Neah Bay, Washington

Looking for an unforgettable trip to one of the most picturesque, beautiful beaches and coastlines in the Pacific Northwest? We highly suggest a visit to Cape Flattery and Hobuck Beach in Neah Bay, Washington.

Neah Bay, where you will find Cape Flattery the northwesternmost point of the contiguous United States, is home to The Makah Tribe. They consider the area the beginning of the world. Learn more about The Makah Tribe here or better yet at The Makah Museum. The museum is open 10 to 5, 7 days a week. The exhibits feature 500 artifacts including whaling and fishing gear, basketry and replicas of a full-size longhouse and canoes.

Neah Bay is only about a one and a half-hour drive from our home base in Port Angeles, Washington.

For the scenic route take Highway 112 along the Straight of Juan de Fuca, a large body of water about 96 miles long and the Salish Sea’s outlet to the Pacific Ocean. The international boundary between Canada and the United States runs down the center of the Strait. If the sun is shining and you don’t get car sick, you can look out over the straight and enjoy the beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife. The road is in rough shape in some areas and is extremely windy. You essentially make your way to Neah Bay via a roller coaster ride.

For a smoother, more relaxed ride, we suggest you take Highway 101 to Sappho, than hop on 113 until it runs into 112. It is 7 minutes longer, but your passengers will thank you if they tend to get motion sickness.

Kileigh gets car sick easily and she turned every shade of green imaginable on the scenic route. When we were just a few miles out of town Claire mentioned her stomach felt weird. Like the exceptional father that I am, I gave her an apple to eat and assumed she was just hungry. Nope. She 100% got sick.

As we have discussed in previous posts, it is always a good idea to have a change of clothes in your adventure bag. This is one of those unfortunate times that we learned a life lesson the hard way. Thankfully the town of Neah Bay has a great little store, Washburn’s General Store, that happened to have hot pink leggings in Claire’s size, that to this day she loves to wear! The general store also sells The Makah Recreation pass that permits parking at many locations in Neah Bay. Be sure to pick your pass up on the way to the Cape Flattery Trail or the beach for your visit, they are good for the year. For a list of amenities that the town has to offer, click here: https://makah.com/business/ .

Cape Flattery is the northern boundary of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary.  There is plenty of parking at the trailhead, along with restrooms. At the beginning of the trail, along with a map and information of the area, tribal members have made walking sticks for use and purchase for the hike. Claire had a rough morning, so “obviously” she needed to pick the perfect walking stick to assist her and finally we set off down the .75 mile trail.

It was a bit of a chilly day but there were numerous other hikers braving the wind and enjoying the sunshine. The trail is well maintained with lots of bridges and boardwalks to help make the hike easier. From the tip of this scenic trail, you can see the lighthouse on Tatoosh Island while standing on the most northwesterly tip of the contiguous lower 48 States.

Four observation decks provide spectacular views of the rugged rocks and waters of the Pacific Ocean. Overlooking the ocean the view was nothing short of amazing. Bald eagles perched in treetops or rode on thermals soaring overhead. We took lots of pictures but had to keep the little rascals close by due to the steep drop-offs.

For more information about the Cape Flattery trail, click here: https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/cape-flattery

We were all a bit hungry after hiking (and Claire emptying her stomach) and decided on lunch at the Warm House Restaurant in Neah Bay. Check out their facebook profile here. The wait staff was super with the kiddos, the feeling was restored to everyone’s fingers and toes, and our bellies were filled with yummy food. Time to check out the beach!

Kileigh reached out to a friend that lives in Neah Bay who offered to take us to Hobuck beach. When we arrived at the beach the tide was out and the sandy beach seemed to go on forever. We found endless seashells, Henry found some cool rocks, and 4 pristine sand dollars. There were two or three other groups of people on the beach but it was essentially our own private beach due to its enormous size.

The beach sunset was like a scene from a movie. The sky was a brilliant mix of pink, purple, red, orange, and yellow. It was the perfect ending to our trip to the beach.

Neah Bay, Washington is a must for your Olympic Peninsula Bucket List trip this summer. The views from Cape Flattery are picturesque, the beaches are breathtaking, and the town is welcoming. Thank you Norma for a wonderful hike, you are an amazing tour guide. We can’t wait to check out Shi-Shi with you soon!

Check out other Olympic Peninsula Bucket List trips on our blog here!