Ozette River

The hike from Lake Ozette to the Ozette River, is a very scenic 5.3 miles. The first 3.1 miles of the hike travel along a boardwalk through a very nice stretch of coastal rainforest and open meadows. Once the trail reaches Cape Alava, takes to the beach, where deer, sea lions and gray whales are often spotted. This is not an overly difficult hike, and can be done as a day hike; however it much more suited to overnight trips. It is very important that you know what the tides are going to be if you take this hike because the stretch along the beach can be very dangerous and even deadly on a high tide. Another thing to be wary of is that most of the first part of this hike travels on boardwalks, which can be slick when wet, these board walks are also damaged in some stretches (watch for holes!!).

Above: A rewarding view at the end of the hike, where the Ozette River meets the Ocean.

My travels on this trail: I did this hike with my relatives from Yakima Wa, and members of their Church Youth group at the end of August 2005. We arrived at the trail head at Lake Ozette at about 4 or 5 pm, and started our trip to the river. We made it to the camp spot with about an hour of daylight to spare; it was low tide at the ocean when we arrived so the river was no challenge to cross. Just a little info, backcountry permits and reservations are required to camp on this hike. We spent the whole second day enjoying the area. This included swimming, hiking, and of course fishing. The Ozette River is a great place to swim due to the fact that it is fed by the warm surface water of the lake. The ocean on the other hand is numbing cold. The next day we left at about 9:30 am and made it back to the trail head around noon.

Above Photos from the hike in
Left: My cousin on the board walk. Right: The view from Cape Alava, when you get to this point you will notice how noisy a few hundred sea lions can be and be sure to watch for deer which love the grassy areas along the beach
Below: Day two pictures: Left: The end of the line for the Ozette River, at high tide the river is about chest deep and difficult to cross, so it is smart to plan your arrival and departure around a low tide. ;
Right: Be sure you get a chance to explore some of the tide pools if you do this hike.

Below: More day 2 shots; Left: Deer are very common in this area and don't seem to mind people much.
Right: If you pick a day with nice weather to do this hike as an overnight trip, you will be rewarded with a sunset that is not easily forgotten.

The Ozette River does offer some fly fishing for those willing to put a lot of work into it. It is probably one of the more difficult rivers around to fish from the shore, as it runs more like a brackish slough for about a mile from its mouth at high tide. When you get to the mouth, plan on hiking at least a mile upstream before you find any decent spots with any room to cast. The river is full of Squawfish, and some cutthroat, as well as a few steelhead and salmon. Would pack fishing gear in again?? Probably not, as it just seems to be more effort than what it is worth. If you put your time it (and lots of it you have to be obsessed with fishing want to fish this difficult, difficult river) there are some decent Coastal Cutthroat hiding in the river. Be sure to check the park's regulations before fishing.

For more information on this hike, please visit the Olympic National Park Website by clicking on the picture below.