ozette loop hike

The loop is a solid 3-4 hr hike, mostly on boardwalks and excellent trails. However, the 3-mile beach walk is somewhat difficult because on some parts you're walking on stones. The walk itself takes you through a wonderful variety of rainforest and open Pacific. From the beach you can hear the barking of sea lions. Do be sure that you pass the two choke-points at low tide or, at least, no more than 2 hrs either side of high tide. There is a trail you can take to get around the southernmost choke point but it's seriously challenging. We passed a ranger twice on our loop. Apparently he goes around a couple of times a day to make sure folks are OK. It's a thoughtful touch and we appreciated chatting with him.

What a hike this turned out to be. The only thing we missed was the petroglyphs, but getting to the westernmost point of the U.S. was fun. The loop hike is fun, but can be challenging and taxing at times. If you go on lower tide like we did, it will be "easier". The first 3 miles we took was the Cape Alava part. Fairly level with boardwalks. To get to the beach at the end does require going down a bit, but there are ropes to help you out if need be. It's mainly wooded, but there are some open spots including a historic prairie area. Unfortunately there are no historic signs. The beach area at Cape Alava has some rock formations and islands and makes a nice area to have lunch which we did. The beach part of the hike (part 2) I would say is the toughest of the 3. Climbing over logs, rocks among other things took a while. I think that's how we missed the petroglyphs. Navigating across the beach too much. If you go during the high tide there are overland trails to get around the headlands and the one I saw was very steep with the rope provided to help you. Relieved we didn't have to do that. Along the way there is a hole in the wall formation you can walk out to during low tide which is cool. The closer you get to Sand Point, the easier things get. More level sandy beach. The park service does a great job providing those circular signs where the trails begin. The Sand Point part of the trail is the easiest. Mostly level with some boardwalks. There are some open spots like the Alava part. Even though we had been walking for hours, we were back to the car in no time on the Sand Point part. Of course the hike can be shortened depending how much you want to see or how much you want to walk. If you want to the whole thing, don't plan anything else for the day. Lake Ozette is pretty too, but other than a campground, resort area, and a boat launch, there aren't too many places to enjoy the lake for day use. If you have the time and stamina, the Lake Ozette loop hike is a great way to spend the day.

Being from the East coast, we found this beach ecosystem totally fascinating. We ended up hiking almost 12 miles. Trails to/from the beach are incredibly well-maintained (they helicopter in the timber and gravel). The walk along the beach is rocky and much easier at low tide. Finding the Petroglyphs was more fun than we expected. Definitely do this hike.

But it would have been better in the sun! We did the full 9 miles starting on the Cape Alava Trail and returning via Sand Point. The beach part is the toughest, particularly the first part nearest Cape Alava. Lots of fallen trees block the beach and pose a challenge. But not insurmountable. Go with a minus tide. Lots of eagles and sea life. Also a whale skull. We saw the petroglyphs on wedding rocks. Thankfully the rain didn't start REALLY pouring until we started heading back. The wind is in your face heading south on the beach but the SandPoint Trail is easier, which is good on the way back. If the wind is really blowing hard you might consider the reverse route.

Some people will tell you this is a 9.3 mile level loop. It all depends on your definition of level and what time you hit the beach. If you miss the tide you will have some very steep encounters. Getting over and through the sea logs can be an adventure if you are short-legged. Make sure you bring plenty of water and hiking poles are essential especially getting over the alga covered rocks

After reading other reviews we decided not to do the loop walk along the beach. Easy walk to the beach. The boardwalks were in good shape, with obvious stretches that were just updated. The beach was a nice spot to enjoy lunch and take a few pictures. We were concerned about the tide table, although we knew we were there at the beginning of low tide. On the way back we ran in to a ranger who did inform us that there are over land trails, in case you are there during high tide. This also adds a little diversity to the terrain. Many reviews talked about the beach walk being slow, and just being on the beach we could see why. Great place to visit, and pretty sure the entire 9 mile loop would be pretty flat, just slow going on the beach portion.

First of all, get a tide table and time the hike so that you are hiking the beach portion around low tide. My husband and I decided to hike the beach from south to north. The Sand Point Trail was mostly boardwalk, relatively flat, and well-maintained. It was a nice easy hike through the forest, and at the end opened up to a great view of the beach and Sand Point. It took us about 1.5 hours to get from the trailhead to the beach. Hiking along the beach wasn't quite as easy as we thought (though still enjoyable); at times we were hiking through inches of (stinky) seaweed, stone-stepping around tidepools, trudging through sand, etc. This part of the hike took about 3 hours, but that was with plenty of stops to take in the view, look in tidepools, and take photos. The return hike on Cape Alava Trail also took about 1.5 hours, but the boardwalk was not quite as flat as the Sand Point Trail, and was in a little rougher shape. While we were there we saw several crews working on maintaining the trail and replacing parts of the boardwalk. Overall it was a very good hike with very little elevation change.

It is an easy 3 mi. to the beach which is spectacular. You can hear seals from the nearby islands. The return loop is not very well marked and we had difficulty finding it.

The 7/8 hours loop made by two forest trails and one fatiguing beach one (mind the tide time!!! Rangers give free tables) is definitely worth a trip to Ozette

this is a loop hike that has two trails starting at same place and leading to the beach where one can usually find dear resting or some pretty loud seals. one of the best ranger station can be found at the start of the trail and people should get advice on the tide before heading out. Most of the trail is made out of wooden beams, so not too hard on one's feet.

We would go every year since I was 3. Best childhood memories ever. I am 31 now and taking my 3 year old, and she loves it. Plan ahead if you go in the summer. 2 totally different experiences depending on what hike you do. I wouldn't do the loop until you know your kids are ready. It's 9 miles and if you miss the tide look for the signs on the trees marking the overland rout. This is not a short cut and some of them are difficult for the novice hiker.

This was probably the best day hike I have ever taken. Tide was out & we sat there for hours listening to the seals, watching the bald eagles & listening to the waves. The 3 mile walk on the beach was great exercise & fun.

We loved this hike the last week of May, even though it was raining and we did have a tense moment...We met a guy in the parking lot that didn't do the full loop, but he recommended what direction to go so that the wind would be at our back while on the beach. This was GREAT advice, so I recommend asking someone the same thing when you get there. The only issue was that this made us going the opposite direction than what our book had...so it wasn't quite as easy to follow the landmarks it was pointing out.Know where the tide is - at the very end of the beach portion of the hike we had difficulty finding the spot where to leave the beach and head back on the trail. The tide was slowly coming in, but close enough that we started to get a bit nervous. We did find where to exit the beach, but then had trouble figuring out which trail we should be heading back on. This was our tense time...it was raining and I felt like we were lost. It was probably only 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour before we happened across some campers (strange place to camp, but glad they were there!). He was able to point us in the right direction.We missed the petroglyphs, but saw great bald eagles! Our weather wasn't great, but we still had a great time. We found cover in the trees to eat the lunch we packed. Don't underestimate this hike - walking on the beach is more difficult than walking through the woods. Have fun, but be prepared and be careful!!

Started the trip at Cape Alava first. The boardwalk was in very good shape (thank you NPS), only one small mud pit on the path. Tskawahyah Island is dramatic and accessible. North of the island the breakers roll into a lovely sandy bay. Sea anemones abound on the rocks. Sand Point was where sea lions could be heard barking that day. They are far from the beach, so bring binoculars to see them. There is a sort of rock pier where starfish can reliably be seen. And there is sandy beach where you can wade in the Pacific.The hike between the two beaches is difficult, because of all the trees that have blown down across the beach. This forces you to walk out into the intertidal zone to get around the trees. It can only be done at low tide, and even then it's not a sandy or pebbly footing, but sharp rock or rounded boulders that are slick and treacherous. I wore sturdy hiking boots but wished for poles also, as I slipped. It took me 2+ hours to go 3 miles. Not a pleasant walk along the beach at all. Several people made the trek with backpacks on, but they found it tiresome and slow.

Hiked the Sandy Point trial with my DH, 7 and 9 year olds. Easy trail. Drizzled the whole way, so the boardwalk was super slippery. However, only two other people on the trail and saw three bald eagles at the point. We had the beach to ourselves. Next time, we plan to hike the loop with Cape Alava. We've hiked everywhere from Peru to Costa Rica to Belize. And this was just as beautiful.