Wide panorama of Cape Alava at golden hour, with a dark rocky beach in the foreground, tidewater reflecting a warm orange sky, and low forested islands silhouetted on the horizon. The calm, remote shoreline stretches across the frame beneath a glowing sunset band.

Ozette Triangle (Cape Alava to Sand Point)

Forks, WA

The Ozette Triangle is a 9.4-mile loop trail connecting Cape Alava, Sand Point, and Lake Ozette via boardwalks through coastal forest and 3 miles of wilderness beach. Cape Alava is the westernmost point of the contiguous United States. Petroglyphs carved into boulders on the beach provide evidence of centuries of Makah habitation.

Photography Guide

Best Time: golden hour
Crowds: Quiet
Shot Types: widelandscapedetaillong-exposure
Best Seasons: summerfall

Practical Tips

Plan the loop as a long day hike or overnight backpack; a Wilderness Permit is required for camping. The boardwalks can be extremely slippery when wet.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

The boardwalk goes for miles before the ocean ever appears. You walk it in a kind of green silence, hemlock and cedar pressing close on both sides, the planks dark and slick from a rain that may have fallen yesterday or last week. Sound is muffled. Light comes down in narrow shafts. It is the strangest approach to a coastline I know, because for a long time you have no sense that a coastline is coming at all. And then the trees end and the Pacific is simply there, enormous, and you are standing at the western edge of the country with three miles of beach between you and the next trail marker. I have done this loop in late August and again in October, and the second is the one I would recommend. The summer haze burns off by mid morning and the shoulder season light has a clarity to it that the beach deserves. Cape Alava in low golden hour, with the sea stacks throwing long shadows across the wet sand and the tide pools holding sky, is one of the more genuine landscape photographs I have made anywhere on this coast. The petroglyphs are easy to walk past if you do not know to look. They are carved into boulders near Wedding Rocks, faces and orcas and forms I cannot name, and the Makah have been here longer than any of this language can hold. I do not photograph them closely. It does not feel like mine to do. Bring more water than you think. Watch the tide tables. The boardwalks deserve respect when they are wet, which is most of the time.

Gallery

Fog hangs over a rocky offshore islet topped with wind-shaped evergreens, while a calm gray sea laps at the pebble beach in the foreground. Several seagulls stand and flap along the shoreline, adding movement to the muted, misty scene. Photo: John Fowler from Placitas, NM, USA / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 2.0

A rocky sea stack rises from the beach, topped with a cluster of wind-shaped evergreen trees against a pale gray sky. Driftwood and dark seaweed line the wet shoreline in the foreground, with a smaller rocky headland fading in the misty distance. Photo: Anastacia12182 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

Sunset glows behind a low, tree-covered sea stack, silhouetting the island against a sky that fades from orange and pink to deep blue. Dark rocks and tide pools fill the foreground, reflecting the warm light across the wet beach. Photo: U.S. Forest Service- Pacific Northwest Region / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

A small, tree-topped rocky island rises from calm gray-blue water at golden hour, with seabirds scattered across the sky and a dark shoreline framing the right side. Soft distant mountains and a pale sunset glow give the scene a quiet, remote feel. Photo: Andrew Kvalheim / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

A wide view looks out over a rocky tidal flat to a small, tree-covered island offshore, framed by evergreen branches and bright green vegetation in the foreground. Soft clouds and pale light give the remote coastline a calm, open feel. Photo: Kimon Berlin / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 2.5

Rocky tide pools and kelp-strewn shoreline stretch across Cape Alava at golden hour, with low waves breaking past scattered boulders. Offshore sea stacks and a forested point frame the horizon under a pale pink sky. Photo: Ron Clausen / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

Black-and-white trail map of the Cape Alava camp area, showing the beach, nearby forest, meadows, creek, and marked campsites with icons for outhouses and trail access. The map labels the route to Ozette River, Lake Ozette, and Sand Point, with the national park boundary and Ozette Indian Reservation also shown. Photo: U.S. National Park Service, restoration/cleanup by National Park Maps (https://npmaps.com) / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

Fog softens the tree-covered island in the distance while low golden light glints across the calm water. Dark rock outcrops and scattered seaweed-streaked stones dot the foreground along the remote Ozette shoreline. Photo: GerthMichael / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0

A rocky sea cliff topped with wind-shaped evergreens rises above a broad sandy beach, with waves breaking along the left edge under a clear blue sky. A dark cave-like opening at the base of the bluff and a steep eroded slope on the right emphasize the remote, rugged coastline. Photo: Jeff Wiles / Pexels

Nearby Places

Two backpackers walk across a wide, open stretch of Shi Shi Beach under a clear blue sky, with long shadows on the sand. Offshore, dark sea stacks and the Point of the Arches rise above a low band of surf and sea mist.

Coastline

Forks, WA

Shi Shi Beach

Shi Shi Beach is a remote wilderness beach accessed via a 4-mile trail from the Makah Reservation boundary, featuring the Point of the Arches sea stack complex at its southern end. The arches and pinnacles are among the most dramatic coastal rock formations in the Pacific Northwest. Tidepools at the base of the arches are exceptionally rich in marine life.

golden hoursummer · fall

A vintage nautical chart shows the rugged Washington coast from Cape Disappointment to Cape Flattery, with dense contour lines tracing cliffs, headlands, and coves along the shoreline. The pale open ocean fills the left side with depth soundings and charted navigation marks, while the right side is packed with detailed land relief and inlet labels.

Coastline

Forks, WA

Cape Flattery

Cape Flattery is the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States, located on the Makah Reservation. A 0.75-mile boardwalk trail leads to observation platforms overlooking dramatic sea caves, offshore islets, and Tatoosh Island with its lighthouse. Gray whales, sea otters, and puffins are frequently observed from the viewpoints.

afternoonspring · summer

Bleached driftwood logs sprawl across the dark cobblestone beach in the foreground, leading to a calm, misty surf under a pale gray sky. Small figures walk along the shoreline, with a faint sea stack visible on the horizon at right.

Coastline

Forks, WA

Rialto Beach

Rialto Beach features dramatic sea stacks, driftwood-covered shores, and the iconic Hole-in-the-Wall rock arch located about 1.5 miles north along the coast. The beach is composed of smooth cobblestones and dark sand, with frequent fog adding atmospheric conditions. Bald eagles and shorebirds are commonly spotted along the tideline.

golden hourspring · summer