When I moved to Seattle 3.5 years ago and first discovered the Washington Trails Association and their interactive map of all WA state trails, I stumbled upon the Lake Ozette Triangle/Capa Alava and immediately added it to my bucket list of “must do” PNW adventures.
Years later, I finally got to take the journey to this remote coastal region to see what all the hype was about, and it did not disappoint.
This hike is a 5-hour journey from Seattle in ideal traffic with no ferry waits. Camping overnight is a must.
My friend and I snagged a camp spot at Sol Duc Hot Springs Campgroundback in February for 2 nights and planned our trip leaving Seattle last Friday, hiking to the cape on Saturday, and returning on Sunday. Sol Duc Hot Springs is an added bonus as the beautiful campground is located in old growth forest and is walking distance to a natural hot springs that has been turned into a resort and spa with outdoor geothermal soaking pools. It’s $11 to take the plunge and we happily paid up both nights (added bonus: soaking in hot water after a long day exploring a beach!).
Here you can see a map (the hot springs are just past Piedmont on the 101), showing where the Cape sits on the Olympic Peninsula. It is very nearly the Northwesternmost tip of the contiguous US, although that title is officially held by Cape Flattery, which is just slightly more Northwest.
The hike is a 9-mile triangle. The first 3 miles are spent strolling through spectacular forest gradually opening into a coastal ecosystem, the second 3 miles are spent hiking down a rugged coastline, and the last 3 miles send you back in a loop through the forest.
Here are some of the beautiful paths that WTA has built to guide visitors along the trail through the forest! I love the vibrant moss that clings to the wood, and the lush plantlife teeming alongside the trail. On the Olympic Peninsula you can truly understand why the Pacific Northwest is deemed a “rainforest”.
A close-up of some lovely plant friends.
Gradually the forest becomes less dense.
As you hike along the paths and walkways in the rainforest, the vegetation begins to thin, and you can see the ecosystem morph before your eyes.
Eventually, you find yourself walking in a coastal forest of grass and short evergreen trees.
This part of the trail was in many ways my favorite because of the strange mix of forest and coastal vegetation. There were combinations I rarely get to see, all thriving in this welcoming climate and bursting out to meet the spring.
And then, we come to the beach!
Walking out of the coastal, woodsy environment to find this vista was worth every step. There is something about being in the most remote regions of the world that puts a lot of things into perspective, and this view was a knockout.
It’s hard to tell the scale of the incredible seastacks featured in this album.
Which is why I’m sharing this sneaky shot I snagged of a fellow beachgoer brave enough to climb the beautiful natural architecture. While the pictures on this blog may be small in scale, the stacks they show were certainly not!
Here on the wild coastline, there is an incredible collection of driftwood and items swept in from the sea.
The coastline is littered with debris, most natural, some manmade that are carried in by the tide each night. Here you can see a tree that has weathered the waters and swept to shore. A note: because this is a tidal hike, it is very important to check the tidal charts before embarking! We went out at 10am (low tide), but the tides are always shifting and it’s important to check this out so you don’t get stranded.
Stacks and water, water and stacks.
With the tide out, acres of tidal pools, seaweed, and small sea creatures were left exposed. The water, rocks, and natural life created lovely opportunities to capture reflections of the walk.
Here, a seastack with a window.
This seasick was very large, my entire body could have fit, standing, within the window that looks so tiny in this picture.
This lady means the world to me.
Not only was I blessed with a beautiful hike, I was also lucky enough to share it with a wonderful companion. Here’s a wonderful woman standing in front of one of most beautiful natural landscapes I’ve seen!
Natural textures were a highlight.
Every step of this hike featured new combinations of natural elements. The texture of the regional ecology was beautiful: sand, rock, water, plantlife, air.
Something manmade, but strangely lovely.
This bright expanse of orange stood out on a beach saturated in cool tones and natural hues. I’m not sure how all this twine came to be on the beach, but it made for an interesting feature and new texture.
More rocks, more reflections.
Me! On a rock.
What would an adventure be without scaling a few obstacles? Part of the fun traversing the beach was definitely climbing up some of the huge seastacks to get a birds eye view.
The official “Cape Alava”.
After hiking nearly 3 miles south along the beach, you’ll come to what is known as Cape Alava, a piece of land that juts out into the ocean like the point of a triangle. On the other, south side, of the cape a long sand beach stretches for miles (including a 60-mile backpacking trail for coastal through-hikers).
A close-up.
A view down the other side of the beach.
Here the environment changed drastically once again, with traditional dune grasses growing, and a long stretch of smooth sand extending into the distance.
Here another hiker walks into seamist floating onto the beach off the ocean.
We were lucky to get a beautiful wave of mist floating in from the sea and creating a magical cloak across portions of the beach despite the blue skies overhead. It was a lovely natural illusion.
A few shots of sand, rock, and mist.
The simplicity of these elements was stunning, and perhaps one of my favorite parts of this day despite the dramatic views along the way.
Crabs were an important part of the journey.
The beach was full of sealife, including a multitude of tiny crabs in every possible color: green, black with green spots, purple, orange, and black. Here, a tiny crab looks out to see across the sand.
The beach was littered with seaweed, so many different kinds!
A shot up the beach with the mist rolling in and new seaweeds washing ashore with every wave.
And lastly, me in my natural element.
There is nowhere I’d rather be than a beach in the middle of nowhere!
Thank you so much for stopping by to check out this adventure. Sharing these journeys with you is so much fun for me and I hope you enjoyed. :)
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