Head to the Shores

Shellfish Gathering

With a salt water canal at its center and a myriad of lakes, waterfalls and streams surrounding the inner fingers of Puget Sound – this area is rich in aquaculture and water related opportunities. It’s time to start planning your outdoor adventures!

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Click to download the Mason County Shellfish and Beach guide

If you harvest clams or oysters, make sure to keep them on ice or eat them soon after harvest. DOH advises that shellfish recreationally harvested from June through September, should be cooked thoroughly to avoid illness from Vibriosis. It is best practice to read posted warnings or call the Marine Toxins/PSP Hotline: 1-800-562-5632 for a recorded message that is updated regularly. 

Visit the Shellfish Safety Map or the mobile friendly version of the map . Clam and oyster season are beach specific and may change annually.  Always Check BEFORE you dig. 

“Prepare yourself with buckets, boots, license and check the tides & harvest map. Local State Parks support a healthy stock of clams and oysters for license holders – free for the taking!”

Harvestable Beaches

Some of the following reflect adjustments from original 2020 seasons to make up for opportunity lost during the Stay Home, Stay Healthy-related closure:

South Puget Sound

Hope Island State Park – Boat access only.
Oysters are incidental at this site but clamming can be quite good. This beach is a very popular place to dig for geoducks. A tide lower than -2.0 feet is best for geoducks.  Most of the oysters are on the west side of the island near the south end. The season is usually only open for the month of May but in 2020 owing too Covid -19, Hope Island State Park will be open for clams, mussels, and oysters Aug. 1 - 31.

North Bay – Abundant Manila clams and an enhanced oyster bed. The season here is short and locked into May and September under terms of a shoreline agreement.

Oakland Bay Tideland  – Open year-round, good shore access with parking. Manila clams and oysters can be found here.

Hood Canal

Belfair State Park – Excellent beach for oysters and Manila clams can be found here. Clams, mussels, and oysters open two weeks early on July 15 and remain open through Dec. 31.

Potlatch State Park  – Potlatch State Park and Potlatch DNR: clams, mussels, and oysters open June 8 and seasons are extended for two months to remain open through Sept. 30.

Lilliwaup State Park – Open year-round, excellent for oysters and native clams. Clamming is difficult due to the cobble substrate, but the beach is abundant with butter clams.

Rendsland Creek  – Open year-round, excellent for oysters and a variety of clams can be found here although not in great densities.

Twanoh State Park  – Open year-round for oysters and seasonally for clams, check season before harvesting. Good beach for Manila clams.

DNR 33, 47 & 48  – Boat access only beaches, open year-round for clams and oysters.

Eagle Creek  – This is an excellent oyster beach. Opens June 8 for clam, mussel and oyster harvest. Clam and mussel seasons are extended by two weeks to close on Sept. 15. Oysters remain open through Dec. 31.

Triton Cove State Park – There is very little clam resource on this beach, but there are good numbers of  year-round oysters.  Opens June 8 for clam, mussel and oyster harvest. Clam and mussel seasons are extended by two weeks to close on Sept. 15. Oysters remain open through December 31.

Dosewallips State Park – This is an excellent beach for clams. The best areas are in the mid-upper tidal zone in mixed sand and gravel substrate. Opens June 8 for clam, mussel and oyster harvest. Clams and mussels close Sept. 30. Oysters remain open through December 31.

Productive digging is also found around and among the oysters, an area often overlooked by harvesters. Please take care not to cover oysters with sand and mud as this will potentially kill the oysters.

Landscape Photography with George Stenberg

Though there are many factors that come together to make a good photographer—gear, dedication, understanding of theory, etc.—the one elusive quality that boosts George Stenberg’s craft into the upper echelon is timing. This is often translated to photographers terms as patience.

Although many assume that being in the right place at the right time is happenstance, one look at Stenberg’s extensive collection suggests there’s something more sophisticated at play. Time and time again, he publishes jaw-dropping creations that not only make us fall even more in love with our own DSLRs, but with Hood Canal that continually provides these glorious moments.

Note: all photos featured in this post belong to George Stenberg.

Meet George Stenberg

He’s the man behind the image that makes you say, “whoa.” And rightfully so—his mission is simply in the right place. “The world is a wonderful, amazingly beautiful place,” he says, “look around and see for yourself. Let’s cherish it and take good care of it for those who come after us."

We caught up with him for a little Q + A.

What makes shooting around Hood Canal and on the Olympic Peninsula special?

The simplest answer is because I love the Hood Canal and the Olympic Peninsula. I grew up in a small community along the Puget Sound called Dash Point. I always love to being by the water.

As a youngster, my folks would take us on weekend trips to my Grandparents' cabin at Maggie Lake, near Tahuya. We would also spend a lot time with friends who had a cabin nearby on Hood Canal. My earliest memories of the fjord are the warm waters, oysters, and a rocky beach. This was way different from our cold water and sandy beach in Dash Point.

Swimming in warm water was much nicer. Also, just about every summer we would take a trip around the Olympic Peninsula on beautiful Hwy 101. We called it a trip "around the loop." So I developed this love for Hood Canal and the Olympic Peninsula in my early years and as they say, "shoot what you love," applies to me.

What camera gear do you use to keep focused on what you do best as a photographer?  

My equipment is very modest. I use an Olympus E-3 DSLR with two Zuiko lenses, 12-60 f2.8 and 40-150 f3.5. I shoot in RAW files and develop the images in Photomatix and/or Smart Photo Editor.

The Photomatix works well when I use HDR (High Dynamic Range) photography to help me capture the scene as I remember it. The Editor software is for basic editing and enhancing to suit the image and my taste.

Which photographers influence your work?

Port Angeles landscape photographer Pat O'Hara has been a big influence. I purchased his book Washington—Images of the Landscape almost thirty years ago, and I still refer to it and am inspired.

The late great Galen Rowell has been another huge influence. Mountain Light is a must read for any inspiring photographer. If only I could emulate his technical understanding of light and his passion for photography.  

Also, Jim Brandenburg is an environmentalist and nature photographer and filmmaker based near Ely, Minnesota. Jim's work is nothing but spectacular in many ways. One of his books, White Wolf, is also a must read everyone who enjoys nature and particularly wolves.

Lastly, my Mom, Bonnie Stenberg, is another huge influence. I remember growing up with her taking pictures of us at all of our family events. Her photographs have accumulated in tons of scrapbooks and in frames filling the walls. She bought me my first camera when I went off to college. If only I had had the money for film and processing during those days.

Where is your favorite place to shoot around Hood Canal?

Every place on the Hood Canal is a favorite. It all depends the on time of year, the time of day, and many other factors. The view of the Olympics and the Big Bend is beautiful from the Union.

Lake Cushman, Skokomish Valley, and all the estuaries of the Skokomish, Hamma Hamma, Duckabush and Dosewallips Rivers are wonderful places to visit, explore, and take photos. I love to shoot from a special 3000' ridge top with a sweeping 360 degree view of the Cascades and Olympics.  And there are many places that I have yet to find. But if I were to narrow my answer to one favorite place, it would be paddling in a kayak anywhere on Hood Canal on a warm summer evening.

Do you know someone who delights in shooting the under-trodden nooks of Hood Canal? Someone who sleeps with a tripod and welcomes the sunrise DSLR-in-hand? Is this person you? We’re on the hunt for those who love to shoot the Hood Canal. Get in touch with us, and you might be featured as next month’s Spotlight Photographer.

 Until then, keep an eye out for photographic inspiration on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest, and be sure to tag your creations with #wildsideWA so we can keep tabs on your travels about the Olympic Peninsula.

The Mountains are calling... ANSWER!

A weekend warrior is a 21st century beast whose population seems to be exponentially growing. As the “rolley chair blues” epidemic proliferates across the Pacific Northwest, so does the drive to combat it with an epic 48-hour adventure.

Here’s to those who burn the midnight oil finishing up reports and rise with the birds to knock presentations out of the park. This one’s for those who are at the gym until it closes so that their lungs are ready to be filled with alpine air come Saturday morning.

For those that simply cannot wait to escape Seattle’s concrete jungle when the clock hits 5 on a Friday, we have good news: Hood Canal is waiting for you in your backyard.

How to Get to Union, Washington

The Bremerton Ferry sets sail from Pioneer Square in the heart of Seattle over 15 times a day. As it scoots around Bainbridge Island, the impressive Olympic Mountains rise ever higher off of the water as your weekend playground draws ever nearer.

A short 45 minutes from the Bremerton Ferry Terminal lands you at Alderbrook Resort & Spa. But you’re a weekend warrior—you’ll take the extra half-hour trip to Lake Cushman. Or possibly even forge on a bit further in order to get in the thick of it with a visit to Staircase in Olympic National Park.

How to Make the Most of it

Breathe in, breathe out. You made it. Waking up underneath behemoth, moss-covered, primordial-looking trees and a tangle of lacy moss is what makes it all worthwhile. And you’ve got two whole diems to carpe!

Access to the Olympic National Park is second-to-none from Staircase Campground and it just so happens that some of our favorite biking trails are just down the road. The Lower South Fork Skokomish Trail #873 is bar-none one of the best trails around.

If a two-wheeled ride is not your pick of weekend poisons, Mt. Ellinor is a short drive away. An intrepid 6 miles of trail give way to breathtaking 360 degree summit views. And, as one of the more notable peaks in the area, bagging this peak will earn some serious bragging rights.

There is a wealth of adventure waiting around every twist of trail in Hood Canal. For more ideas, check out our extensive To-Do list.

How to Celebrate in Shelton, Washington

During a weekend away, we think just about anything is cheers-worthy. The good news? There’s no lack of handcrafted libations in Hood Canal. If you’re a gin or whiskey drinker, The Hardware Distillery crafts some of the best spirits in the Northwest. Their tasting room is open from 11am to 6pm Friday through Sunday.

If you find yourself drawn to a glass of wine made with locally sourced grapes as an after-adventure drink, Walter Dacon Wines in Shelton makes some of the best wine in the area and is dedicated to Rhone and Mediterranean styles. Their tasting room is open Wednesday through Sunday from noon until 6pm.

As weekend warriors ourselves, we revere those who rise early on Saturday and Sunday to take advantage of the precious weekend freedom. We’d love to see what you get into in our neck of the woods; tag your photos on social media with #wildsideWA, and be sure to find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for more.