Thursday, January 2, 2003

Short Trips: Spectacular views abound along coast

By JEFF LARSEN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER PHOTOGRAPHER

In Washington state geography terms, Cape Flattery could be considered the end of the road -- the road being state Route 112, which flanks part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Angeles to Neah Bay.

A true scenic wonder of the Washington coast, Cape Flattery is the farthest northwest point in the continental United States. The dynamic stretch of Pacific Ocean coast, given its name by Captain Cook in 1778 because it "flattered" the captain and crew with the hope of finding a harbor, is about six miles north and west of Neah Bay on the Makah Indian Reservation. By car, state Route 112 is the only route to get there.

State Route 112, often called the Strait of Juan de Fuca Highway, ends in Neah Bay, a small sheltered Makah fishing village once famous for its legendary salmon fishery and for a gray whale hunting expedition a few years ago that drew attention from all over the world. The Makah Indian Reservation was established by treaty in 1855.

		Jeff Larsen / P-I
	Cape Flattery Lighthouse on Tatoosh Island was first lit in 1857. It still functions today but is unmanned.

For the turnoff to the Cape Flattery trail, watch for direction signs once you reach the end of town. If the Cape Flattery direction sign is missing, follow the tribal center direction sign. The turnoff to the cape road is just past the center.

In 1996, the Makahs, with grants from the state departments of Natural Resources and Transportation, upgraded a rough, muddy trail to the Cape Flattery vantage point with long stretches of cedar-plank walkways to make it safer and easier for sightseers to traverse the moderate 3/4-mile-long grade to five new wooden-structure vantage points.

It's a moderate hike, still with some muddy sections, especially this time of year, so wear boots and proper foul weather clothing. Watch your step as the cedar planks get very slippery from the almost constant rain during the winter. From the farthest vantage point, sightseers get a great panoramic view of the coast and Tatoosh Island and its historic Cape Flattery Lighthouse, first lit in 1857. The lighthouse was automated in 1977 and still functions, but is unmanned. Watch for sea lions on the rocky outcrops near Tatoosh Island.

The six-mile stretch of road from Neah Bay to the trailhead is windy, muddy and full of potholes. Disregard the trashed-out pickup alongside the road with its windows shot out, as well as the trash and beer bottles that litter both sides of the road. It's worth the distractions to be able to see such an important part of the Washington coast.

A couple of years ago, the Makahs instituted a $7 recreation permit sightseers or hikers need to buy at tribal headquarters before they're allowed to visit any of the recreational areas on the reservation. Check with the tribe, too, for any updates to regulations or restrictions to recreation pursuits on the reservation.

Besides Cape Flattery, it's worth investigating nearby Hobuck and Waatch beaches, two remarkable long sandy stretches just west of the Cape Flattery Tribal Center.

		Jeff Larsen / P-I
	One of the best views on the coast is from the Cape Flattery viewpoint near Neah Bay. A San Diego family (from left, Rhiannon, Tricia and Ken Crabtree) enjoys the moment.

A must-see while you're in Neah Bay is the Makah tribe's 10,000-square-foot museum, where it displays thousands of artifacts from its ancestors found at an archaeological dig in the 1980s near Cape Alava on the Pacific Ocean side of the reservation. Called the Ozette collection, the exhibit includes four cedar dugout canoes, basketry, whaling, sealing and fishing gear, plus other 500-year-old tribal artifacts immaculately preserved by a mudslide. Just over two years ago, 62-mile long state Route 112 was designated a National Scenic Byway in a small ceremony in Washington, D.C. It's the most recent addition to the Washington state cadre of designated scenic drives. At best, however, the designation is misleading and the highway, as it's described by the National Scenic Byways Program, really doesn't exist.

It's true, the highway slices through "an uncrowded stretch of Washington's coast" -- part of the Strait of Juan de Fuca coastline. It's also true that the highway provides access to the 21-mile-long road that runs southwest to Lake Ozette and Olympic National Park on the Washington Pacific coast.

But state Route 112 by itself is troubled, in a troubled area of Washington state that has been ravaged by more than 100 years of logging. Because of past logging indiscretions, many of the rivers over which the highway passes are practically lifeless. During stormy periods, mud and silt from the barren rivers flow hundreds of yards out into the Strait of Juan de Fuca, turning the pristine waters a chocolate brown.

Warning signs along two stretches of highway, which add up to about 10of the 62 total miles, advise motorists of the serious threat of mudslides virtually year-round. Major mudslides and washouts over the years have closed portions of the highway for long periods. Roadside erosion created by nearby clearcuts is apparent along many stretches. One lane was closed for repair near Sekiu during my recent visit.

The Scenic Byway designation politely describes the logging clearcuts that dominate the landscape as a ". . . dynamic mosaic of newly harvested areas to mature woodlands." It's much worse than that to sightseers. Many recent clearcuts butt right up against both sides of the highway and are an eyesore at best. Visible for miles in every direction are thousands of acres of clearcut forests, some which have been replanted and some which haven't.

		Jeff Larsen / P-I
	It's never too bleak or chilled to surf the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A lone surfer rides the winter waves just north of Clallam Bay. More and more surfers are discovering the ideal wave action on the strait.

As a youngster in the late 1950s and early '60s, I fly-fished the pristine and beautiful Sekiu River for sea-run cutthroat trout with my brother. Today the river is a slough, tortured by bad and mostly irreversible logging practices over the years.

All that said, since I last drove the highway about three years ago, some progress has been made to try to restore and maintain the beautiful Pysht River, which largely runs through property owned by the multinational forestry company Merrill & Ring. The company manages 75,000 acres of land called the Pysht Tree Farm near and adjacent to state Route 112. Logging debris along areas near the highway that are close to the river has been cleaned up and the area has been tastefully replanted since my last visit.

The Clallam Conservation District also has been working successfully with landowners to try to restore fish habitats in Salt Creek, Louie Lee Creek and Deep Creek, all of which have been severely affected over the years by logging.

Despite the obvious visual and ecological problems, I still feel the drive is worth the effort. The Strait of Juan de Fuca, basically the entrance to Puget Sound and the dividing line between Canada and Washington, is extraordinarily diverse with wildlife and coastal scenes. Bald eagles are common as well as orcas and gray whales, depending on the season. Birding is popular along the route because of the variety of shorebirds.

There are a few pullouts along the 20-mile windy, narrow stretch between Clallam Bay and Neah Bay where you can get out of the car, stretch and walk on the beach. Watch for posted no-trespassing signs because much of the property along the highway is private. Clallam Bay has a neat little public park accessed by a rugged wooden bridge and improved trail, but just recently much of the trail was washed out and declared unsafe.

There are several private beaches and public parks along the route including the private but lovely Crescent Beach park, with plenty of beach access and RV hookups; Pillar Point county park, with boat ramp access and picnic area; the very nice private Lyre River Park with access to the Strait of Juan de Fuca beaches and plenty of RV hookups (no day use); and the 196-acre Clallam County-operated Salt Creek Recreation area, which has 90 campsites and is open year-round, again with plenty of beach access. Check the excellent Clallam County Web site for the most recent public park information.

As you leave the small town of Joyce just west of Port Angeles on state Route 112, the sign reads: "Come back and Re-Joyce." I hope visitors to the area 10 years from now will be able to rejoice over revitalization efforts that restore such an important part of the state back close to its original environmental luster. It could be the state's finest scenic byway.

		P-I.

If you go...

The Makah Nation (link to the Makah Museum) -- Bayview Avenue, state Route 112, Neah Bay; 360-645-2711; www.makah.com The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday during the winter; admission $4 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students, children 5 and under free.

 

P-I photographer Jeff Larsen can be reached at 206-448-8150. For personal e-mail contact: jefflarsen@seattlepi.com. For general releases: shorttrips@seattlepi.com.

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