Olympic Peninsula Trip

This past weekend, Jenny and I went on a trip to the northwest edge of the Olympic Peninsula.

We took the ferry from Seattle to Bremerton, had dinner on the bay, and stayed at a hotel. Early on Saturday, we had breakfast and started driving northwest. We stopped at the Dungeness National Wildlife Refuge, walked in the sand, and watched little crabs scurry sideways.

After coffee in Port Angeles, we drove out to Shi Shi. Google actually took us to someone’s backyard near Lake Ozette, though. So after that de-tour, we drove back around to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and through the Makah Indian Reservation to Shi Shi Beach.

Saturday night, we camped at Shi Shi Beach. Note that the self-issue permit box isn’t at the trailhead anymore. Instead, go to the NPS in Port Angeles. We camped only over night and never left our camp site unattended, but if you do that, you need an approved bear canister.

On the map, it had looked like Shi Shi Beach was outside the reservation, so we hadn’t purchased a recreation permit from the Makah. Since we were parking on the reservation, though, and then hiking about 2 miles to the coast, we had to get one. I dropped Jenny off with her pack and the tent and then drove away to buy the permit. The closest place that sold the permits turned out to be the Hobuck Beach Resort.

It took me about half an hour to get the permit and get back to the trailhead and grab my pack and gear, so shortly after I started hiking, Jenny already arrived at the beach and started setting up the tent. She got it done in 10 minutes and was starting to settle down in the sunny sand just as I arrived. We enjoyed the sunset with champagne from Nalgene bottles.

On Sunday, we went to Cape Flattery (it’s a great cape!), had brunch at Port Angeles, and then enjoyed a free jazz concert in Kingston as we waited for our ferry back.