Freshwater Bay is a bay

Bay

A bay is an area of water mostly surrounded by land. Bays generally have calmer waters than the surrounding sea, due to the surrounding land blocking some waves and often reducing winds. Bays also exist as an inlet in a lake or pond. A large bay may be called a gulf, a sea, a sound, or a bight...

 upon the Strait of Juan de Fuca

Strait of Juan de Fuca

The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...

 on the northern coast of the Olympic Peninsula

Olympic Peninsula

The Olympic Peninsula is the large arm of land in western Washington state of the USA, that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the east by Puget Sound. Cape Alava, the westernmost point in the contiguous...

, 10 miles (16.1 km) west of Port Angeles off State Route 112 and 3 miles (4.8 km) north on Freshwater Bay Road. It is just east of Striped Peak

Striped Peak

Striped Peak is a mountain located approximately west of Port Angeles, Washington. It is located directly off the Strait of Juan de Fuca and rises to . The mountain used to be part of Camp Hayden, there are still accessible bunkers located on the mountain. To the east is located Freshwater Bay...

. The bay has water access via a small boat ramp, although launching is only recommended for small boats and kayaks. Launching and retrieving of boats can be especially difficult at low tide, as the bay is very shallow, leaving the small paved ramp completely exposed. The launch ramp has no dock.

The park also includes 1,450 lineal feet of public tidelands. It is a starting point for many boaters and kayakers. Also, located there is a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) park open during the summer months.

A small public beach is accessible surrounding the boat ramp, and at low tide extends significantly northward into the bay. One can also go clamming and observe a number of species of wildlife, including, sea stars, sea anemones, kelp

Kelp

Kelps are large seaweeds belonging to the brown algae in the order Laminariales. There are about 30 different genera....

, and sea gulls. Bachelor Rock, a sea stack, is also visible from the bay.

History

The Spanish Explorer Manuel Quimper

Manuel Quimper

Manuel Quimper Benítez del Pino was a Spanish Peruvian explorer, cartographer, naval officer, and colonial official. He participated in charting the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Sandwich Islands in the late 18th century. He was later appointed a colonial governor in his native Peru at the...

 named the bay Ensenada de Davila in 1790. It received its present name in 1846 from Henry Kellett

Henry Kellett

Vice Admiral Sir Henry Kellett KCB was a British naval officer and explorer.-Naval career:Kellett joined the Royal Navy in 1822...

.