Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
museum is open daily from 10am to 5pm, and between September 16 and Memo-
rial Day, it's open Wednesday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm; admission is
$5 for adults, $4 for students and seniors, free for children 5 and under.
The reservation land includes
Cape Flattery
, which is the northwest-
ernmost point of land in the contiguous United States. Just off the cape lies
Tatoosh Island, site of one of the oldest lighthouses in Washington. Cape Flat-
tery is one of the most dramatic stretches of Pacific coastline in the Northwest,
and is a popular spot for hiking and ocean viewing. There is an excellent 1.5-mile
round-trip trail, complete with boardwalks, stairs, and viewing platforms, that
leads out to the cliffs overlooking Tatoosh Island. Keep an eye out for whales and
sea otters. Bird-watchers will definitely want to visit Cape Flattery, which is on
the Pacific Fly Way. More than 250 species of birds have been spotted here, and
in the spring, raptors gather here before crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca. For
directions to the trail head, stop by the Makah Museum. At the museum, you'll
also need to purchase a $7 Recreational Use Permit that will allow you to park
at the Cape Flattery trail head.
Note:
Be aware that car break-ins are not uncom-
mon here, so take your valuables with you.
A turnoff 16 miles east of Neah Bay leads south to
Ozette Lake
, where
there are boat ramps, a campground, and, stretching north and south, miles of
beaches that are only accessible on foot. A 3.25-mile trail on a raised boardwalk
leads from the Ozette Lake trail head to
Cape Alava
, which is one of two
places claiming to be the westernmost point in the contiguous United States (the
other is Cape Blanco, on the Oregon coast). The large rocks just offshore here
are known as haystack rocks or sea stacks and are common all along the rocky
western coast of the Olympic Peninsula, which is characterized by a rugged
coastline. Aside from five coastal Indian reservations, almost all this northern
coastline is preserved as part of the national park.
GUIDED TOURS, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS &
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
GUIDED TOURS
For an interesting offshore tour to the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctu-
ary, contact
Puffin Adventures
(
&
888/305-2437;
www.puffinadventures.com).
These boat tours, which operate between April and November, explore the
waters off Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island, where you can see as many as eight
species of pelagic birds, including tufted puffins.
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
The
Olympic Park Institute,
111 Barnes Point Rd., Port Angeles, WA 98363
(
&
360/928-3720;
www.yni.org/opi), which is located in the Rosemary Inn on
Lake Crescent, offers a wide array of summer field seminars ranging from paint-
ing classes to bird-watching trips to multi-day backpacking trips.
OUTDOOR ADVENTURES
BICYCLING
If you're interested in exploring the region on a bike, you can
rent one at
Sound Bikes & Kayaks,
120 E. Front St., Port Angeles (
&
360/
457-1240;
www.soundbikeskayaks.com), which can recommend good rides in
the area and also offers bicycle tours. Bikes are $9 per hour or $30 per day.
FISHING
The rivers of the Olympic Peninsula are well known for their fight-
ing salmon, steelhead, and trout. In Lakes Crescent and Ozette you can fish for
such elusive species as Beardslee and Crescenti trout. No fishing license is nec-
essary to fish for trout on national park rivers and streams or in Lake Crescent
