Benson Beach Sunset Walk: King Tides, Moonrise, and Fiery Sunsets at Cape Disappointment
There are some moments that Mother Nature doesn’t just show you her beauty, but she insists that you feel it. Moments that converge into experiences so much more than you could have ever imagined. After spending time crouched on the rocks watching hours worth of crashing waves and a photo walk around Ilwaco, we made our way to Benson Beach for a sunset walk to stretch our legs. We wandered the beach toward North Head Lighthouse, exploring the wide flat expanse. In one direction, golden hour light illuminated the headland, reflecting off the brightness of the lighthouse perched above. In the other direction, the beach was covered with a hazy mist, mixing with the golden sunlight creating magical atmosphere.
North Head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment
Receeding Tide at Benson Beach
Shorebirds dotted the shoreline, skittering back and forth along the water’s edge, taking flight only when interrupted by an approaching group of clammers, carrying tubes and buckets on their quest for razor clams.
Sunset Clamming at Benson Beach
With the passing of the king tide, the beach was littered with broken sand dollars, weathered driftwood, and logs washed up from nearby river mouths. In all directions, people meandered the beach, enjoying the rare clear skies and lingering sunshine on a late November day.
Benson Beach has what I would call a 360 degree expanse of beauty. While the sun was working it’s way down to the west, illuminating the lighthouse to the north and creating incredible haze to the south, in the east the moon rise above the evergreen trees.
Near full moonrise over Cape Disappointment State Park
Across the beach, the sun dipped low towards the horizon, the color became an intense orange reminiscent of firelight. The hue danced with the sea mist blowing off the still massive waves, makes the ocean look like a rolling range of mountains.
Shorebirds in front of a fiery sunset at Cape Disappointment State Park
After the end of the fiery sunset, the sky mixed with the blue of night, creating a purple hue throughout the sky. We waited just long enough to see the lighthouse cast its first rays of light out to the sea before heading in search of the warmth of soup and a glass of red wine.
Dusk at North Head Lighthouse, Cape Disappointment State Park
Almost full moon at Cape Disappointment State Park
