Who would believe backpacking on Washington's wild Pacific coast in the dead of winter? For me, winter is the best of times to be out there - if you can get good weather. The last days of January were perfect. Clear skies, almost 50F during the day and only 34F at night. Norwegian Memorial and Ceder Creek campgrounds are rather remote but worth the work of getting there. Norwegian Memorial has many large, flat, well maintained campsites right at the beach. There are toilet facilities, fire pits, and lots of damp wood with which to practice fire starting. Cedar Creek is much smaller and more remote but it also sports several flat campsites, a table of sorts, and toilet facilities. I'm sorry to say that some previous visitors were very messy and left soda cans and junk around.
Getting there is not too bad. Take highway 101 to the La Push road (110)and proceed about 3.2 miles to the Quillayute Road. Another 4 miles brings you to a right turn onto Mina Smith for a short .7 mile. Just over Colby Creek take an unmarked gravel road #5000 left and follow this through the woods to #5600. There is a #5600 sign on a tree and a gate blocking further progress on #5000. Take this about 2 miles to a place with a few parking pads on the right and red and blue paint on trees to the left. This is the trailhead.
The trail is only a mile but it is a mucky mile. Many of the major blowdowns are cut and there are some boards in the mud but expect to get dirty. We set up camp about 100 yards north of the trail access to the beach. There is fresh water. Some doughy hikers from Port Angeles who come out here every winter report that the Norwegian Memorial - Lake Ozette trail is in good shape. We hiked south along the beach just as the tide was ebbing. First challenge was Hanging Ladder Head. Steep crumbling steps aided by a rope pull get you up the north face. The south face is steeper, more dangerous, and gets down to the beach via a cable and log ladder hanging askew. The second challenge is Sentry Head. This is a no-nonsense straight up rappel pull on a knotted rope. Not for the faint hearted. On top are the remains of an abandoned Coast Guard lookout from World War 2. The south face of Sentry Head is much easier. Next comes Saddle Head. A short saddle connects the head to the mainland and there was a stair at one time but the bottom third has crumbled away. Saddle Head is 5 beach miles north of Rialto. At low tide we were able to skirt the heads along the beach back to camp.
What bliss it was to enjoy an evening after supper watching spectacular sunsets (green flash and all! - really!), the parade of lights far out at sea indicating freighers bound for Puget Sound ports, and billions of stars. Venus was first out and she flashed crystal red as she set below the western horizon. We had near full moons bright enough almost to read by. Deer and racoons skittered about at night and bald eagles worked for their breakfasts in the morning. Truly Washington's Pacific coast is a fabulous camping destination.
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