Cape Alava Trail

Start behind Ozette Ranger Station. Cross the arched bridge over the Ozette River; about a quarter mile in, you reach a junction. Stay right for Cape Alava. The left branch heads toward Sand Point and is part of the longer Ozette Loop, not the direct route to this beach. The Cape Alava hike returns the way you came.

At about 2.25 miles, the boardwalk passes Ahlstrom’s Prairie. Turn around here for roughly 4.5 miles round trip if the coast would make too long a day. Continue to Cape Alava for the full route. If you want the larger Ozette Loop instead, it continues south along the beach toward Wedding Rocks and Sand Point before returning on a separate boardwalk; that roughly nine-mile circuit depends on tide timing.

After the junction, the trail winds through dense coastal forest on a raised cedar boardwalk. Western redcedar, licorice fern and salal fill the understory. The path meanders gently, with small rises and stairs along the way. Wet or icy planks can be slippery, so take care on the wood rather than assuming the boardwalk is a smooth sidewalk.

The prairie opens the forest around the halfway point. This broad, soggy meadow was once farmed by Swedish homesteaders, who kept livestock and gardens here. Native plants and animals have since reclaimed it. It is a good place to pause before deciding whether to continue the final mile or so to the shore.

The boardwalk ends at stairs down to a rocky beach. Tskawahyah Island, a tree-topped offshore rock, is the standout view; it is on Ozette Indian Reservation land and closed to the public, so enjoy it from the beach. This is the place to include a little shoreline in a photo with the island beyond it. Bald eagles and marine mammals are among the wildlife visitors may spot along the Ozette coast, though sightings are never guaranteed.

By the early 1890s, as many as 130 homestead families lived around Lake Ozette, with a school, post office, stores and a church. Lars Ahlstrom pastured livestock at the prairie that carries his name. The area became part of Olympic Forest Reserve in 1897 and entered Olympic National Park in 1940; the meadow’s return to native growth is part of what you see today.

Park in the shared lot at Ozette Ranger Station, which also serves the campground, boat launch and other coast trails. There is a restroom with running water at the trailhead and a backcountry privy at the beach. Pets are not permitted on park trails. A day hike does not require a backcountry camping permit; an overnight stay does. Tide planning matters if you continue south along the beach, not for the boardwalk out-and-back itself.