On one of my days in Olympic National Park, I headed out to a completely different and unexpectedly challenging hike along the Pacific coastland called the Ozette Loop Trail. Olympic doesn’t disappoint with the wide variety of ecosystems and this day brought me to old growth forest, wetlands, and a gnarly obstacle ridden beach. The loop itself is 9.2 miles and starts at a ranger station. You will head into the woods and either chose to go towards North Sand Point or Avala Point. I chose North Sand Point and then hiked south along the beach to Avala where you can see the Wedding Rocks. After walking 3 miles along a slippery boardwalk the hike starts down a virgin beachhead with absolutely no one around except an occasional black tailed deer, Roosevelt elk and black bear. I also saw many bird species and one the largest woodpeckers that I’d had ever seen.
The woods are so thick in areas that you can’t see what is beyond the foliage immediately on the edge of the boardwalk. At one point I saw the rustling of shrubs only feet away and realized that there was a large animal just beyond the boardwalk. Since bears are common my heartrate jumped and I picked up my pace while looking over my shoulder just in case. This is truly an isolated and lonely place and allows your mind to wonder quite a bit at each sound heard beyond the walkway. Once you’ve reached the beach the hard work begins – the hike is no “day at the beach” whatsoever. The sand is interspersed with wet round rocks, mounds of washed up seaweed as well as massive fallen trees that hinder your passage down the beach.
In some areas you will have climb over or under the trees to continue on. At times walking on top of the trees became the easiest way to get across the beach. While one wouldn’t think this is a technical hike, but it becomes that way in a hurry. Be prepared for many obstacles, poor footing, wet conditions and pay attention to the tide chart. Time management is key because the beachhead is quite high and extremely difficult to hike up in the event the incoming tide gets in your way. If you do not time the hike to start with low tide you will find yourself wet and cold and potentially with no where to go except out to sea so plan accordingly.
The beach portion takes more time than you would expect for a 3 mile stretch. Add at least an hour to what it normally takes you to complete that distance. At one point you will need to scale an escarpment using a rope to ascend and descend otherwise you will not make it to the exit. This is challenging mostly because of the awkwardness and tired legs. The entrances and exits to the beachhead are marked by a red disk with a slash through them. Otherwise, there are no signs so you need to keep an eye out for them as they are a bit hard to see and more importantly they represent the only way off the beach back to the boardwalk paths that complete the loop.
The Ozette Loop Trail is strenuous, but beautiful with arched rocks sitting in the distance along the coast.
Once off the beach it’s another 3 miles down a wooded and wet boardwalk to get back to the trailhead where you park. The Ozette Loop is out there so go well supplied. It takes about 2 hours to drive to from Sequim and you will be mostly alone if you hike the entire loop. If you’re up for a challenge and want to feel like you’ve discovered an untamed new coastal land this is your hike. In addition to the deer and elk in the woods, you may see seals, bald eagles, cormorants as well as interesting tidal pools with lots of sealife. You’ll see nature fighting for survival along the beach while you fend for your own against incoming tides, weather and time.
Things to Know Before You Go
Check the tide schedule ahead of time. The tides can rise over 10 feet when they come in, so you want to be sure you have plenty of time to complete the beach portion of hike during low tide.
Bring an extra layer of clothing, especially socks and wet weather great. Also, bring ziplock bags to waterproof your phone and dry clothes.
Be sure to bring extra food and water in case the tide comes in while you’re out there or it takes longer than you anticipated.
