Sight · Olympic National Park
A small-boat launch on a lake that can turn rough fast.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this place
Ozette: The Walk to Cape Alava“You’re nearing Ozette Ranger Station beside the lake, the starting point for the walk to Cape Alava. Choose this for a half-day outing through coastal forest and prairie to a rocky Pacific beach.”
Plays as you drive up to Ozette Boat Launch in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
This small-boat launch puts you on Lake Ozette, with a gravel access road running through the trees to the water. It makes sense if you're here to paddle or fish; as a stop on foot, it's mainly practical access rather than a destination for a long look around. The park also has a launch at Ozette Campground, so make sure this is the one that fits your plan.
Lake Ozette can go from calm to strong winds and waves several feet high. The water stays below 50°F, so wear a life jacket and bring thermal protection. The park recommends a wetsuit or drysuit for canoeing and kayaking, and a personal flotation device is required by law. Check the forecast before setting out, and don't assume a calm start will last.
Summer brings water lilies to the lake. Anglers may find coastal cutthroat trout, kokanee, yellow perch and largemouth bass among the fish recorded here. If you're paddling into the backcountry to camp, you'll need a wilderness use permit.
Wildlife
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateOzette Loop9.2 mi · 5 hr · 0.1 mi awayBoardwalks, tide pools, and a rugged coast on one full loop.
ModerateCape Alava Trail6.6 mi · 4 hr · 0.1 mi awayBoardwalk, prairie, and rocky Pacific shore on a long out-and-back.
ModerateSand Point Trail5.6 mi · 3.5 hr · 0.1 mi awayA mostly boardwalk walk to a wide Pacific beach.
ChallengingNorth Coast Route: Sand Point to Rialto Beach17.3 mi · 13 hr · 2.5 mi awaySea stacks and shipwreck memorials, with tides setting the pace
ModerateEricson's Bay Primitive Trail2 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.7 mi awayA remote, flat coast-to-lake walk on slick old boardwalk.
Campground · 0.1 mi awayOzette CampgroundA small lakeside base for Ozette's coastal trailheads.
Ranger station · 0.1 mi awayOzette Ranger StationA seasonal information stop before Ozette's coast walks.
Lodging · 0.4 mi awayThe Lost Resort at Lake OzetteA rustic base for overnight trips to Ozette's remote coast.
Beach · 2.7 mi awaySand PointTidepools and a sandy beach reward the long Ozette boardwalk.
Beach · 3 mi awayCape AlavaA remote coast reached by boardwalk through prairie and forest.Parkwolf’s Olympic ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
