Recreational digging for razor clams can be enjoyed by children and senior citizens alike. All you need is a clam shovel or specialized tube, a container to put your clams in and, most importantly, your clam license.
Razor clam beaches
Digging on closed beaches could result in a fine. Please check map and current razor clam schedule, and observe signs -- particularly while digging on Copalis and Mocrocks beaches -- in order to determine that you are on the right beach digging legally.
Razor clams are found primarily on the intertidal coastal beaches (those that are exposed at low tide) from a +3 foot level to a -2 foot tide level. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) divides the harvest areas into five major management zones (see map):
- Long Beach from the Columbia River north to the mouth of the Willapa Bay (See map)
- Twin Harbors from Willapa Bay north to the south jetty at the mouth of Grays Harbor (See map)
- Copalis Beach from the north jetty at the mouth of Grays Harbor to the Copalis River (See map)
- Mocrocks from the Copalis River to the south boundary of the Quinault Indian Reservation and (See map)
- Kalaloch from the South Beach campground north to ONP Beach Trail 3. Learn more about Kalaloch beach at the National Park Service website.
Other areas where razor clams exist are: a series of sand spits in the mouth of Willapa Bay, the Quinault Indian Reservation and numerous small beaches north of Olympic National Park (ONP) Trail 3 at Kalaloch. The sand spits in Willapa Bay are referred to as the Willapa Spits and are used for commercial harvest.
Be sure to check the latest domoic acid levels at these beaches before heading out.
