Cape Flattery.......

The most northwestern point in the continental U.S. is Cape Flattery, Washington, which is not a part of Olympic National Park, but actually on Makah Tribal land. For more information, click here. The drive to the cape was a scenic one, hugging the ocean or the bay for a lot of the drive. The road is very windy, and the speed limits are low, so it does take a bit of time to get there.

Though there is no "admission fee", you do need to purchase a recreational pass at the Makah Museum, which you pass on the way. This pass is good for parking at Cape Flattery, and parking at all tribal beaches nearby. If you don't have a parking pass, you could end up with a ticket for yourself. We also went to the Makah Tribal Museum, since we were there getting the parking pass anyway. We are learning so much everywhere we go...very interesting! There were some very interesting displays, and of course an informative video. Especially interesting were the houses built right on the beach of the bay, and the lifestyle of the Makahs. The museum contained a longhouse made from wood planks and sticks. Amazing. Many of the displays informed us about cooking utensils, tools and fishing gear, such as spears.

a scenic lookout along the way

beautiful

this is the entrance to the museum (the sign was really faded, but luckily we spotted it!)

Cape Flattery is 8 miles from the Makah Museum, and the trail begins right from the parking lot. Its about a 20 minute walk to the overlooks, on a fairly well maintained trail. The trail consists of sturdy boardwalks, or "tree" stepping stones, and of course dirt, with plenty of roots. You need to watch your step! 

start of the trail

lush old growth forest

with lots of wild-looking growth

the forest

the trail is very wide at the beginning

The old growth forest has lots of interesting features, and the shade is especially appreciated when the weather is hot. Its been pretty hot here!

well maintained boardwalks

and stepping stones made of trees

huge trees

hard to believe the ocean is so close!

more tree fungus

gotta pay attention on the trail

The first lookout we approached was breathtaking. Well, actually, they all were. The Pacific Ocean here is so blue/green/turquoise! Its a special treat when the forest grows right up to the ocean. Wow!
There are sea caves, which are hard to really look at from the overlooks. I think you need a boat. Hahah.

the color of the water was amazing

did I mention I'm not too good with heights?

sea caves

better view from the lower deck

The second viewing area also looked out over the sea caves and sea stacks, with lots of wildlife to be seen too. The birds must still be nesting, because there were quite a few on the rocks. The water is so gorgeous here, and the sound of crashing waves reminds us how powerful the ocean can be.

rugged coastline and sea stacks loaded with wildlife

wish you could here the thunderous waves here

beautiful

love the colors 

more sea caves...hard to photograph!

this is pretty nice!

At the third overlook, we were directly across from Tatoosh Island, which has a lighthouse on it. You can also see Vancouver right across the water. It is not that far away! We saw some big ships, but we did not see any whales. This is supposed to be a good point to spot whales, but we didn't. The views of the coastline were really great.

I can see Vancouver, Canada from here

Tatoosh Island and the lighthouse

close up

despite all the warnings to stay on the trails and viewing platforms, and off of fragile sandstone with steep drop offs - we have exhibit A

no seals or sea lions today on the coastline

another sea cave

such a pretty view

a ship near Vancouver

what a gorgeous place! the most northwesterly in the continental U.S.

As we got to the fourth and final overlook, a bald eagle flew in, right past us. It was awesome seeing that majestic bird of prey in such a beautiful setting. You just can't make this up. Anyway, a photo shoot was going on right next to the viewing platform.  A young girl with long hair was facing the ocean, and kept tossing back her hair with her hands as she was being filmed. One of the media guys was sitting near us, so of course I asked him if they were doing a commercial for shampoo. Wrong! They were doing a promotional video for Microsoft. I'll have to look for that. Hahah

steps in good condition too (and there were a lot of them, I might add!)

close up of the bald eagle soaring by

so magnificent in flight

okay...one more of the bald eagle

a beautiful location for sure

After spending a few more minutes gawking at the scene in front of us, we headed back UP the trail to the parking lot. The walk back wasn't too bad, actually, and the scenery sure was great. The trail was very well maintained, especially considering the large amount of visitors each day that come up here. Its a bit out of the way, but totally worth the drive if you have the time. Another magical place.

cool looking tree!

the walk through the forest was fun

a couple of different fungi

its certainly the right environmental conditions for this

and this too

gotta watch my step so I don't take a header!

water break 

great stepping stones

that tree looks like it has tentacles

Before heading back down the winding road to get home, we drove to a nearby beach, complete with restrooms and a picnic table, and enjoyed our lunch. It was pretty hot, and the beach was pretty sunny, so we didn't hang out on the beach at all. We did have the best picnic spot though! In the shade too! We had another blue sky sunny day with no clouds...unusual for the area.

table with a view?

nice drive back

We followed this RV down all the winding roads and it was going faster than we were! We were amazed!!