Ozette Lake is the largest unaltered natural lake in Washington state at 29.5 km² (2,954 ha).
The Makah name for Lake Ozette was Kahouk meaning "large lake." Eight miles long and three miles wide, Ozette Lake is contained within the northern boundary of the Olympic National Park's coastal strip. It is 29 feet (~9 m) above sea level and is drained by the Ozette River in the north end. Ozette, Washington lies at the north end of the lake. At 331 feet deep, its bottom lies more than 300 feet below sea level.
There are three islands on Ozette Lake: Tivoli, Garden Island, and Baby Island. Tivoli's sandy shore is a kayaking and canoeing destination for overnight tent campers willing to make the long trip down the lake. The Erickson's Bay campground is the only boat in campground in Olympic National Park.
Ozette Lake features several trails leading to the Pacific Coast Marine Sanctuary. Three of these trails are continuous cedar boardwalks maintained by the Olympic National Park Service. The two most traveled trails depart from the Olympic National Park information kiosks and restrooms at the north end of Ozette Lake. The northern trail is a cedar boardwalk leading to Cape Alava, passing through Ahlstrom's Prairie; the southern boardwalk trail leads to Sand Point and the Ozette Indian Petroglyphs at Wedding Rock. There are 54 petroglyphs found there. There is a shorter (2.5 miles) boat-in only, well-maintained trail that heads out to the wild ocean beaches from Erickson's Bay on the northwestern side of Ozette Lake. Longer coastal hiking trails include the Ozette Loop, connecting the Sand Point and Cape Alava trails by hiking up or down the beach to the next trail head. (About 9 miles.)
Two other trails are known to locals and Scout groups: one heading to the beach just south of the Park-maintained trail from Erickson's, (Coast Guard Trail) and a trail from Allen's Bay out to Kayostla Beach. Both trails are undeveloped and known to be frequently muddy.
The National Park Service maintains 15 sites at the main campground at the north end of the lake.
ReferencesEdit
- U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Ozette Lake
