WDFW Beach Season Information
Clams and mussels season OPEN for harvest July 1 through September 30 only.
Oysters open year-round.
Please help us be good neighbors and avoid trespass onto private tidelands. The northeastern boundary of state tidelands is marked with tires and posts installed by the neighboring private tideland owner.
WDFW shellfish seasons indicate the specific times of year when harvesting is permitted. Before heading to the beach, please also check the Department of Health (DOH) information below which is related to health of the shellfish and may be updated daily. To harvest on this beach, it must be both during the WDFW approved season and approved by the DOH.
This beach has been enhanced with clams and oysters.
West Dewatto is a relatively small beach that has a good population of butter clams in the low intertidal zone (-1.0' or lower). Native littleneck clams and Manila clams are found in patches throughout the mid-high intertidal zone but their abundance on West Dewatto can vary from year to year and conservation closures may be necessary. Please take care not to cover oysters with sand and mud while digging clams because this will potentially kill the oysters.
This is an excellent oyster beach.
From the south, travel north on Highway 16 to the town of Gorst. Take the Belfair exit to Highway 3 and continue for eight miles to Belfair. Alternatively, drive north on Route 3 from Shelton. Look for signs to Belfair State Park and take the turnoff onto WA-300W (left turn if northbound on Route 3, right turn if southbound on Route 3) onto North Shore Road (WA-300W) continuing past Belfair State Park and on to Tahuya. When you reach Tahuya (about 15 miles from Belfair) look for the turnoff (a right turn) to the Befair-Tahuya Road just after you cross the Tahuya River bridge. Continue for about five miles until you come to the NE Dewatto Holly Road. Take a right and continue on NE Dewatto Holly Road for 3.7 miles to NE Dewatto Beach Dr., then turn left onto NE Dewatto Beach Dr. West Dewatto is on the right side of the road just south of the mouth of the Dewatto River. Parking is limited to the shoulder of the road. Access to the beach is anywhere along the shoulder of the road where you can safely make your way over the rocks down to the beach.
To reach West Dewatto from the Hood Canal Bridge and Highway 3 take the Newberry Hill Road/Seabeck exit (just south of Silverdale) and proceed north on Newberry Hill Road to Seabeck Highway NE. Turn right and travel through Seabeck. Seabeck Highway will become Seabeck-Holly Road. Continue south on the Seabeck-Holly Road for about 11 miles to the town of Holly. Turn left onto the Dewatto-Holly Road and travel another 12 miles to Dewatto. West Dewatto is on the right side of the road just south of the mouth of the Dewatto River. Parking is limited to the shoulder of the road. Access to the beach is anywhere along the shoulder of the road where you can safely make your way over the rocks down to the beach.
Parking is limited to a very narrow shoulder along the roadway.
Dewatto comes from the Indian place name du-a-to, meaning "home of evils spirits who make men crazy." In legend, spirits emerged from the bowels of the earth in the Dewatto Bay area and attempted to enter the bodies of warriors.