Cape Alava-Sand Point Loop
Jan 03, 2009
by
GaliWalker
—
last modified
Dec 30, 2009 11:34 AM
- Type of Outing
- Day hike
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Ozette Triangle: Cape Alava - Sand Point Loop
- Region: Olympics -- Coast
- Agency: Olympic National Park
- Trails: Cape Alava-Sand Point Loop (##31)
- Avg Rating: 4.10
- Be Aware Of
- Blowdowns
- Snow on trail
Cape Alava at low tide
Jan 3, 2009: Cape Alava – Sand Point loop
Rain and snow, determinedly leaching out every bit of color from the surroundings...cold, gusting breezes, sapping every bit of warmth from my body…a sun that had thrown up its hands in disgust and just given up…Northwest hiking at its finest!
This trip was supposed to have been done 2 weeks ago. However, the recent heavy snowfall, followed by the slow thaw kept it being postponed; finally, I could wait no longer and decided to give it my best shot, no matter what the conditions. After a fitful night, I caught the 5:45am Edmonds-Kingston ferry and made my way over to the Olympic Peninsula. Gloomy driving had me at Lake Crescent, where I was determined to stop and take a few photographs, since I hadn’t done so on another recent trip. To my surprise and delight the skies parted for a moment and a beautiful sunrise over the lake enthralled me with its serenity.
The rest of the drive was completed in ever worsening conditions; the last 21mi to the Lake Ozette trailhead was on 3-4 inches of fresh, powdery snow and took me 50min! The rain and cold were out in full force so I bundled up; of course, pretty soon, as I warmed up I had to de-layer, which is never fun when you’re getting wet. Slippery boardwalks, made slipperier by slushy snow made for careful walking.
My aim was to head to Cape Alava, then south along the beach to Sand Point and then loop back to the trailhead. After walking through some uninspiring forest - most unlike the Olymipcs - things opened up somewhat as I walked through the shrubbery of Ahlstroms Prairie. A coating of fresh powdery snow made for pretty hiking and took my mind off the otherwise dreary conditions.
An hour after starting I was at the beach, or should I say giant rock field. It was low tide and the ocean was a long way away. On a better day I would have braved the slippery rocks to make my way to it but on this trip I was content to only wander a few dozen yards or so towards it. Grey clouds massed far and wide along the distant horizon and I was struck once more by how the mightiest mountain pales to insignificance against the immensity of the ocean.
I love the beach, since it can be such an interesting place. This stretch of the Washington coast was different from others I have been on – much more cluttered. My initial surprise was soon replaced by anticipation. Pretty little pools, mossy greenery and other little treasures lurked amongst the rocks. Ozette Island and jagged sea-stacks rose up from the ocean, lending interest to the near horizon. The only regret I had was that photography was quite difficult, since in the swirling rain even an umbrella was useless in protecting the camera; I took a few snaps here and there but all were of the hurried, anxious variety.
I made my way south along the beach and was soon at Wedding Rock, where I spent a happy few moments hunting for petroglyphs. I found a few here and there, but I think I need to return at some point to find some of the more interesting ones.
By now the beach walk had become decidedly less rock-strewn and I made much smoother progress. Pretty soon Sand Point was in sight and as if to celebrate the moment the rain let up for a bit. However, as I reached the point and climbed up a grassy sea-stack, I was met by a driving, biting wind, armed with fangs of ice pellets. The views from the sea-stack were superb – some of the best I’ve seen. The coastline receded away from me in both directions on one side, while the ocean was littered with jagged rocky outcrops on the other. Pity, I could only spend 5min up there, before I was chased down by the cold wind.
The rest of the hike, back to the car, was straight-forward. The drive back was also much quicker, since all of the snow on the roads had melted.
Additional photos: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/72157612172035262
Cumulative stats:
- Distance: 9.5mi
- Elevation gain: 500ft
- Hiking time: 4.5hrs
- Trip time: 16.25hrs
Rain and snow, determinedly leaching out every bit of color from the surroundings...cold, gusting breezes, sapping every bit of warmth from my body…a sun that had thrown up its hands in disgust and just given up…Northwest hiking at its finest!
This trip was supposed to have been done 2 weeks ago. However, the recent heavy snowfall, followed by the slow thaw kept it being postponed; finally, I could wait no longer and decided to give it my best shot, no matter what the conditions. After a fitful night, I caught the 5:45am Edmonds-Kingston ferry and made my way over to the Olympic Peninsula. Gloomy driving had me at Lake Crescent, where I was determined to stop and take a few photographs, since I hadn’t done so on another recent trip. To my surprise and delight the skies parted for a moment and a beautiful sunrise over the lake enthralled me with its serenity.
The rest of the drive was completed in ever worsening conditions; the last 21mi to the Lake Ozette trailhead was on 3-4 inches of fresh, powdery snow and took me 50min! The rain and cold were out in full force so I bundled up; of course, pretty soon, as I warmed up I had to de-layer, which is never fun when you’re getting wet. Slippery boardwalks, made slipperier by slushy snow made for careful walking.
My aim was to head to Cape Alava, then south along the beach to Sand Point and then loop back to the trailhead. After walking through some uninspiring forest - most unlike the Olymipcs - things opened up somewhat as I walked through the shrubbery of Ahlstroms Prairie. A coating of fresh powdery snow made for pretty hiking and took my mind off the otherwise dreary conditions.
An hour after starting I was at the beach, or should I say giant rock field. It was low tide and the ocean was a long way away. On a better day I would have braved the slippery rocks to make my way to it but on this trip I was content to only wander a few dozen yards or so towards it. Grey clouds massed far and wide along the distant horizon and I was struck once more by how the mightiest mountain pales to insignificance against the immensity of the ocean.
I love the beach, since it can be such an interesting place. This stretch of the Washington coast was different from others I have been on – much more cluttered. My initial surprise was soon replaced by anticipation. Pretty little pools, mossy greenery and other little treasures lurked amongst the rocks. Ozette Island and jagged sea-stacks rose up from the ocean, lending interest to the near horizon. The only regret I had was that photography was quite difficult, since in the swirling rain even an umbrella was useless in protecting the camera; I took a few snaps here and there but all were of the hurried, anxious variety.
I made my way south along the beach and was soon at Wedding Rock, where I spent a happy few moments hunting for petroglyphs. I found a few here and there, but I think I need to return at some point to find some of the more interesting ones.
By now the beach walk had become decidedly less rock-strewn and I made much smoother progress. Pretty soon Sand Point was in sight and as if to celebrate the moment the rain let up for a bit. However, as I reached the point and climbed up a grassy sea-stack, I was met by a driving, biting wind, armed with fangs of ice pellets. The views from the sea-stack were superb – some of the best I’ve seen. The coastline receded away from me in both directions on one side, while the ocean was littered with jagged rocky outcrops on the other. Pity, I could only spend 5min up there, before I was chased down by the cold wind.
The rest of the hike, back to the car, was straight-forward. The drive back was also much quicker, since all of the snow on the roads had melted.
Additional photos: http://www.flickr.com/[…]/72157612172035262
Cumulative stats:
- Distance: 9.5mi
- Elevation gain: 500ft
- Hiking time: 4.5hrs
- Trip time: 16.25hrs
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Stream north of Sand Point
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Rock islands near Sand Point
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Sand Point view
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