Lake Ozette Triangle

(also known as Capa Alva/Sand Point Loop)

Park: Olympic National Park, Pacific Coast region

Map

Green Trails Ozette No. 130S or Custom Correct Ozette Beach Loop

15.1 km loop.

Terrain: Intermediate

Approximate Elevations (in meters)
Start:	10	End:	10
Minimum:	0	Maximum:	68
Net Gain:	68	Cumulative Gain:	300

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Lake Ozette Ranger Station Trailhead: (154 km from Saanich Hall, ferry required). Drive south on Blanshard St for 4.9km to Belleville St. Follow this for about 1km to the ferry terminal. Drive west from Port Angeles on US#101 for 8km turning north onto WA#112 which you follow for 51.5km to Ozette Lake Rd (just past Sekiu). Turn left (south) onto this road and drive to the end of the road (approx 32km).

Facilities available at the trailhead include:

Campsite
Emergency phone
Picnic tables
Shelter is available
Toilets and/or outhouses
Water is available

Apparently the parking fee is included in the backcountry permit. This is something we just learned and should be confirmed with Olympic National Park.

Uses

Backpack	Easy to moderate (backcountry permit required, fee charged).	2 days for the loop.	Suitable all year.
Dayhike	3 boot (moderate).	7 hours for the loop.	Suitable all year.

Description

This route forms a triangle with almost equal length sides. Hiking out from the ranger station at Lake Ozette you cross the river on a concrete footbridge. Once across the river the trail climbs for about 200m to a fork. The right fork leads to the beach at Cape Alava, 5.3km distant, the left to the beach at Sand Point, 5km. The beach route between the two is 4.8km in length. Both the trail to Cape Alava and the trail to Sand Point are boardwalk. The boardwalk on the Cape Alava section doesn't begin for approximately 500m beyond the junction. Sections of this trail are in the process of being replaced with a raised gravel bed.

Heading south from Cape Alava to Sand Point there are two headlands that require co-ordination with the tides. Both headlands have overland routes, the northerly one is easy but the southerly one is quite steep and is not recommended, especially when wet. Immediately south of the north marker for the northerly headland route are some petroglyphs on the rocks very close to the bank. More petroglyphs can be found at the southern terminus of the headland trail.

The terrain is rated as intermediate due to the hiking on the beach with the possibility of needing to round the headlands using headland trails.

Features

This trail features animals (Black bear, Coastal black-tailed deer, Raccoon, Sea otter), beaches, birds (Bald eagle, Black oystercatcher, Brown pelican, Common murre, Double-crested cormorant, Harlequin duck, Marbled murrelet, Peregrine falcon, Raven, Sanderling, Snowy plover, Tufted puffin, Western sandpiper), ferns (Bracken fern, Deer fern), flowers (Trillium), forests (Douglas fir, Red alder, Sitka spruce, Western hemlock, Western red cedar, Western yew and Yellow cedar), historical artifacts (Petroglyphs - an amazing display on both the north and south sides of the Wedding Rocks headland), marine mammals (California sea lion, Grey whale, Steller sea lion), meadows, plants (Evergreen huckleberry, Skunk cabbage) and shrubs (Red huckleberry, Salal).

Hazards

Boardwalk (can be very slippery in wet conditions)
headlands must be negotiated, this requires either timing to pass at a low, outgoing tide or using overland trails where available. Can be passed at about 5 foot tides, overland trails are available.

Campsites along the trail

Cape Alava	5.0 km	2 meters	Fire boxes Outhouse	Water is available quality is fair.
Wedding Rocks	Approx 7.0 km	0 meters		Water is unknown.
Sand Point	9.8 km	0 meters	Outhouse	Water is available quality is poor.

Water

Water is available at the trailhead, there are water sources at both Cape Alava and Sand Point, water from both these sources should be treated before being consumed.

For additional information see:

Last hiked:May 3, 2009

Trail-conditions

View trail condition reports for this trail.