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As young boys growing up in New Hampshire, my brother Dave and I spent a few summers with my grandmother at Rye Beach. We spent every day on the beach snorkeling, fishing, surfing and beach combing. We always looked forward to low tide when we could explore among the exposed rocks looking for lobsters, sea stars, and anything else that would wiggle. The big prize was finding lobster pots washed up on shore after the big storms. We would always return at the end of the day to my grandmother with our arms full of treasures we found on the New Hampshire coastline.
Later in life when I moved to Petersburg, Alaska, one of my first recreational pursuits was beachcombing. The beaches were a beachcombers dream come true. Every foot of beach revealed large amounts of treasure to be collected. Seashells, rope, buoys, and lots of driftwood were objects I discovered on my first beach combing trip. With each trip, I found that Alaskan beaches had abundant amounts of sea life, some of which I had never seen before. I discovered large varieties of clams, some that revealed their location by squirting foot high streams of water out of the mud. Further along the beach I saw gumboots, snails, whelks, and crab, from the tiny hermit crab to juvenile king crab. Petersburg’s beaches revealed sea stars ranging from small to very large in all colors and shapes, sea anemones, shells, sea cucumbers, and limpets.
Today, I still enjoy beachcombing. I take my family whenever possible. Each beachcombing adventure we always find new things to discover. Like the largest barnacle we’ve ever seen or a glass float lost from a Japanese fishing net. We never know what discoveries are waiting just beneath the tide.
Both recreational and educational, beachcombing provides a unique adventure the whole family can enjoy. Pre-planning will help assure a rewarding adventure. The following are a few things to consider before you embark upon your Alaska beachcombing expedition.
1. Tide Book - Before you go find out what time low tide is occurring and at what level. Some local businesses, such as Hammer and Wikan hardware located downtown near the main harbor, provide free tide books. Low tides in the Petersburg, Alaska area range from approximately minus 4.4 feet to plus 5.0 feet. Minus tides are tides which occur below mean low tide 0.0. Extreme low tides (minus tides) occur only a few days each month. Since daylight lasts so long in the summer, minus tides occur predominantly during daylight hours in the summer months and expose the most beach for beachcombing.
2. Proper footwear – Beaches are wet, so it is important to wear the proper footwear in order to navigate the rocky shoreline or mud flats, which are common in Alaska. Waterproof hiking boots or rubber boots are the footwear of choice. A walking stick can be a useful tool both for walking and turning over rocks. Always look where you’re walking so you don’t crush the creatures you’ve come to see.
3. Other useful tools – It’s hard to leave the beach without taking home at least a couple of treasures. Plastic grocery bags or small plastic buckets are usually sufficient for bringing home any items you collected on your beach walk. A small knife or stick can also prove useful in helping to flip over objects that you are not quite sure if you want to pick up until further examination. A camera can capture some interesting pictures of sea life that you don’t necessarily want to bring home with you. Insect repellant is always handy. Petersburg doesn’t have the reputation or population of mosquitoes, white sox or noseeums that other parts of Alaska are famous for. However, low tide in the summer can bring out a healthy crop of insects. Unless you are lucky enough to have a light breeze or a tide later in the day, you will probably encounter some insects during your beachcombing adventure. While the insects are usually tolerable, you should always plan to have insect repellent and consider a protective head net.
4. Books and Charts are excellent tools for identifying exactly what you have discovered on an Alaskan beach. Our favorite chart is Mac’s Field Guide to Northwest Coastal Invertebrates and can be purchased at Sing Lee Alley Books, which is located downtown on Sing Lee Alley. This laminated chart provides a graphic description of some of the basic marine life including those found along most Alaskan shorelines.
5. Beach Access Points. Beginning at Eagles Roost Park, which is located at the top of the hill near Petersburg Fisheries Cannery and continuing for 2.5 miles to Sandy Beach Park are many fine beachcombing opportunities. The first mile parallels North Nordic Drive and eventually turns and parallels Sandy Beach Road for 1.5 miles towards Sandy Beach. There are several beach access signs currently being installed by the Petersburg Rotary Club identifying public access points.
If you have a vehicle you may want to try some of the more remote beaches located on Mitkof Island. Just past mile marker 24 you will come to Olsen’s Landing. Olsen’s Landing can provide a low to moderate opportunity to observe wildlife such as waterfowl, moose, and bears depending on the time of year and weather conditions. Another beach with road access on Mitkof Island is Crescent Beach located at approximately 28 mile.
As you get further from Petersburg and leave Mitkof Island, your beachcombing opportunities become limitless. If you don’t have your own boat consider a Charter. From one day to one week or longer, Petersburg has many excellent Captains operating charter and cruise vessels as well as pilots operating float planes out of Petersburg with the knowledge to take you to some exciting and remote beachcombing locations. Most Alaskan beaches have had few, if any, people walk upon them.
6. Safety - A few things you need to consider which you may encounter during your beachcombing adventure are incoming tides, seaweed and kelp, seaweed covered rocks, slippery logs (don’t walk on the logs as they are slick) and insects. Proper footwear, a walking stick and insect repellent may help you comb the beaches safely.
7. Fish and Game regulations - Beachcombing in Alaska doesn’t require any special license or permit for personal recreational use. It’s advisable to review current Fish and Game regulations if you plan to harvest any shellfish or fish to find out what type of license may be required for the specific activity. Regulations can be found at the Fish and Game Office on Sing Lee Alley across from the bookstore or you can pick them up with your license at Hammer and Wikan Hardware.
Now that you have a few tips about one of Alaska’s great adventures, plan some time for beachcombing during your visit to Petersburg, Alaska and the surrounding area. Reserve you Alaskan adventure vacation today.
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