You'll love our beach house on Harstine Island's southern tip. Take in stunning views of the Olympic Mountains, Squaxin Island and Peale Passage from the huge deck and the rock, gravel and sand beach. Wander and explore the expansive tidelands. Comb the endless beach for sand dollars, sea shells, driftwood and other treasures while enjoying the solitude of one of Puget Sound's undiscovered gems. Bring your boat or use ours. Larger boats can be moored on our buoy. Swim, fish and crab in the clean waters of Puget Sound.
Most of the beaches on Harstine Island are privately owned, including all of the beaches you can access by walking from the house. All of the owners allow people to walk along their beaches, but gathering shellfish (clams, oysters and geoduck) by our guests is prohibited on these private beaches. Property owners are very concerned about people taking shellfish from their beaches, so I ask that you please respect their property.
The beach in front of my property has been over-harvested of its shellfish, so to allow nature to recover we are asking guests to only gather shellfish on the public beaches on the island. There is more information below on the public beaches and in the guidebooks at the house.
My bulkhead, made of large concrete blocks, is 100 feet long, and covers the width of my property. My beach goes all the way out to the lowest low tide point. You are free to walk on any part of my beach and neighboring beaches, north or south, but please DO NOT gather shellfish from the beach directly in front of the house or from neighboring beaches.
If you are planning to gather shellfish, you can drive to several public beaches on the island. One is Harstine Island State Park, which requires a short hike to the beach (DNR-24 beach) and is open to the public for clams and oysters all year. You can walk south on this beach for about a mile and you'll reach McMicken Island State Park, where there is also great shell fishing. Plan to be there at low tide for the best shell fishing. Here is the web address for more information about these beaches:
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/beaches/280820/
The gravel driveway leading to the house is steep in places and can be a challenge for some vehicles. If you own an all-wheel-drive or 4-wheel-drive vehicle, drive that if possible. On the way down the driveway be sure to turn right at the white arrow and park where the driveway becomes level. On the way up the driveway use your vehicle’s lowest gear (or 4WD). Stay to the right for better traction. Maintain a constant speed and avoid stopping and starting. Do not spin your tires. If you lose traction, back down and start again.