Located in the far northwestern corner of the Olympic Peninsula, the Ozette Triangle is a triangular loop hike that takes hikers through some of the most remote beaches and forests Olympic National Park has to offer.  

This trail requires a bit of a trek to even reach, but once there, you will hike through coastal rainforest, explore wild beaches, and even have the opportunity to camp right on the Pacific Coast.  If you’re a fan of oceanside hiking, this is definitely a trail you should check out in Olympic National Park!

Miles/Elevation:

10.2 miles

574 feet vertical gain

About Olympic National Park:

Situated along Washington’s Pacific Coast, Olympic National Park contains some of the nation’s most diverse environments all in one epic national park!  From rock strewn beaches, to glaciated peaks, to temperate rainforest, Olympic has something for everyone!

Olympic National Park largely owes its diversity to the Pacific Ocean.  Despite being located quite far north, the oceans’ moderating influence means temperatures never really get that cold here (at low elevations at least).  On the beach it could be 50 degrees and foggy.  In the forest and the hills it might be 40 degrees and raining.  And in the alpine it may be 20 degrees and snowing!

A land of many diverse landscapes, Olympic has numerous awesome destinations.  The Hoh Rainforest is the most famous of the park’s forests and contains the revered Hall of Mosses.  Mt Olympus deep in the park’s backcountry is a sought after alpine summit.  Hurricane Ridge is a must see spot in the park reached via a winding mountain road.  And Rialto Beach is the most famous of all the parks’ beaches!

All these awesome spots are quite spread out though.  Despite being located in the same park, it takes hours to drive from one side of the park to the other.  This is largely due to the fact that there are no roads that pass straight through the park.  Olympic largely consists of wilderness, and Highway 101 wraps its way all the way around the outside.  It’s not a quick route, but it’s the only way to get from one side of the park to another.

Getting To The Trailhead:

Consider purchasing the America the Beautiful Pass if you’re visiting Olympic!

Follow Highway 101 to the Olympic Peninsula, and then all the way out towards the northwest corner of the peninsula.  Once you reach the community of Sappho, turn onto Highway 113 and follow it for about 10 miles.  After 10 miles, continue straight onto Highway 112.  Continue on 112 for another 10 miles, and then turn left onto Ozette Lake Road.  Follow Ozette Lake Road for 21 miles until you reach the Ozette Ranger Station.  There is a large parking area next to the ranger station to park in.

Tips:

• Try to time your hike so you are on the beach during low tide.  Find that information here. 

The Ozette Triangle:

To The Beach:

From the parking area, head towards the ranger station, and then cross the bridge over the Ozette River.  From the bridge you will have one of your only views of Ozette Lake of the day, so make sure to take it all in before moving on.

Roadtripping around Olympic?  Check out all of our road trip planning tips!

Shortly after crossing the bridge the trail will split.  You can go either way as the loop utilizes both of these trails.  I don’t really think it matters whether you go clockwise or counter-clockwise on this loop, but I chose to take the left trail and hike it clockwise!

The hiking for the first 3 miles or so will take you through the coastal forest towards the beach.  This loop is actually split into 3 very even sections: about 3 miles to the beach, about 3 miles on the beach, and about 3 miles back from the beach!

The forest here is pretty, and the rainforest of the Olympic Peninsula is one of the more unique forests in the country, but don’t expect much for views.  Don’t get me wrong, there is a ton of life here to examine, and some really interesting plants and animals, but you will not have any open panoramas until reaching the ocean.

Before long, the packed dirt and gravel trail will give way to elevated boardwalks.  These wooden boardwalks will take you from here most of the way to the ocean, so get used to walking on wood!

The boardwalks are fine, and generally make for quick hiking.  The smooth surface of the wood I’m sure is preferable to the quagmire of mud that would probably occur without them, but it was definitely a bit disconcerting when every once in a while I stepped onto a loose board that shifted under my weight!

Help keep this place beautiful.  Follow Leave No Trace!

The hiking went quickly through the woods, and after less than an hour the forest began to thin, the sound of waves began filtering through the forest, and I emerged at the beach!

Along The Beach:

The first view of the beach on this hike is through an almost perfect natural window in the trees!  However, don’t expect blue skies, aquamarine water, and white sand beaches!

The skies were heavy with fog, the beach is largely rocky and darkly colored, and at low tide, the waves were largely not even visible from shore: the tide pools extended so far from the beach I couldn’t really even see the ocean!

This is definitely a cool environment, and something very unique you don’t find in many places, but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting.  I explored the tide pools here for a bit, but all I found was a few crabs, and a bunch of birds.  Also, it smelled absolutely terrible!

After a fairly unsuccessful tide pool scouting session, I set off north up the beach.  There is about 3 miles of beach to cover before reaching the trail back inland, and I figured that I would be able to make good time!

Unfortunately, that wasn’t really the case.  Walking on sand is never as easy as you would hope, and though the sand here isn’t especially soft or difficult to walk through, it’s also not an ideal hiking surface.  You will also encounter large boulder fields, narrow and steep trails away from the beach, and lots of downed trees.

Always follow basic trail etiquette when you’re hiking!

As I hiked I continued exploring the tide pools, but I continued to not find the cool sea creatures I had hoped for.  I deliberately planned to be here at low tide, but for whatever reason I couldn’t find any cool animals!  Maybe I just have no idea what I’m doing (well I definitely had no idea what I was doing, but I’m not fully convinced that’s why I didn’t see anything!).

While the reason I timed my hike to align with low tide was to be able to see the tide pools, another important consideration is the ability to hike along the coast.  At high tide, a number of the areas I hiked through would be underwater.  

In case of high tide, there are trails that climb (usually along steep and narrow trails) away from the coast before dropping back down where there is more space.  These trails are well marked with signs, but it would be a pain to have to use them frequently!

This is bear country so make sure you’re bear safe!

As I began nearing the northern portion of the beach, I encountered a new hazard: fallen trees.  Driftwood is a common sight all over the pacific coast, but these trees were not driftwood.  They had simply fallen on the beach, and now blocked my progress!

Some still had their needles, and many were balanced on their branches.  It seemed a bit sketchy to basically crawl under a tree balancing on slowly rotting branches, so for some I walked all the way around, sometimes 100 feet out into the tide pools, and sometimes I ducked or crawled under.  Just another joy of hiking on the beach!

Eventually, after what seemed like a very long time, I reached the northern terminus of the beach hike, and turned inland to head back towards the trailhead!

Back To The Trailhead:

From the beach the trail back into the woods climbs steeply up the coastal cliffs, and then levels off after a quick 200 vertical feet or so.  Once the trail levels off, you will back on the now familiar wooden boardwalks.

Be sure to visit Rialto Beach, Olympics most iconic beach!

There isn’t a whole lot to say about the hike back to the trailhead through the woods that hasn’t been said about the hike from the trailhead through the woods.  This may be a different trail, but the boardwalks are about the same, the forest is about the same, and it all looks pretty alike!

From the beach it’s just a hair over 3 miles back to the trailhead, so after about an hour of hiking I was back at my car!  

Topdown Lifestyle Rating: 7/10

Those who adore oceanside hiking may disagree with me on this one, but I just don’t really see the appeal in this trail.  I enjoy hiking near the ocean, but to me this hike had very little of what makes for a great coastal hike.  The weather up here is pretty reliably disappointing.  You don’t ever really get big ocean views.  There aren’t any major coastal cliffs or peaks to enjoy.  I didn’t see much wildlife.  Overall I was just expecting more.

All of that is not to say this is a terrible hike.  It’s not, but to me, compared to other 10 mile hikes, this one just doesn’t hold up.  If you want to explore a few miles of nice beach, try Rialto Beach a little ways south.  If you want dramatic coastal features, Cape Flattery a bit north is much better.  For all around better views, head into the mountains! 

Pros:

• Beach access
• Long stretches of oceanside hiking

Cons:

• Not particularly pretty
• Less rugged coastline than other coastal hikes
• Long stretches of monotonous hiking to reach the coast

Alternative Hikes:

Rialto Beach to Hole-in-the-Wall

Deer Lake

Mt Storm King 

When To Hike The Ozette Triangle:

Olympic National Park gets 4 strong seasons, and while the park can be visited all year, summer definitely has the best weather for being outdoors.  The high elevation regions of the park receive huge snowfall totals during winter which makes for great skiing, but not so great hiking!  Winter at low elevations means lots and lots of rain.

While you certainly can hike in the rain, the warmest, sunniest, weather of the year occurs during July and August.  June and September can also have excellent conditions, but the risk of adverse weather and lingering snow at elevation are much higher.

I would personally recommend late July or August for a trip to Olympic, but if you want to avoid the worst of the crowds and aren’t interested in exploring the higher elevation backcountry, the shoulder months of June and September could be pretty nice.  

I personally would not visit here October through May because of the weather, but if you’re ok with tons of moisture and just don’t want to run into other people, by all means go for it.  Be aware though the backcountry and high elevation reaches of the park will likely be snowed in.

Links For Further Reading:

Ozette Loop – Olympic National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Ozette Triangle Trail: 852 Reviews, Map – Washington | AllTrails

Cape Alava Loop (Ozette Triangle) — Washington Trails Association

Ozette Loop Hiking and Backpacking Guide – Happiest Outdoors