McCurdy Point Story with Photos!

by Teryl
(WA)

McCurdy Point Trip with Photos

Tue Aug 11 04:09:30 2009

Hi David and Lin

I love your website! Thank you for sharing info. My daughters and I are going to 'glass beach' on the Olympic Peninsula this week. I am wondering how long (time-wise) the walk is from North Beach to McCurdy Point?

I am thinking we will TRY to not "look down" and just get out to the point as soon as we can and then beach-come back later as the tide comes in.

Thanks! Teryl

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Aug 11, 2009 Hi Teryl,

Thank you for your delightful note.

The walk to McCurdy is aproximately 4 miles, so at a decent clip of 3 miles per hour, it would take about an hour and twenty minutes. Round trip is 2 hours and 40 minutes of hiking. So you need to allow that time aside from time looking for sea glass, etc.

Depending on the day, tide, currents, and who knows what, you will find a lot of beach glass from North Beach all the way. But apparently some days are better than Others...I think.

Lin and I went over to North Beach last Friday, but with a limited amount of time and knowing we weren't even going to try to make it all the way. We went to just beyond "Sea Glass Rock". As far as I can estimate, that is about 2/3 of the way to the point.

Just going there and back we were kind of burnt out, but then again, we weren't hustling to make it all the way and we spent a lot of the "hike" bent over. Plus, age is creeping up on us and our joints cry out. But we got a lot of sea glass!

No fantastic finds except for one almost black but dark red piece. Lots of small cobalt, other blues, unusual greens, etc.

What I would do is set a time limit to

your hike, ie, at X o'clock, we need to turn around.

Then take your time coming back. Otherwise, you may forget how far you have walked and end up trying to scram back and not enjoy the return hike!

Have fun, and we wish we were going with you!

David and Lin

PS - Oh, just so you know when you have gotten to "Sea Glass Rock," this photo shows old retaining pilings you will see at one point. If you haven't seen these pilings, you aren't close to Sea Glass Rock yet.

Sea Glass Rock from pilings

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Tue, 8/11/09

Thanks for all the info David and Lin! 

We are going tomorrow and can't wait. I think the weather will be perfect for beachcombing. We are planning to get to the point around two and meander back. Thanks for the picture of the pilings and the one in your blog of 'the sea glass rock' - the landmarks will help! I'll let you know how the beach is!

Thanks, Teryl

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Aug 14, 2009 8:30 p.m.

Hi David

We went to McGurdy Point this week - it was hard work but fun!

We left North Beach about noon, got to the point around 2, stayed in the area for a couple hours and headed back.

We didn't give ourselves quite enough time with the tides and got a bit wet on the way back!

Sea Glass Catch
M Point Sea Glass


It's interesting how different beaches produce different glass. On a recent trip to Orcas we found lots of thin dime sized pieces of glass (good for earrings) but at Glass Beach the waves must be rougher as the pieces were smaller and thicker - maybe the beach is just picked over - it is late in the 'beachcombing' season.


Sea Glass Colors
M Point sea glass


Even though the pieces were smallwe found so much!  Beautiful aqua and sky blue, 3-4 red - one almost orange, some pink and yellow.  What an addicting hobby!


Beach Pottery Shards


M Point Beach Pottery Shards


Comments for McCurdy Point Story with Photos!

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Cape George McCurdy Point, Port Townsend, Washington
by: Dale Dawson, Yachats, Oregon USA

A long but beautiful hike, approximately 2.7 miles from North Beach State Park

Excellent beach for quantity - Glass is plentiful, but small at about 1/2 dime size in diameter. Perhaps a hundred + pieces found per hour, took about 2 hours to collect a pint worth of sea glass in various colors, brown being the most common with some blues and pottery shards mixed in.

Watch the tides, you will NOT enjoy the hike at higher than average tides. Glass beach begins at McCurdy point and stretches for around a half mile East. Sea glass is also to be found during the hike out, but is not plentiful.

Best place to access the beach I found was at the North end of Kuhn St, port Townsend.
McCurdy Point Washington sea glass
by: Anonymous

Wow!! Why does it seem that all the good sea glass hunting is on the west coast of the USA??
Amazing amount of beach glass etc
by: Anonymous

Wow, this is really something! I'll bet you are happy!!!

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