Too hot to hike? It can’t be.
Yet there I was, crabby even for me, during a string of record hot summer days when the thermometer soared and the desire to go outside wilted.
Nothing to do but head west and a bit north for some natural air conditioning and spectacular scenery on the extreme northwestern point of the lower United States, the rugged and remote tip of the Olympic Peninsula.
With an overnight base in breezy Port Angeles and a willingness to do some driving, we enjoyed a couple of days of beach hikes, forest walks, a little high-altitude sightseeing and the excitement of exploring a part of the state that even we natives had overlooked. The Seattle area sizzled, but we were comfortable in shirtsleeves and light jackets.
Check out a state map and there’s not much to identify this far corner of the United States, save for its faraway location and shape, a pronounced hook of land like an exclamation point.
What’s marked is Neah Bay, home of the Makah Indian Nation and Cape Flattery, the farthest northwest point of the contiguous lower 48 and the point where the Strait of Juan de Fuca spills into the Pacific Ocean.
This was our first destination, but not before settling into a Port Angeles motel the day before. With the sun hours from setting, we set our sights on Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park, an easy drive from downtown that rewards with spectacular views and a well-stocked visitors center.
This day-use area is an excellent place to warm the hiking muscles over the Meadow Loop trails, ablaze with wildflowers in summer. It’s a good first stop to get a pass if you plan on exploring other areas of Olympic National Park.
The next morning we were on the road to Neah Bay. On the map, you see two ways to get there. We did them both and recommend, as an easier drive, taking U.S. 101 to Sappho and cutting over on Highway 113.
Neah Bay has two big attractions: access to an overlook of Cape Flattery, and the superb Makah Cultural and Research Center, which is on the left as you enter town. Here visitors see exhibits on the Makah history and culture, including century-old artifacts from the Makah’s ancestral village of Ozette. This is also the place to purchase the vehicle recreational use permits that visitors need if they plan to park and do some hiking.
Drive through town and into the woods a half-dozen or so miles to reach the Cape Flattery trail (it’s marked, but pay attention to the signs) and park in the lot. The Makahs have renovated the Cape Flattery trail, which meanders three-quarters of a mile through the woods.
The trail is groomed, and a boardwalk and bridges take you over any sloppy terrain. In less than half an hour, the first of several observation sites come into view. It’s an easy walk, but long enough to feel like you have gotten some exercise.
This is the rocky, windswept northern tip of the lower United States, where the waves crash against the rocky shore and the trees are twisted from near-constant wind. Dramatic sea caves and cliffs are testament to the sculpting power of water and wind.
In the winter, the Cape Flattery headlands are swept by some of the harshest weather in the nation. Fog, treacherous tides and howling winds are relentless, yet the cape is home to a variety of sea and marine life that thrive.
We saw lots of birds circling overhead and bobbing in the water. We pulled out our field glasses for a close-up view of Tatoosh Island, a 20-acre rock about a half-mile off the cape where the Cape Flattery Lighthouse has stood guard since the mid-1850s. The sailing is treacherous through these parts.
There are other walks in the area, notably access to famous Shi Shi Beach, a spectacular stretch of undeveloped ocean coast in Olympic National Park. This is a destination for well-equipped, serious hikers and campers, left for another day.
Backtrack to U.S. 101 and the next stop is the logging community of Forks, about 40 miles south, for lunch or some picnic supplies. From here it’s 20 or so miles south back into Olympic National Park and the beautiful northern Washington coastline.
Ruby Beach is a lovely necklace of white sand and rocky shore, piles of driftwood and stunning, off-shore sea stacks that stand like silent sentinels amid the roiling sea. This is the kind of scenery the northern Oregon coast is famous for. We’ve got the same scenery in Washington, although it takes some effort to get there.
The nearest amenities are at Kalaloch Lodge, a lovely old resort that’s booked solid every summer, but worth the effort. Staying there is the easiest way to explore the surrounding beaches and wilderness.
Ruby Beach, the northernmost beach in the Kalaloch area, is reached from the parking lot via a trail down the bluff and through the trees.
Nothing, for me at least, is more cleansing and calming than a long walk beside the Pacific Ocean, and this is as beautiful a stretch of beach as you will find anywhere.
Just pay attention to the tides, don’t forget the camera and let your spirit lead you on. Perspiring “Pugetopolis” is a world way.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
