basilone0331
03-20-2007, 07:17 PM
This is from my spring break trip in Washington. The destination is Cape Alava, the western most point of the continential United States, which can only be reached during low tide. This hike can be done as a loop or a out-and-back the same route trail. If done as a loop, it is a 9 mile trail in the basic shape of a triangle with two legs going two and from the coast and a section along the beach, all about 3 miles each. The sections to and from the coast are nearly all board walks with little elevation gain or loss. I was not able to do the loop due to time contraints, but did do a out and back 6 mile hike to Cape Alava. When we arrived the tide was not low enough to make it to Cape Alava, so we were unable to go there. We took a more sceneic road to the trailhead so we arrived at the TH parking lot only 1 1/2 hours prior to sunset. The area was amazing, I have never seen anywhere so green. We made it to the coast in about and hour and spent 30 minutes there before returning. We had to use headlamps for the last mile or so back to the car. The weather wasn't the best, and due to the clouds and rain not many of the pictures turned out too well. I would like to go back and spend more time in Olympic National Park during warmer times.