Heading to Glass Beach? Don’t Get Trapped by the Tide!

More and more people are getting trapped by the rising tide on their way to west to Glass Beach from North Beach County Park. It’s a long hike – better to leave plenty of time. Check the tide and know when to turn around. A rising tide can completely inundate the beach, forcing you to climb the unstable bluffs above to stay out of the (very cold) water. Several parties have experienced this not-exactly-fun situation during the pandemic. Search and rescue teams have spent time and resources including a helicopter and specialized technical rope teams plucking people from the sandy bluffs! New warning signs are in place but not everyone reads them. A summary of the most recent incident is below. Check the tide and stay safe on your beach hike to the West of North Beach Park!

 “On the evening of Friday, April 30, Port Townsend PD was dispatched to a call of two women stranded in the area of North Beach while attempting to get to Glass Beach. The walkers contacted emergency dispatchers and said they could not get off the beach due to the high tide. JSAR was requested to assist, along with Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office (with a drone to help locate the callers) and East Jefferson Fire Rescue. Law enforcement located the walkers in the area of Cook Street and 49th Street, and a citizen helped lead them to a passable route through the bluff. One of the women had sustained an injury to her ankle. A minor technical rope rescue was executed by the combined team of agencies from the top of the bluff to assist the two women up the route.”