We did the Ozette triangle as a two-night backpack with our 6 year old daughter. We also did it last year when she was 5, so have learned a few things. This is really the perfect backpacking trip with little kids. It's totally flat, with super fun campsites as rewards and so much to do and explore.
A few tips if you're taking little ones here:
We drove out from Seattle and spent one night car camping. The mosquitoes by the lake are pretty bad, but not bad at all by the coast. So you might consider bringing repellent if you plan to camp by the lake the first night.
Last year, we didn't realize the beach part would be so rocky. You're either walking through tidepools and navigating large rocks or you're up on the beach but it's all tiny rocks. We were wearing Keens and it was super painful. This year, we brought lightweight Croc rain boots for the beach part for our daughter, and it was so much better.
Cape Alava seems to have better swings than Sand Point. Last year we went north first, but the campsites at Sand Point were disappointing to our daughter after Alava, so this year we went south first. The beach at Alava is also sandier and smoother. Not to say that Sand Point doesn't have its own merits.
No matter how hot it is during the day, it gets cold during the night at the beach. We would be in shorts and t-shirts during the day, but were all bundled up in fleece and down jackets for breakfast.
Keep your eyes open for wildlife. We saw a whale fluke! And heard sea lions barking all night. We had deer munching right in our campsite, and also saw a fawn. And there are lots of different birds: oystercatchers, sand pipers, eagles, herons, etc.
At Alava, there is an old boarded up ranger station, and just next to that, a small shack. Last year, we didn't go up there, and we would have passed by it again this year had another family not told us to check it out. I won't tell you what's in the shack so it can be a surprise, but definitely worth checking out.
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