Olympic Coast Gear Checklist

What shapes your gear on Olympic Coast

Distance and time

The park lists 20 miles from the Ozette trailhead to Rialto Beach and says to allow 3 to 4 days. Shi Shi Beach to Ozette is 15 miles and takes 2 days. The park names April through October as the best season.

From National Park Service, Olympic National Park

The tide sets the pace

The park says some sections cannot be walked at higher tides. Its list of notable restrictions starts 2.4 miles north of Rialto Beach and includes a 4-foot restriction at Cape Johnson, 4.3 miles north. A hiker from Rialto north left at 6 am to reach the last low-tide-only point, 2 miles before Norwegian Memorial, by about 10:30.

From National Park Service, Olympic National Park and Washington Trails Association: North Coast Route (September 2023)

Footing

A September 2023 hiker spent roughly the first 4 miles north of Rialto on wet, slimy, barnacle and seaweed covered rock, and everyone in the group slipped. A commenter on another 2023 report described the headland between Chilean and Norwegian Memorials as boulders and scree with no sand even at extreme low tides.

From Washington Trails Association: North Coast Route (September 2023) and Washington Trails Association: Norwegian Memorial (August 2023)

Overland trails and ropes

Where a headland cannot be rounded, steep overland trails go over the top, some with ropes. One guide author found the ropes hard on the hands and some frayed with doubtful anchors. A March 2020 hiker found the two overland sections near Shi Shi close to lost under brush and blowdowns.

From CleverHiker and Washington Trails Association: Sand Point, Cape Alava, Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches, North Coast Route (March 2020)

The Ozette River ford

The park tells hikers to wade the Ozette River when the tide is low, and warns it may not be crossable in the shoulder seasons or after heavy rain. A 2016 party crossed at low tide and the water reached their knees. A guide author crossed at a negative tide and found it knee deep and slow.

From National Park Service, Olympic National Park, Oregon Hikers forum and CleverHiker

Water on the beach

The park says water at Wedding Rocks and both Sand Point camps usually dries up later in summer. A September 2023 hiker reported the first few miles beyond Hole-in-the-Wall dry, and a source about half a mile south of Norwegian Memorial, hidden in the woods behind other camps.

From National Park Service, Olympic National Park and Washington Trails Association: North Coast Route (September 2023)

Camp quality varies

A March 2020 hiker called Seafield Creek the worst camp of the north route, soggy and wind-exposed, and the north side of the Ozette River the best. A 2023 report said Norwegian Memorial and Cedar Creek can fill on Friday and Saturday through a short trail from the logging roads.

From Washington Trails Association: Sand Point, Cape Alava, Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches, North Coast Route (March 2020) and Washington Trails Association: Norwegian Memorial (August 2023)

What hikers carry on Olympic Coast

• Trekking poles and shoes with real traction

  The first miles north of Rialto are a long walk on algae and barnacles. After the whole group slipped, a September 2023 hiker said no one should go without poles and shoes that grip. A commenter on a second report suggested two poles for the headland between Chilean and Norwegian Memorials.

  From Washington Trails Association: North Coast Route (September 2023) and Washington Trails Association: Norwegian Memorial (August 2023)

• Water shoes for the Ozette River

  A March 2020 hiker dislikes the ford for its rocky bed and icy water, and vowed to carry water shoes on future trips whatever the weight. Their advice was to ford at low water, stay close to the surf, and aim for the shallow riffles.

  From Washington Trails Association: Sand Point, Cape Alava, Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches, North Coast Route (March 2020)

• A printed tide table and map

  A guide author calls timing critical and once cooked dinner for four to five hours on a small rock with waves on both sides. A 2016 party whose low tide fell at 6:06 am had a brutal day between Point of the Arches and the stretch north of the Ozette.

  From CleverHiker and Oregon Hikers forum

• A water plan that carries extra

  Several stretches have no water at all, and the park says some camp sources dry up later in summer. A September 2023 hiker found the Norwegian Memorial water source a half-mile walk from camp.

  From National Park Service, Olympic National Park and Washington Trails Association: North Coast Route (September 2023)

• A shelter that handles wind and wet ground

  A March 2020 hiker found Seafield Creek exposed to constant ocean wind with soggy sites. A September 2023 group camped on the beach at Sand Point and got sand in their tents, after a first night in the driftwood above the high-tide mark.

  From Washington Trails Association: Sand Point, Cape Alava, Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches, North Coast Route (March 2020) and Washington Trails Association: North Coast Route (September 2023)

• Warm and rain layers

  A guide author describes the coast as often foggy, drizzly and chilly, with little shelter from bad weather. A 2016 party watched fog roll in and burn off in a single day.

  From CleverHiker and Oregon Hikers forum

• Food and stove for a stranded wait

  The guide author says a headland with no rope bypass may mean a wait of a few hours, and that the long rock wait was spent cooking. Pack a stove and some spare food for that wait.

  From CleverHiker

• A phone map that works offline

  A 2016 hiker recommends loading the park's GPS map into a phone app and noted that cell service showed up only at Sand Point, and only barely.

  From Oregon Hikers forum

Gear questions for Olympic Coast