Cape Alava Campground — Olympic National Park

Wow!!! This was such a magical adventure! You will need a permit and a bear canister (which you can rent from the ranger station) but the payoff is a forever sunset, the scent of healing salt air, the sound of eagle’s fledging their young, giant sea stacks looming in the tide and the alpha wave inducing white noise of gentle waves churning, all while Bambi grazes near your tent. You might even see seals and whales so bring binoculars. I hiked the 9.4 mile Ozette Triangle over two days. I started from my campsite at the Ozette Campgrounds and hiked out Sand Point Trail. Then I explored giant sea stacks and saw petroglyphs along the Ozette River to Sand Point Beach Travel Way. Mt campsite had a rustic pit toilet nearby, a fire ring (burn dead driftwood only!) and a view of a distant sea stack framed perfectly by giant trees. After spending the most restful magical night right on the cusp of the rainforest, I explored northward some (do this during ebb tide so you don’t get trapped between peninsulas) before I headed back along the Cape Alava Trail. I did not want this hike to end. I can see why these are some of “The Best 100 Miles in National Parks” as ranked by Backpacker Magazine. I will go back and include this as part of a seven day of Cape Alava to Shi Shi Beach.

Pro Tips:

1. Take a picture of the current tide chart posted at the trailhead and know how to use it.
2. There are wonderful restrooms at the the trailhead parking lot but there is not a single trash can or dumpster to be found anywhere. I love this! It is a reminder to truly Leave No Trace and pack out everything in an effort to reduce the drain on limited park resources to deal with garbage. So take two trash bags, one for you and one for your neighbor.
3. Get a map and information sheet of the Petroglyphs before you go so you can enjoy this little treasure hunt!

This is one of several camping areas along this wild, beautiful stretch of coastline. They are a fairly easy hike from the Ozette trailhead, and make a nice triangle from Ozette to Cape Alava to Sand Point. There are very rustic pit toilets, so don't expect any glamping. However, the incredible beaches more than make up for the rustic conditions. You can see lots of wildlife and petroglyphs carved by the native people.

The campsites are an up and down 3 mile trek out to the beach, and are then tucked in the trees along the edge of the beach. Permits are required, and the restrooms are horrifying pit toilets. But the view the beach is simply stunning! The campsites are all fairly open and have nice fire pits. You are only allowed to pick up wood from the beach to burn, so be sure to bring good fire starter as it can be challenging to get the driftwood to burn.