
In August 2024 we posted a story about Damon Point as a destination to explore.
As of Monday, January 27th, public access to Damon Point became a strictly prohibited destination. To ensure everyone’s safety, they began stockpiling cobble in the parking lot to the left of the easement. Access to the area is closed. This is a critical operation, and we appreciate your full cooperation.
Key points about Damon Point’s history:
Damon Point is named after A.O. Damon, who was the first non-Native American settler after Matthew McGee, who settled in the early 1860s. McGee sold the southern portion of the peninsula to Damon in 1878 for a trading supply center whose dock extended into the Oyehut channel. A.O. Damon established himself on the peninsula, which was originally called “Point Brown” by Lieutenant Joseph Whidbey during the Vancouver expedition. He ran a trading post and later a cattle ranch on the land. Damon’s grandson, Ralph Minard, continued the cattle ranching operation until selling the land to the Ocean Shores Development Corporation in the 1960s for $1M.

Damon Point was once a Washington State Park, with a paved road extending out to the tip of the land. However, today, the land is managed by the Washington Department of Natural Resources and is primarily used for bird habitat restoration.

Damon Point was once Protection Island, at the mouth of Grays Harbor, separated from the town of Ocean Shores by a channel of water. The point is a textbook example of accreted land. Accretion, the opposite of erosion, occurs when sand accumulates over the years, forming land where there was none. Another word for the sandy spit at Damon Point is “tombolo”. The definition of tombolo, an Italian word meaning ‘pillow’ or ‘cushion’, is a shingle beach of any kind, a deposition landform by which an island becomes attached to the mainland by a narrow piece of land such as a spit or bar.
The dynamic coastal environment means that the shoreline around Damon Point is constantly changing due to erosion and sediment accumulation. Due to the shifting nature of the sandbar, the connection between Damon Point and the mainland can be interrupted during high tides and storms, making access difficult.
The City of Ocean Shores occupies the Point Brown peninsula on the Washington coast. Long before the arrival of European explorers and settlers, the peninsula was used by the various local tribes for trading and other purposes. The Chinook, Chehalis, and Quinault tribes used the area, as well as others that now make up the Quinault Indian Nation.
During the 2024/2025 King Tides access to Damon Point was disrupted by erosion. It has been said the camping grounds managed by the Quinault Indian Nation lost several camping spaces and the trail that ran along the edge of their property was eliminated. Now, at high tide, Damon Point is again an island with a channel of water .

CJ Ripley, organizer of Defenders of the Coast, is also a master aerial drone driver. He has graciously allowed me to post the above video.

The Defenders of the Coast is a volunteer-driven organization that believes in the power of community action. Their mission is to maintain the natural beauty of our coastal areas, parks, and public spaces through regular cleanups and other civic duties. By participating in events like the spring cleanup, they not only help keep our environment beautiful but also assist residents in need. DOTC invites you to be part of their mission to create a cleaner, safer, and more vibrant community.
Damon Point is a Dangerous Place (for now)
At the last city council meeting, the city administrator provided information on the Damon Point closure. Here is the link to the meeting. Start listening at about 19 minutes into the recording. It is discussed under the city administrator’s report. The city administrator says the area is dangerous and may not be opened even after the erosion control measures have been completed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGdiOJIP_7U
Richard Wills (one of my favorite people) recently said “As a city council member, I was able to coordinate with City Planner Marshall Read and meet with him while he was checking that the berm project at Damon Pt. was consistent with design specifications. I want to stress that Damon Pt is an extremely dangerous place with the construction going on. It is posted as a closed area. Please respect the posting. In addition, as the photos will illustrate, the Point is and will continue to be a dangerous place to hunt for agates or go beach walking. It literally turns into an island as the tide rises. Please be cautious and please be safe. Thank you.”
Even at Low Tide there is still a channel to traverse. Plus you don’t want to get caught out on the point when the tide comes back in.

Here is an interesting view of the channels in Grays Harbor

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