On Sunday, our itinerary took us west from Port Angeles to the small coastal town of Neah Bay. The main reason for taking this slow, winding road along the Olympic Peninsula's northern coast was to reach Cape Flattery. From here, we planned to hike to the most northwest point of the continental United States. It turned out to be a beautiful day, and after a short hike, we returned to Neah Bay for lunch at Calvin's Crab House.
 |
Allison was intrigued with this rock . . . Can you see the man with wispy hair?
(His mouth is open and as he is looking towards the sky with his shades on) |
 |
Approximately 15 minutes out of Neah Bay you will come to a paved parking lot . . .
From here it is a 1.5 mile (r/t) hike to Cape Flattery . . . the northwest most point of the contiguous United States |
 |
| The first part of the trail is an old road but soon transitions to sections of boardwalks |
 |
| At the end of the trail there are several different platforms from which you can view sea caves . . . |
 |
| and sea stacks |
 |
One half mile northwest is Tatoosh Island and the Cape Flattery Lighthouse built in 1854 . . .
This historic lighthouse is at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca |
 |
| Kent was feeling like a hobbit, walking through the rainforest with all the moss and ferns |
 |
This platform had a beautiful view of the rugged coastline that can be found at the end of Cape Flattery . . .
We were also interested in this particular platform because there was supposed to be a benchmark near by it . . .
Unfortunately, we weren't able to locate it . . . it appears to have collapsed into the ocean! |
 |
| Almost back . . . this is the road portion of the trail we mentioned earlier |
 |
We decided to explore the coastline south of Cape Flattery on our return to Neah Bay . . .
This would be the direction to head if you were interested in hiking to Shi Shi Beach |
 |
Even though it was a clear, calm day, the sea was still crashing against these rocks . . .
It made for some nice ocean spray pictures! |
 |
| Allison couldn't resist! |
 |
After exploring the Cape Flattery area we were getting pretty hungry . . .
Kent had clam strips on his mind and Allison was thinking about halibut . . .
We ended up stopping at a small family roadside cafe called Calvin's Crab House . . .
We walked across the street and enjoyed the views of Neah Bay as we waited for our food |
 |
| The vote is in . . . the Halibut was the better choice! |
 |
| A final view of Neah Bay's harbor as we exit town and head for Forks, Washington |
Neah Bay is a tribal town of the Makah nation and requires all visitors to purchase a recreational pass. These cost $20/per vehicle and are good for one year. They can be purchased at the mini-mart, marina or museum (there was even a booth at the Cape Flattery parking lot). The money is used for upkeep and maintenance of trails. As the counter clerk said when we purchased ours, "Have a good day and follow the double yellow lines on the road to the end of the pavement . . . that's how you'll know you've arrived at Cape Flattery!"
