The Copalis River Spit Trail in Griffiths-Priday State Park is a hidden gem. No cars and only 3 other hikers traveled on this beautiful beach and sand dunes when we were there.
The walk is easy and pleasant. The trail starts at the beach side of the picnic area at the north end. After a couple hundred yards, the path joins another trail heading north in the dunes. There are no trail markers, but none are needed. The path is obvious. The trail has no obstructions, except overhanging blades of dune grass, which are no problem when wearing long pants. The trail meanders in the dunes for about one mile to the horseshoe bend near the mouth of Connor Creek. A driftwood bench overlooks the creek where the trail splits with one option heading west towards the beach and the other continuing north. We followed the route towards the beach. After a hundred yards or so, the trail drops down onto the beach from the dunes. Note this location because it may be difficult to find on the return leg. Two vertical driftwood poles marked the dune trail when we did the hike, but the poles may not be there after the next storm. We walked out to the waters edge. There were lots of crab debris and a few sand dollars. We saw brown pelicans marauding along the breaking waves. A bald eagle fetched its breakfast out of the surf. Copalis Rock stood in the distance to the north. The mouth of the Copalis River marks the turn around point. Stay clear of the dunes near the Copalis River because the dunes are a snowy plover nesting area. The leg back is just a re-trace of the outbound route. On the way back, multiple forks in the trail lead to the east and we took the fork closest to Conner Creek. My GPS showed a track of 4.75 miles when we returned to our car.
On a sunny and warm Saturday morning in mid-October at 9:30 am, our car was the only one in the parking lot. There were about 10 cars when we left about 12:30 pm. There is plenty of room for 30 or 40 cars. A restroom is nearby. The road is no problem. Bring your Discover Pass.
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