spot where you should be turning right but are really driving straight.