Dosewallips State Park, State park in Jefferson County, Washington, US
Dosewallips State Park covers 1,064 acres in Jefferson County, Washington, where the Dosewallips River empties into Hood Canal about 800 metres south of Brinnon. Its flats, once homesteads called Dose Meadows, hold dry brown grass cut by narrow tidal channels edged with broken white ice, with a single tall evergreen on the left and a low dark landmass across a thin strip of blue water.
The land was once known as Dose Meadows and was farmed by homesteaders before the state took it over. Old rail beds from logging operations were left behind and can still be spotted in parts of the park.
The name Dosewallips derives from the Twana people, who inhabited the Hood Canal area; the river still carries that name. The park's flats were homesteaded in the 19th century by settlers who called the area Dose Meadows. Visitors can see the old railroad grade in the southeast corner, left from the era when timber was hauled by rail and floated to Puget Sound mills.
A Discover Pass is required to enter the park by vehicle, so it is worth getting one before arriving. The park is open year-round, though facilities and seasonal programs are more available in summer.
The park is one of the few places in Washington state where visitors can harvest shellfish on the saltwater shore and fish in a river on the same visit. Having two such different water environments this close together is not common along the Pacific Northwest coast.
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