Proposed Sadie Creek Shooting Range

Entrance to Main Shooting RangeThe proposed Sadie Creek Shooting Range is located approximately seven miles west of Joyce, nearly two miles south of State Highway 112, along a subsidiary road off of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources 1000 Road. The site lies at an elevation of approximately 700 feet, lying on a broad plateau area between the drainages of Sadie and Susie Creek. The legal description of the property is: the southeast corner of Section 6, T30 N,R9 WWM, together with Government Lots 19 and 34 in said section, together with the west half of the southwest corner of Section 5, T30 N, R9 WWM. The total acreage of the reconveyance is 320 acres. Of the 320 acres, approximately 80 acres will be used for the proposed shooting range and buffer.

View County Map Showing Proposed Range Location (JPG).

View Vicinity Map of Proposed Reconveyance Parcel (JPG).

Gravel Pit and Pistol RangeClallam County has had a number of shooting ranges over the years. A military range, at Camp Hayden, became a recreational range during the late 1950s and 1960s and was closed due to expansion efforts at the County Park. As a result, a shooting range was established in the Airport Industrial Park during the 1980s and a private range is still active at the Sunnydell Range, which is located between Sequim and Port Angeles. The Port Angeles Gun Club has a shotgun range located on State Highway 101, across from the Deer Park Road intersection and the West End Sportsmen's Club in Forks has a firearms and archery range off State Highway 101, across from the Forks Outfitters Store.

View a List of Shooting Ranges in Washington State (PDF).

Currently, unorganized shooting occurs throughout the County including hunting activities and target shooting at private and non-sanctioned ranges on public and private land. In particular, former gravel pits are often used for this purpose. Hunting activities are pursued throughout the County, generally with the exception of designated no-shoot zones and developed areas.

Rifle Range Area

Proposed Sites

Throughout the last several decades, the County has proposed numerous alternative sites for a shooting range, culminating in the mid-1990s with a proposed site off of Blue Mountain Road, between Port Angeles and Sequim. More recently, several sites have been proposed in the area west of Joyce. The major advantages of these sites are the low residential density in the area and increased safety of some sites through the use of natural topography which acts as a secondary backdrop to the target ranges.

The proposed Sadie Creek site is part of State Trust Land that is currently managed for timber harvest and recreational needs by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The County is in the process of having the land reconveyed back to the County for use as an organized shooting range. The process has included several public meetings with the Clallam County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the DNR, and many other shooting organizations. These web pages will outline the information the County has in regards to the proposed plan. This site will by no means have all the information but its intent is to offer readers a factual account of the proposal. As the reconveyance process moves forward, new information will be placed on these web pages as it becomes available.

Clallam County is in great need of a safe, organized, and accessible site for the discharge of firearms. Users include law enforcement, local recreational shooters, military personnel, youth groups, hunting clubs, tourists, and a host of others.