The spit separates the salt-water Baltic Sea (on the west) from the freshwater Curonian Lagoon to the east.

[1] The foundations of the spit were created about 15,000 BCE as the receding glaciers left the Baltic Sea behind, and the sand dunes of the Curonian built on the glacial moraine.

[2] The actions of sea and wind build large dunes, which average 35 meters on the spit.

The area is one of high biodiversity due to the many different ecological communities in close proximity to each other: beach, dune ridge, wetlands of various types, meadows and forests.

The park is also home to 46 species of mammals, including elk, European roe deer, wild boar, fox, marten, raccoon dog, badger, hare, red squirrel, and beaver.