Weekend Getaway: Cape Flattery
It’s on everyone’s bucket list. At least it should be. If you make the extra effort to travel to the Cape Flattery trail and viewpoint, you can proudly say that you were on the most northwesterly tip of the contiguous lower 48 states. It’s a view that you won’t soon forget.
But the “getting” to Cape Flattery is half the fun. From Seattle you travel approx. 4.5 hours via the Edmonds ferry and then follow Hwy 101 through some of the most beautiful scenery Washington has to offer. A short merge onto the Juan de Fuca highway and you have arrived.
Being witness to the awesome beauty of Cape Flattery is to feel like you are viewing the Pacific Ocean as an early explorer. Standing at the lookout, the wind (and sometimes rain) hits you on in the face as you look out over the Pacific Ocean and Tatoosh Island. Everything is wild. The swirling waves are testament to the ocean’s awesome power. You will feel small and insignificant in comparison to the immensity of the surroundings. And the sunsets are truly spectacular.
Looking down to the water below, several species of seabirds fly from their rookeries hidden in cervices in the sheer rock wall. Seasonally, puffins with bright red beaks can be seen on the cliffs. Bald eagles nest on the rock pillar just to the south. Great deep red kelp beds undulate with the rising and falling of the waves. Small threadbare trees lean into the wind, struggling to survive the storms that visit the area regularly. Tatoosh Island, viewed in the distance, is home to a wide array of life including elephant seals, sea lions and thousands of seabirds.
All of the area is managed as part of the Makah Reservation. A fee is required to park at the trailhead. The trail is short distance and leads downhill to the various observation decks providing fabulous views of the coast line.
The closest town is Neah Bay which offers pet-friendly VRBOs and a number of motels, Inns and restaurants. Make sure to visit the Makah museum and view the harbor filled with fishing boats of all kinds.
From Seattle, directions: Click here
Bekins Northwest has been serving Washington’s moving needs since 1903. With 11 offices across the state, Bekins knows Washington.