Washington: Clam-digging season underway; scheduled digs and hotel deals this winter

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Are you manic for mollusks? Then head north, dear adventurer, as clam-digging season is underway in the Pacific Northwest.

Among upcoming clam digs in Washington is one on Nov. 16 at Olympic National Park’s Kalaloch Beach, scheduled by the National Park Service. The search at this coastal site, presumably popular with clam-digging types, will be for razor clams during the evening tide, with digs restricted to the period between noon and midnight. Other tentative dates for the season, meant to coincide with clam digs in other parts of the state, are Dec. 4-5, Dec. 31 and Jan. 1.

Helping to make such an excursion easier to plan, Kalaloch Lodge, a remote hotel within the park which Times staff writer Christopher Reynolds visited on a road trip in July, is offering related deals.

Deals: Kalaloch Lodge’s “Clam Digger” package features one night’s accommodations, a bucket, shovel and net, and breakfast for two for $169 per night (pre-tax). The equipment will be yours to keep. Experienced clam-diggers with their own tools, however, can opt to skip the equipment component and pay just $129 for the room and breakfast. With either deal, guests can extend their stay for $99 per night.

On the night of Dec. 4, the best available rate I’m seeing for a room not attached to this or any promotion is $139 pre-tax, so this promotion does indeed represent a good deal.

The promotion code for the “newbie” package is “CLAMDIGNEW,” and for the cheaper deal for the more experienced (or resourceful), it’s “CLAMDIGPRO.”

When: This lodge offer is valid only certain nights: Nov. 16, Dec. 4-5 and Dec. 31-Jan. 1.

Caveat: Those 15 years of age and older need a license to collect razor clams. You can find information about options available on the Washington State Dept. of Fish & Wildlife site. On a dig, you can take a maximum of 15 razor clams, and these must be the first 15 that you dig up, regardless of whether you like the way they look or how big they are.

Contact: Kalaloch Lodge, (866) 297-7367

— Susan Derby, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Photo: A recent year’s clam dig on Kalaloch Beach. Credit: Kalaloch Lodge

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 12, 2009 at 11:18 am by Susan Derby and is filed under Deals, Family & Kids, Hotels, Islands & Beaches, Last Minute, National Parks, News, Tips & Advice, Outdoors & Adventure, Pacific Northwest, Washington, Weekend Getaways, Winter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.