Clayton Beach At Larrabee State Park

Clayton Beach At Larrabee State Park

Friday, September 6, 2019

Larrabee State Park has two beaches.  The beach next to the campground and the other one.  Clayton Beach, the other beach, is shown on the park’s trail map.  The trail to Clayton Beach looks like a continuation of the Interurban Trail but is not.

Larrabee State Park Map
Larrabee State Park Map

The state park map doesn’t show Clayton Beach nor does it show the Clayton Beach trail.  One way to find trails is to stumble around on trails until a sign pointing to the desired location is found.  This is pretty much the method used to learn about and ultimately find Clayton Beach.

Interurban Trail  Sign With Clayton Beach To The South
Interurban Trail Sign With Clayton Beach To The South

Following the above sign led to the end of the Interurban Trail where it runs into Chuckanut Drive less than a mile from the Larrabee State Park entrance.

Kiosk At The Interurban Trail Head
Kiosk At The Interurban Trail Head

Across from the trailhead on Chuckanut Drive is marked parallel parking and another trailhead.

Parked Cars At Mysterious Trailhead
Parked Cars At Mysterious Trailhead

After crossing Chuckanut  Drive, another trail leading toward the ocean could be seen.  Down the trail just out of sight from the road the trail ended in two trails.  One trail left, the other right.  The dogs led us to the right.

Late Afternoon Sun Over Puget Sound
Late Afternoon Sun Over Puget Sound

The the right turn took us north, following the coastline.


Railroad Tracks Below The Trail
Railroad Tracks Below The Trail

At the edge of the trail at one particularly steep drop off, the railroad tracks were directly below.

Railroad Tracks Through The Trees
Railroad Tracks Through The Trees

At some level, seeing the railroad tracks made sense.  Both the trail and railroad tracks run parallel to Puget Sound.  At several points, the railroad tracks were visible.

Trail Ends At Closed Park Entrance
Trail Ends At Closed Park Entrance

Suddenly, the trail ended on Chuckanut Drive at a park entrance closed to vehicle traffic.  Walking back into the park and turning around, a sign pointed to the Interurban trail.  Only 0.3 miles down the trail we were just on.

Clayton Beach Sign
Clayton Beach Sign

Within twenty feet from the entrance was another sign.  Clayton Beach 0.86 miles back the way we had come.

Park Ranger Residence
Park Ranger Residence

Further down the street was a ranger’s residence.

Signage - Do Not Enter, Park Vehicles Only
Signage – Do Not Enter, Park Vehicles Only

Past the ranger’s residence and around the corner to the right is the day use area parking lot.  Turning around and looking back up the road, a sign explains why this was so hard to figure out.  The “Do Not Enter” sign only refers to vehicles, not pedestrians.

At this point, the dogs and I returned to camp.  Clayton Beach would have to wait another day.

Now we knew how to get to the Clayton Beach trail without crossing Chuckanut Drive and on the shortest trail path.

Clayton Beach Trail Dawn
Clayton Beach Trail Dawn

Picking out the trail at dawn was a bit tough in places.  Fortunately, the lighting kept getting better and better.

Lost Lake Parking Trail Sign
Lost Lake Parking Trail Sign

Not long after passing the path down from Chuckanut Drive where the Interurban Trail ends, another path appears to the left up toward Chuckanut Drive.

Trail Bridge Over Deep And Steep Ravine
Trail Bridge Over Deep And Steep Ravine

Then across a lovely footbridge.   The trail flattened out to a consistent and smooth gentle slope.

Signage Along Trail
Signage Along Trail

Nice to see official state park signage.  Nice to know this is a real trail.

Unofficial/Unsanctioned Railroad Crossing
Unofficial/Unsanctioned Railroad Crossing

At some point, getting to the beach requires crossing the railroad tracks.  Crossing the tracks was uncomfortable with the dogs in tow.  What if a train came?

Graffiti On Railroad Tracks
Graffiti On Railroad Tracks

The tracks seemed much taller than I remember.   After all, it has been decades since I crossed tracks like this.

Back on the trail again.  Like before, the trail continued on a smooth slight downward slope until the trail drop off.

Trail Drop Off Onto Beach
Trail Drop Off Onto Beach

Plunk, right onto the beach.

Gillnetter Off The Beach
Gillnetter Off The Beach

On the beach, looking out toward Puget Sound, a Gillnetter was fishing in the predawn light.  At low tide, the beach includes several little coves like the one above and a large stretch of beach to the south.  At high tide, the coves can be accessed by short little trails off the main trail.

Main Beach Looking North
Main Beach Looking North

Again, the Gillnetter can be seen fishing.  The fishing boat isn’t far from where it was first seen.  The camera is looking north along the main beach.

Looking South From Clayton Beach
Looking South From Clayton Beach

The train tracks run parallel to the shoreline but they are up the hill enough the tracks are hard to see from the beach.  Trains would be visible between the trees.

Sand Dollars
Sand Dollars

Sand Dollar grave yard.  Hundreds of sand dollars in various degrees of decay in the intertidal zone, the beach area between high and low tides.

After wandering around on the beach for an hour, it can be rough finding the trail back.

Beachfront State Park Signage
Beachfront State Park Signage

Guessing that the above sign stood near the trail, the trail from the beach back to camp came rapidly into view.

Beach Exit Trail
Beach Exit Trail

Back to camp we went.  Satisfied that Clayton Beach and the trails had been conquered.

Hope to see you on the road ahead.

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