Island Beach Access

Whidbey Island Sea Kayakers (WISK) – Round the Island Paddle #23: ALA SPIT TO DUGUALLA

General area of island: NORTH – Eastside

Nearest town or community: Deception Pass State Park and Oak Harbor

Point to Point launch sites: Ala Spit to #7 Dugualla Bay

Difficulty: Skill level II-II (See chart below)

Paddle distance/time (one way): 2.9 mi

Access: Ref: Getting to the Water’s Edge

• Site #5: Ala Spit Lat/Long N 48: 23. 581 W 122: 35.200
  Turn E off Hwy 30 2 mi S. of Deception Pass Bridge onto Troxell Rd. Travel 4 mi. to Geck Rd. Drop down to road end. Site has limited parking and a porta-potty. Carry kayaks over a few logs. Not easy.
• Site #7: Dugualla Bay Dike Access: Lat/Long N 48: 21.398 W 122: 35.891
  From Hwy 20 N. of Oak Harbor go L (East) onto Frostad Rd. After 0.8 mi. go N onto Dike Rd. Park on road shoulder at midpoint of dike.
  Go W onto Swantown Rd. Then 3 mi. to stop sign at T intersection with Crosby Rd. The entrance is on the N. side of Crosby. There are 2 parking areas with no facilities. One is near West Beach Rd, at the N. End of a line of waterfront houses. See GWE book for more detailed instructions.

Special features, attractions, points of interest, warnings: (e.g., best times to paddle, wildlife, scenery)
This is almost always a very easy paddle. Lots of bird life to observe, especially kingfishers and herons. At low tide, Dugualla Bay empties to almost ¼ mile out from the launch area, and the exposed mudflat is a rich feeding area for birds. The flight path for one of the Navy Base’s runways is directly over Dugualla Bay, so it could also get a little noisy overhead!

You’ll want to do this paddle at a high tide, whether you launch from Ala Spit or Dugualla Bay. In fact you can only launch at a high tide at Dugualla Bay. At Ala Spit a mammoth barrier of logs on the south side of the spit makes carrying your kayak between the parking lot and the beach difficult. A partner is almost mandatory. Best not to consider launching or landing on the north side of the spit. Too muddy.

KAYAKING SKILL LEVEL MATRIX (from Hole in the Wall Paddling Club newsletter)

Information supplied by Whidbey Island Sea Kayakers – May the kelp be with you.