Ocean Shores is one of many popular tourist towns in Southwest Washington. It’s buzzing with activity during the summer, but in winter things calm down quite a bit. The town is quieter and the beaches aren’t nearly as crowded.
This is my favorite time to visit because the Damon Point Natural Area, a natural spit located on the far southern end of the Ocean Shores Peninsula. It provides access to several miles of coastline away from the roads. It also has some great gravel beds that provide awesome agate hunting at all times of the year, but especially during the winter.
Getting to Damon Point
Getting there is relatively simple. You will enter Ocean Shores heading south on Highway 115. Just as you get into town, turn left on Point Brown Avenue. Take it straight south through town for about 5 miles and you will take you all the way to Damon Point. There is a good-sized day use parking area that is well marked.
What to Bring
I have found that the best agate hunting is toward the end of Damon Point which is about 2 miles from the parking area, so you should prepare accordingly. Bring along plenty of water and snacks since you will probably want to be out there for several hours.
Of course you should always expect rain if you are in Washington, so I suggest you bring along some rain gear with you, or at least an emergency poncho that you can put on if needed.
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What you Can Expect to Find
A few agate, jaspers and other treasures found in just a few hours of beachcombing at Damon Point.
It won’t take long for you to start finding some nice material. Almost right away you should start seeing some decent gravel beds with a wide array of different colored gravels. That is part of the fun about hunting this area, there is so much variety.
Nice round quartz pebbles that range from pure white to yellow are abundant. I also enjoy all the rocks with amazing veins running through them, often basalts, jaspers, quartz and all kinds of different materials in a wide array of colors. I always start out picking them up, but eventually start high-grading once I realize just how common they are. Quite a few of them make it into my pockets, and they look really neat when tumbled.
Of course agates are the real prize here. Washington is known for some exceptional carnelian agates. Most of the pieces that you pick up at Damon Point most likely eroded from the headwaters of the Chehalis River. They eventually make their way to Gray’s Harbor and out into the Pacific Ocean. Once they make it to Damon Point they are usually nice and waterworn with a beautiful natural polish. Colors range from a pale yellow to a brilliant dark blood orange.
Orbicular jasper from Ocean Shores, Washington.
Jaspers are also abundant here, and one of my favorite finds is something called orbicular jasper. These are spectacular little stones that have unusual round “orbs” that create a brilliant pattern. They are generally a dark red color, but can vary somewhat, and the orbs can vary in size from being small dots to large pea-sized oblong circles.
Although much less common, you should keep an eye out for petrified wood. You can usually find a piece or two if you keep your eyes sharp.
Beachcombing Tips
As I mentioned before, I find that the best gravels are at the southern end of Damon Point. Thus, you will need to hike a good distance to get to the better areas. You don’t have to though, and some good material can certainly be found closer to the parking lot. I like to make a day of it though, putting on the hiking boots, rain gear, water and snacks.
You’ve got to bring along a camera too. Aside from the agate hunting, this is just a beautiful place to explore. Massive pieces of driftwood line the shoreline. Wildlife is abundant. Endangered snowy plovers use this area for nesting. Bald eagles, snowy owls, harbor seals, and all sorts of wildlife can be seen here.
