Lake Ozette 
Lake Ozette is the 3rd largest lake in Washington. In the summer, this 8-by-5-mile natural lake is warm enough to swim in. It’s located within the coastal strip of Olympic National Park and is a stone’s throw to the ocean. The small 15 site campground often fills up.
Lake Ozette is home to our favorite hike in the park. For day hikers, there’s a great 9-mile loop hike that includes six miles of walking on a boardwalk through the lush forest and 3 miles of sand hiking along the coast (The Cape Alvera to Sand Point Loop).
For an amazing two or three day backpacking trip on the North Coast, you can extend your adventure and hike from Lake Ozette to Mora Campground at Rialto Beach, 19 miles to the south (backcountry permits and reservations required). The hike, sometimes referred to as the Shipwreck Coast Trail, is mostly on the beach and you’ll see few people but lots of wildlife, including bears, seals, crabs, and eagles. It is one of the more spectacular hikes in the Pacific Northwest.
La Push, Mora, and the Coast
The small town of La Push is a bit off the beaten trail, but well worth a visit. It’s on a Native American reservation (Quileute), and has a beautiful deserted beach, where (supposedly) you can camp with a permit from the reserve office. South of La Push, First, Second, and Third Beaches are each unique and worth exploring.
The nearby Mora Campground has 95 secluded spots that are only a short walk to the beach. Mora is also the starting or ending point for the 18 mile hike to Sand Point at Lake Ozette. For a great day hike, walk north along the beach for 1.5 miles to beautiful Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall, an ocean carved tunnel in the rocky headlands.
Hoh Rain Forest
On the west side, another great place to check out is the area around the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center. If you didn’t think rain forests existed on our continent, you’ll be amazed. This is the true rain forest – lush and green and wet. The forest is a thick, tangled green living mass, full of moss above and pools of water below. There are a couple of great day hikes and nature trails [pdf] in this area – be sure to check out the Hall of Mosses and the Spruce Nature Trail. For backpacking, the Hoh River Trail follows the Hoh River for 17 miles to Blue Glacier (permits required). After hiking the 17 miles, you can, of course, brag that you saw the Hoh damn forest.
