Did the route from Cape Alava to Shi Shi Beach and back. The three inland routes that avoid the headlands are basically mud free. Companion: Amy.

Picked up a friend and his 7 year old son from SeaTac and headed for the coast (4 hr drive) for a three night stay. We camped at a nearly deserted Cape Alava the first night and listened to the seals jawing at each other all night. The tides, however, were somewhat inconvenient, lows occurring at 5:45a and 5:30p. Passage (water just below knees) across the Ozette River was no problem at 2 hours before low with no rain in the previous 48 hours. The travel between Seafield and Alava is mostly on dense sand. Passage above Seafield to Point of the Arches should be closely timed with low tide because there are many headlands and tangles of logs. The boulders we encountered are probably a factor no matter how low the tide. Due to our lazy breakfast we missed the lowest tide and didn't get to The Point of the Arches; instead spending 4 hours on Siesta Rock watching the surf, being watched by seals, journaling, and pondering images until we could retreat with happy spirits; even the young-un had a swell time of discovery. Our second night at Seafield was spent on the beach with the highest tide (8.4 and no wind)of the month with no problem. We saw large anemones, green and white, sea otters, and a large Orca on the prowl about a half mile out. Racoons were not a problem the whole trip. It was a great trip with charmed weather and company.

i figured this was a good hike for me and my son(4)-we went to Cape Flattery first,got to Ozette at dusk,passed a herd of elk grazing! camped by the lake-only ones there-and hit the trail at 8 am. i BP the the loop last may,but didn't get to see much of cape alava. was a beautiful day and saw nobody else. the tide was out and my son payed in the tidepools. they are still working on the trail-improving the boardwalk-very slippery this time.i slid twice,the kid 5 times. had a great day,met other people only in the parking lot afterwards-they had never been there before!

Cape Alava Loop is well worth a afternoon or weekend visit. We opted for a overnight stay. I had heard tales about the boardwalk for years so whene a buddy emailed and said he wanted to head out there I was game. We arrived at the trailhead at about 3 pm there were a good 15 cars in the enormous parking lot. The boardwalk was a bit uneventfull a few slips but no falls. There is not a whole lot to see on the 3 miles on out to the ocean-but it seems like a preety short 3 miles because hiking the boards are so repetitive. It was a beautiful sunny March afternoon and there were numerous people camped up at Cape Alava along the high tide line. We opted to steer clear of these crowds and headed south to a neat little spot just before you get to Sand Point. There happened to be a little water source right there and 3 very friendly deer. (There not much fresh water available from Cape Alava to Sand Point) There sure was not as much sandy beach as I was used to after hiking the Kalaloch beaches and Third Beach down to Goodman Creek but the tidal rockery was a change of scenery. It seemed the big white sea lions liked the area---there were a bunch of them lying around. We got up early on Saturday and headed out as the rain started falling. There was not a whole lot to see as we headed out the Sand Point leg of the trail either, but after a short 50 min hike we were at the trailhead. No reservtions needed. Plenty of fees. If you want to see some other hikes around the Pacific Northwest take a look at my website at: http://alpinejo.tripod.com.

Trail is generally in very good condition, except for standing water on a number of sections after heavy rain. Do NOT wear hiking boots with Vibram-type soles since much of the trail is on a wooden boardwalk and is dangerously slippery when wet, which is almost always. Our hike out on Sunday was the wettest I have ever been while backpacking. There were beautiful pink flowering plants in the meadows, probably kalmia' Camping sites were plentiful and in good condition. Note that reservations for camping permits are necessary. Hard-sided food containers are also required, mainly to keep out raccoons. Driftwood firewood is available, but may be in short supply by summer.