Salt Creek Recreation Area is a 196-acre park located about 15 miles west of

Port Angeles, Washington Port Angeles ( ) is a city and county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. With a population of 19,960 as of the 2020 census, it is the largest city in the county. The population was estimated at 20,134 in 2021. The city's har ...

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...

near the city of Joyce, Washington. The park was previously Camp Hayden, a World War II military camp built 1942–1945. The site was established as the Striped Peak Military Reservation in 1941, renamed as Camp Hayden on 22 October 1942, and renamed again as Fort Hayden on 17 April 1944. It was named for Brigadier General

John Louis Hayden John Louis Hayden (November 2, 1866 – February 22, 1936) was a United States Army officer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He served in several conflicts, including World War I. Biography Hayden was born in Chicago in 1866. His fathe ...

, a former commander of the

Harbor Defenses of Puget Sound A harbor (American English), harbour (British English; see spelling differences), or haven is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be docked. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is a ...

. It was purchased by the Federal General Services Administration after the war. There are still several structures left from the fort, including two large

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mean ...

which sheltered 16" guns and several other structures. The 16-inch battery was Battery 131, with two ex-Navy 16-inch Mark 2 guns capable of firing a one-ton projectile around 28 miles connected by a large

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

bunker. The camp also had Battery 249, which had two 6-inch guns with a bunker housing magazines and

fire control Fire control is the practice of reducing the heat output of a fire, reducing the area over which the fire exists, or suppressing or extinguishing the fire by depriving it of fuel, oxygen, or heat (see fire triangle). Fire prevention and control ...

equipment.Camp Hayden at FortWiki.com
/ref> The park now has a number of camping spots, most overlooking the

Strait of Juan de Fuca The Strait of Juan de Fuca (officially named Juan de Fuca Strait in Canada) is a body of water about long that is the Salish Sea's outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the centre ...

and mountains all year long. The park provides access to

Tongue Point Tongue Point is an area of the Salt Creek Recreation Area, in Washington, United States. The point is a rock out cropping that extends into the Strait of Juan de Fuca. This outcropping is visible during low tide. At low tide it is accessible on f ...

and Striped Peak along with sandy beaches, upland forests, rocky bluffs, and several trails. The recreation area complete with a baseball field, basketball court, picnic shelter, playground, and horseshoe pits is also available for use. The park hosts the Salt Creek Invitational cross country meet in mid-September every year, featuring high school teams from around western Washington. Beautiful views are also a big part of Salt Creek such as those from the top of Striped Peak, of Crescent Bay, of the Strait, and of Vancouver Island, British Columbia.

Gallery

File:salt creek park.jpg, View of Beach Area. File:Camphaydenbigbunker.JPG, 16 inch gun casemate, front view, where the gun was mounted. Note the red-colored projectiles. File:Saltcreekbunker.JPG, Back view of a casemate. File:SALTCREEKUPLAND.jpg, View of ocean from near campground.

References

External links

Salt Creek Recreation Area
{{coord, 48.15, -123.67, display=title Parks in Clallam County, Washington Parks in Washington (state) Forts in Washington (state)