Northwest Airboats    

 


"Willapa Bay- its secrets revealed." 

 

Willapa Bay- its secrets revealed

Long Island is located on Willapa Bay, the most pristine estuary in the United States .Willapa Bay is the second largest estuary on the Pacific Coast, and includes over 260 square miles of water surface. It's Congressional oversight was established in 1937 to protect migrating and wintering populations of brant, waterfowl, shorebirds, and other migratory birds. The refuge was established at a time when many estuaries were rapidly being destroyed by diking, draining, dredging, sedimentation, and pollution.Visitors to the refuge can enjoy viewing a wide variety of wildlife, from spawning salmon in the refuge's numerous streams, to Roosevelt elk on Long Island, to the tens of thousands of migrating shorebirds that crowd the beaches at Leadbetter Point.
 
 

Long Island

Long Island is the Pacific Coast'sAerial photograph of Long Island largest estuarine island.The island is 5,640 acres and includes a rare 274-acre remnant of old growth lowland coastal forest.  Hidden away in the middle of the island is one of the Northwest's best-kept secrets -- the ancient cedar grove called the "Grove of the Ancient Cedars."

A network of old logging roads converted to trails provide over 10 miles of hiking opportunities.  Starting at the old ferry landing on the southern tip of the Island, and following the center road north, the trail to the "Grove of the Ancient Cedars" is approximately 2.5 miles in.

Congress appropriated funds to purchase the remaining acreage of the cedar grove timber. The grove is one of the last remnants of a once-vast old-growth coastal forest.

The island has many environments to explore -- damp coastal forests, saltgrass tidal marshes, muddy tidal flats and sandy beaches.
One of the most popular destinations is the Trail of the Ancient Cedars, a ¾ mile loop trail near the center of the island, which takes visitors through the northern corner of the old growth forest.
The Chinook Indians camped and hunted on the island centuries before white settlers arrived. They fished, gathered oysters and dug clams. White settlers came to the island in 1867 to harvest oysters and built a shantytown named Diamond City, so called because the piles of oyster shells glittered like diamonds in the sun. By 1878 the oyster beds were depleted and Diamond City died.
The rain-drenched forests on the island grow rapidly and densely with salal, huckleberry, western hemlock, and Sitka spruce. Hundreds of species of mushrooms and other fungus are also found.


The rich forests provide homes to mammals such as black bear, Roosevelt elk, black-tailed deer, beaver, and river otter. Standing dead trees provide important nesting cavities for species such as pileated woodpeckers and flying squirrels while fallen trees are home to the rare Van Dyke's and Dunn's salamanders. The shaggy bark of the oldest trees provides homes for silver-haired bats and Pacific tree frogs.

The nutrient-rich marine environment surrounding Long Island supports oysters, clams, crabs, salmon, steelhead, and numerous other marine organisms.


 
 
 The Shamrock steams away from the loading dock in Nahcotta, bound across the bay.

Steamer Willapa, 1907.
Between 1907 and 1918, Raymond had three shipyard operations, all in the same general location along the Willapa River, slightly northeast of the “Island” neighborhood. Each of the operations was short lived, lasting no more than a year and a half.
The first of the yards was operated by J. W. Dickie and Sons and was gone within a year and a half. Beginning in January, 1907, 400 pilings were driven for the shipyard, steaming plant, and sawmill. The first ship built at the Dickie yard was the Willapa, 195 feet in length, with a 38 foot beam.
The Willapa was built for the Sudden and Christenson shipping company and had a capacity for 800,000 board feet of lumber.
 
The Shamrock was often used on the ferry route between Nahcotta and Raymond-South Bend. 
 

 
The first time I saw Long Island it was in the spring. The wild daffodils were in bloom, I could see the bear, elk and thousands of migratory fowl all sharing the wet lands. As I quietly drifted the air boat past this sight, I saw the natural world with the astonished eyes of a child. Each time I return to Long Island, it is with the eyes of a child. Each time new, each time different.
This is a true story of a magical island where the ancients hunted and gathered next to the roaming Mammoth and sea creatures. A paradise loved by its people, a bond equal to a mother and her child. Our story begins in a place so special, it's called The Grove of the Ancient Cedars.... 
 
 The best way to experience the grove is to hike in alone, but if you are with companions they will be awed into silence. The grove almost seems to ask for quiet and you will feel as if you're in a spiritual place. 
 It has been protected from fire because of the moist climate and spared from clearcut logging because the grove was more difficult to reach than other old-growth forests.
The forest canopy is home to the bald eagle and Townsend's warbler. The mid level forest is home to the varied thrush and western tanager. The forest floor is home to black bear, Roosevelt elk and deer mouse. The snags are home to barred owls,
   raccoons and hoary bats. Nothing goes to waste. Downed trees are home to northwestern salamanders, pacific tree frogs and winter wrens.
The western red cedars can live 1,000 years and reach 11 feet in diameter.
 

Trail detail

We will navigate the short channel crossing, safely bringing you right to the high water mark where you begin hiking the road. The road has gentle ups and downs and the campgrounds are well-designated. Pinnacle Point Campground is reached about a half mile from the landing.
The Trail of the Ancient Cedars is about three-quarters of a mile long and begins on the road about 2-1/4 miles from the landing. It is signed. Smokey Hollow is about 2-1/2 miles from the landing. There is no elevation change during the hikes. 

Five primitive campgrounds are a available totally 24 camp sites, you must camp in the designated sites.  They are available on a first serve basis. Fires are permitted only in established grills. 

Before the introduction of our air boats onto the bay, it has always been difficult and sometimes dangerous getting off and on the Island. This is why still today there is little to no human presence, and the camp ground availability is excellent. 

 

 

 

The harvesting of mushrooms, or the removal of artifacts from the Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge is prohibited.
The Willapa National Wildlife refuge is dog free , including trails and parking lots. Please leave Fido at home.