Seabeck

See

The Hood Canal, despite its name, is not a canal but is actually an inland fjord that stretches for over 70 miles inland separating the Kitsap Peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula. It is a prime destination in the area for outdoor recreation and nature viewing with sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains and lush forests.

Do

Beachcombing

What Hood Canal beaches lack in white sand and warm water is more than made up for in the amazing scenery as the clear waters play against wild coastlines and snow peaked mountains Olympic Mountains scatter on the horizons. Nearby Scenic Beach State Park is excellent place to start a beach combing adventure offering accessible beaches from the rugged to the sandy smooth. Small crabs, moon snails, sea stars and sand dollars are common sites and tide pools can offer hours of exploration. Hood Canal is considered the warmest water in Puget Sound but it's still pretty cold.

Be warned that sea shells and driftwood are considered part of the natural environment and should not be removed, however the often rocky and wild shores are havens for creating and revealing beach glass and anything artificial found is fair game for removal. Be respectful of private property and gentle with sea creatures. Keep a wide distance away from nesting birds, seals and other shore animals and always put back anything removed from the shoreline.

Crabbing

Sport crab fishing is popular in the area with most fishermen looking for the elusive and meaty Dungeness Crab, but other less popular crabs are also plentiful in Hood Canal. Crab season starts with a two-day opener July 1st and 2nd and follows up with crabbing every Thursday through Monday through Labor Day weekend. A wide array of crab traps are available from a variety of area sporting goods stores and the red and white buoys marking the traps are a common site on the water during the short crabbing season. Fishing permits are required and can be purchased from a variety of local stores, more information is available from the Washington Dept of Fishing and Wildlife.

Sea kayaking

Sea kayaking can be a rewarding way to explore the isolated Hood Canal allowing the paddler a closer and slower look at their surroundings. Thick forests of majestic pine and deciduous trees and hundreds of creeks and estuaries dot the coastline.

Seabeck offers Marina Beach Launch, perfect for launching smaller boats.

Kayak trails

Organized trails offer overnight camping options and maps of appropriate lengths and scenic travel destinations.

Scuba diving

Scuba diving the cool waters of Hood Canal takes a bit more gear and training than most warm water locations, but the rewards are incredible.

Misery Point Reef is an artificial reef close to Seabeck created when the WDFW sank the debris here for a fish habitat and to create a fishing reef and is comprised of huge grey concrete slabs and steel I-beams, remnants from the old Hood Canal Bridge. The shallow end lies about 45' deep and it extends to 80'. This is a great location to find lingcod, cabezon, rockfish, perch and greenling and invertebrate life such as plumose anemones, cucumbers and sea stars. Located north of the navigational marker north of Misery Point near Seabeck Bay.

Sund Rock Marine Preserve. is one of the more popular dive areas on Hood Canal and can be reached via boat from Seabeck and is located just north of Hoodsport on Hwy 101. This site has a wide variety of interesting natural features and even a shipwreck for wreck diving and an abundance of marine life as well including many Wolf Eels and Giant Pacific Octopus and many species typically found in Hood Canal such as schools of colorful Striped Seapearch and Pile Perch and Quillback and Brown Rockfish. Gobies are also in abundance, as are Sea Cucumbers, seastars, anemones, shrimp, sea gherkins, an assortment of nudibranchs, and crabs of all different varieties.

Buy

A general store, restaurant, gallery, dockside pizza place, post office and the Seabeck Conference Center dot the waterfront now.

Eat