Ozette Coast Loop - 9.2 Miles Round-Trip

A three mile stretch of wild coast joins the Sand Point Trail and Cape Alava Trail to form a 9.2 mile loop through the Ozette Coast of Olympic National Park. Ozette is the most visited backcountry destination in the Park, sought for its remote location, diverse forests and postcard-worthy scenery.

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

Visitors will enjoy boardwalks to and from the beach, open beach travel, Makah petroglyphs and a variety of land and marine wildlife.

Note that while elevation gain is minimal, two challenging headland climbs and obstacles on the beach make this a moderately strenuous, athletically demanding route. The following description begins on the Sand Point Trail and travels clockwise:

The trail passes information boards and a seasonal ranger station to the Sand Point - Cape Alava trail split (.2 miles : 68'). The Sand Point boardwalk levels through a heavy understory of salal, skunk cabbage and fern. 

It rises nominally under a canopy of hemlock and some notably large cedar to a crest (2.5 miles : 134'), where it tilts downhill to the coast (2.95 miles). The Sand Point area spans one of the widest beaches in Olympic, and it's worth spending time here before pressing on.

Turn north (right) to continue the loop. The beach is an ankle-bending sequence of deep sand, slick rocks, bull kelp piles, driftwood and fallen trees. Low tides expose vast tide pools and land bridges to offshore sea stacks (be mindful of the tides should you venture out).

A red-black circular symbol (3.55 miles) directs you up an impassable headland. Ropes aid this very steep but non-technical climb. Once up it drops right back down in equally difficult fashion.

The obstacle course resumes around a series of fallen trees to the base of a second headland marked by a red-black symbol (3.85 miles). There is no rope assistance on this shorter climb.

Once back down look for the Wedding Rocks petroglyphs near the headland symbol. The rocks are named in part for their suggestive nature, but also include images of marine and village life.

Continue north past established backcountry beach sites (5.05 miles) with views of Cannonball Island and Ozette Island. A red-black symbol marks the Cape Alava Trail (5.9 miles), located in an open grassy slope framing the beach.

The trail climbs 215' in just .6 miles into a markedly drier forest fragmented by Ahlstroms Prairie.

Grades moderate through intervals of open space and diminutive pine before cresting (6.8 miles : 245') and dropping steeply on the boardwalk to a bridge (8.0 miles : 47'). The trail passes under tall cedar and hemlock back to the trailhead (9.2 miles : 27').