Ozette Triangle - Olympics, WA
Jan 9, 2010 |
This is a route that starts at a trailhead at the Lake Ozette ranger station in Olympic National Park. A boardwalk trail runs from the trailhead three miles to Cape Alava. The route then goes south on the beach for three miles to Sand Point where another boardwalk connects back to the trailhead. We chose to do this route counter-clockwise because the boardwalk to Cape Alava has more ups and downs than the one to Sand Point plus the beach walk near Cape Alava is a little more difficult. Either way makes for a good hike though.
Our Friday night was spent all alone in the Ozette Campground. Many of the spots were flooded but we found one that was just soggy. It rained most of the night so we went to bed early, getting up just-in-time to catch the waning tide.
At the trailhead we parted with too much money then walked the moss-covered bridge across the Ozette River and into the dense forest. The first few miles wandered through huge moss and mushroom covered trees. The boardwalk was gleaming with slickness but we had on our cheapo microspike-like foot thingies so traction wasn't a problem. About two miles in, the trees got smaller and grasses appeared. We passed through a large grassy meadow (Ahlstroms Praire) where the ruins of an old homestead were supposed to be located. We didn't take the time to find it because we were more intent on looking over the petroglyphs at Wedding Rocks and time was short.
The trail dumped us onto the rocky beach. The wind (from the south - figures) and rain picked up and it looked like we'd have a miserable three miles of hiking… thankfully it lessened more and more as we progressed south. We were actually kind of hoping for gloomy weather so it worked out great (wanted "the mood"). The first mile of beach was the worst as far as having to negotiate over slippery rocks and large sections of driftwood, but it wasn't so bad as to be "suck". About a mile down the beach we almost walked right by the petroglyphs. Teri just happened to look back and see one with a whale in it. I've tried to Google some more historical info on them but didn't find much. We spent over an hour searching the rocks for more and taking lots of pictures. It was like an Easter egg hunt. We found quite a few before heading south again. The last two miles of beach were sandy and easy travelling. We passed several nice looking camp spots that were located just above the driftwood, in the trees. The small streams flowing from the forest to the ocean were stained brown from tannin. Just before Sand Point we spotted something large and black on the rocks out near the waves. At first I thought it was a bear but after looking through the binoculars for a bit, we soon saw the pointed nose and realized it was a sea lion.
The trail (marked by a large metal target) is located just north of Sand Point. We continued past it and hiked to the top of the point to check out the views. The beach south of there was really neat - sandy with breakers slamming all around and as far as the eye can see. I believe that section and points further south connect up in a hike labeled "Shipwreck Coast" in my guide book - looks like some fun for next winter. The point is sandy as the name implies and the very tip is a grass covered knob with a steep but short path to the top. If it wasn't so windy and getting late, we'd have spent much more time up there soaking in the views in all directions. I think it was the most scenic portion of the hike.
The boardwalk from Sand Point to the trailhead was very mild and we made fast time back to the car in fading light.
This was an excellent winter hike. |
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