- Cape Alava Loop Hike (OregonHikers.org)
The loop from the Ozette Trailhead to Sand Point and Cape Alava is one of the most popular hikes in the Olympic National Park and is especially crowded on summer weekends. You can complete the loop as a day hike or backpack to the coast, where you will need reservations to camp overnight between May 1st and September 30th. Two legs of this triangle are in damp coastal rain forest, while the middle leg takes in a scenic wilderness shore with numerous rugged sea stacks and islands off the beach.
Washington Trails Association
- Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches (wta.org)
When it comes to picturesque views of the wild and rugged Olympic Coast, Shi Shi and Point of Arches tops the list. At only 8 miles round trip, this hike can easily be done in a day, but also makes for an easy backpack. Photographers might want to spend a night or two attempting to capture a prize-winning sunset over the sea stack-strewn Pacific.
- Olympic National Park (Wikipedia)
Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the State of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier east side. Within the park there are three distinct ecosystems, including subalpine forest and wildflower meadow, temperate forest, and the rugged Pacific coast.
- Olympic National Park (whc.unesco.org)
Located in the north-west of Washington State, Olympic National Park is renowned for the diversity of its ecosystems. Glacier-clad peaks interspersed with extensive alpine meadows are surrounded by an extensive old growth forest, among which is the best example of intact and protected temperate rainforest in the Pacific Northwest. Eleven major river systems drain the Olympic mountains, offering some of the best habitat for anadromous fish species in the country. The park also includes 100 km of wilderness coastline, the longest undeveloped coast in the contiguous United States, and is rich in native and endemic animal and plant species, including critical populations of the endangered northern spotted owl, marbled murrelet and bull trout.
