We decided last minute to backpack the North Coast! This is not something I would normally recommend since it actually takes some good planning and preparation, but my sons promised to do all the work to prepare the supplies while I researched 1) the camp site 2) the tide charts and 3) the route. The only campsite left last minute was Seafield Creek. It didn't take long for me to realize that this is because it is quite isolated and a tougher day hike either from North or South parking spots.
My wife and I are in our late 40's and not in shape, per se. Our packs were perhaps a bit heavier than we needed and we haven't backpacked in a few years. I'm sharing our experience so that you might be inspired to try something a bit out of your comfort zone, and see that it can be done with proper preparation, and perhaps some help from travel partners.
We left for the Ozette trailhead early because we knew the low tide was at 11am. We wanted to get as much of the hike done at low-ish tide as possible. I realized later how important this was! We started the hike right at 10am, which was already quite a bit later than we had planned, however. It took us about 2 hours to get to the coast from there. Some people say 1 hour but if you are out of shape, it will take 2 😁
We were able to use the outhouses there at Cape Alava and have a quick snack and water break. Then we were out on the beach headed North. It was then about 1 hour 15 minutes to an "overland" which was necessary because the tide was already coming in. We were glad that we brought some gardening type gloves as recommended as this helped us to scale the ropes. Our sons helped us by carrying our packs to the top and then coming back down to carry their own. This allowed my wife and I to climb up with no extra weight. Although this was strenuous it ended up being one of the highlights of the hike.
Another 15 minutes or so and we were at the Ozette river. As it turns out the river is pretty low during the summer, only just above the ankles. But if there was recently a storm or a lot of rain it might be different. We had brought water shoes but one of my sons just went barefoot and said it was fine. After making it across the river we rested for about 30 minutes, thinking that the hardest parts were behind us.
What I hadn't counted on was that the tide continued to come in, and while there were no more places that strictly required scrambling up slopes, the tide was high enough that we were forced to now clamber up and over large cobbles that shifted on each step, as well as navigate piles of beach logs as well as very unusual (to us) piles of seaweed that let out various odors on each step. This took our time below 1 mile per hour for the last stretch. So, in all it took 2.5 hours from the Ozette river to reach the Seafield Creek campsite. Again, at lower tide or more in shape this probably would have been much quicker.
My wife and I were so tired that we literally laid out the tarp and slept for an hour while the boys set up the tent and started getting everything ready 🤣
Seafield Creek itself was a strong enough flow in late July, but I read in some trip reports that it occasionally goes dry in August, so be careful.
Staying there for the two nights was a lot of fun. There's no way we could have kept hiking as we were just pooped! We also learned that there are some folks who live inside the National Park and are "Grandfathered in". We talked to a few of them and realized we weren't quite as alone as we thought. One of them told us about a nearby forest road that led right back to the trailhead, kind of completing a longer "triangle" of our own! I have shown this on the overview picture.
The dirt road is reached from the Seafield Creek camp site by following the trail up the hill. You will come to a few structures and you should not trespass, but if you turn left you can continue and the trail eventually turns into a longer dirt road. If you follow this main dirt road it will take you all the way back to the trailhead. Turn-offs from this road to avoid are usually pretty clear because they are less maintained or gated or both. Recommend using a GPS if possible. Eventually you may also get a cell signal as you continue on the road.
Overall, it was a real adventure for us! 8.1 miles from the trailhead to the Seafield Creek campsite, taking us 6 hours 45 minutes with breaks. The route back was around half the distance, and it took us maybe 2 or 3 hours.
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