Olympic Peninsula Trip - Northern Shores

The next day we drove to the northwest corner of the state and did a short hike to see Cape Flattery, which we had never visited before. The trail ended at a cliff top overlooking the point where the Pacific Ocean meets the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There was no beach to descend to, but seeing the waves crash into the cliffs made for dramatic scenery.

We next drove south to Lake Ozette and hiked along a three-mile boardwalk trail to Sand Point Beach. We had done this hike back in 2002 on yet another previous backpacking trip. Like yesterday, the beach was overcast, but the low tide allowed the kids to explore far out along the exposed rocks. There was a surprising amount of wildlife to see, including whales, sea otters, birds, and a deer lounging on the beach. There was also a black bear foraging along the beach, which we had to carefully walk past on our way back to the trail.