While for the most part Ken is quite accurate in his descriptions of this “roadless coast” I think the benign conditions during the time the photographs were taken may entice many who lack the needed skills and experience to paddle this coast, or parts of it, much to their own peril. If the swell comes up quickly, as it often can, there are very few safe landing spots along this entire stretch of coast. See chapter five of Deep Trouble for a story about a day when one of the landings (up the river mouth at La Push) closed out. (Note: larger and longer swell travels faster so they arrive first from a distant storm. Therefore, the size of breakers tend to increase suddenly when the first waves from that storm arrive). One of the incidents described in chapter seven of Deep Trouble occurred along this coast but all the rest are open-coast accidents that could happen on the Washington coast. As Ken points out: “a kayak trip along the roadless coast requires advanced paddling skills.” Anyone attempting it should be skilled at Eskimo rolling and surfing, and also have a good forecast for swell and weather for the duration of the trip. They should also be prepared to wait out several days at a time in camps along the way if conditions deteriorate on them.
Ken accurately describes the currents near Cape Flattery as “tricky” and the conditions as “can be confused and dangerous” but then suggests crossing them to Tatoosh Island. At times, I’ve seen breakers form all the way across that gap due to the colliding of the swell and wind waves with the current. Be sure you understand how the currents are changing and might affect the sea state before setting out on this crossing. I’ve had to wait for several hours to get back to the mainland safely and was glad to not have been caught in transit when that breaking seas condition first set up. At any time, some parts of this crossing may be quite rough.
If the swell is anything but benign, only the more protected caves near or in the straits will likely be safe to explore. If a cave smells rank there are likely seals or sea lions in them that may resent your intrusion. The area around Fuca Pillar can be treacherous especially if bigger sets arrive during one’s transit. One better have their surf and rescue skill together before taking the risk. It has been my experience that the area between Fuca Pillar and Waatch Point is an area of larger swell except on the most benign days and in most cases no safe landing or even near-shore paddling would be possible. Because of some rocks in the middle, and the shape of the bay, dispersing the energy, the swell is much smaller in Makah Bay especially near Hobuck Beach. If you leave from Hobuck Beach (or any beach in Makah Bay) you may get the wrong idea about the real swell size you may soon be facing by going north or south from there, especially when rounding points.
Ken Campbell comments: It is possible, however, to take an outside line around Waatch Point, go around the point break, and still cut back left before the beach break of Hobuck starts to form. You can actually go from open ocean up into the protected waters of Waatch Creek without encountering surf. There is almost always a way, which is true elsewhere on the coast as well. I detailed some good landing spots in the article, but the reality is that there are a lot of them, it just depends on the conditions.
Point of Arches may be one of the “best kayak surfing spots” when the swell is low but if you don’t want to play in the breakers it should be given a wide berth by going well around it and not taking any shortcuts through the rocks and arches. If the swell isn’t small (and consistently so over a long time period), Point of Arches is an easy place to get trapped when a bigger set comes in. Except for the area just South of the point “the long strip of yellow” beach until south of the Ozette River is usually pounded by surf and one should stay well outside of the break line due to its shallows which may finds a bigger set breaking much further out than one might expect.
I’m pretty sure that the mudflow-covered village site it is at Cape Alava and that it was partially uncovered after 500 years by winter storms rather than by a flooding Ozette River. The mouth of the Ozette River is not on the reservation and has a much more treacherous landing (surf through scattered rocks at lower tides) than the Cape Alava site which is well protected by offshore islands.
If the swell isn’t too large you can slip in behind a pillar at Kayostla Beach without much drama. I don’t remember a lot of mainland “protected landing zones” between there and La Push though. It has been a long time since I paddled there so I may not be remembering accurately, or perhaps the swell was bigger or the tide was different for us than when Ken paddled there.
Ken Campbell comments: A partial list of great possible landing sites is as follows: Cedar Creek (my personal favorite), the creek mouth across from Sandy Island, the beach just north of Cape Johnson, and the Chilean Memorial beach. Of these, the only great campsites are at Cedar Creek; the other beaches disappear at high tide but make good stopping spots if the swell and the wind are amenable.
The landing at First Beach that Ken recommends if the swell is out of the northwest is more treacherous than going up the river towards La Push. The river drives a strong current that speeds northward along First Beach. If you capsize and bail out you and/or your kayak may be soon going out to sea again through the breakers right next to a rugged jetty. Unfortunately the smallest surf is likely to be nearer to the jetty making the choice of the worst hazard difficult. I’ve been there many times and played in the surf there often but I’ve never seen First Beach with small enough surf I’d risk landing a fully loaded sea kayak in. Best to round James Island and enter up the river (north of the south jetty) if breakers are too big to enter inside of James Island from the north.
Ken Campbell comments: I have begun and ended several trips with a loaded boat on this beach. Yes, there have been times when it wasn’t prudent, and I’ve gone elsewhere. Dangerous conditions can also arise in the route between James and Little James.
One day a friend and I were paddling south out of La Push. After going though (and a little the south of) the arch pictured in the article we stopped to have a snack and chat in our kayaks. We were planning to paddle more eastward along the shore there. After about 15 minutes we were just starting to move in that direction when a bigger set finally came in and covered a large rock-strewn area with large breakers. Just the area we had been looking at for some time and were intending to paddle through. That close call, and the wide spacing between the large sets that day, that made them seem to come out of nowhere, sent a shudder down my spine. We gave the more potentially dicey areas we already knew about, such as Toleak Point and the entrance to Goodman Creek, a wide berth that day.
I’ve not attempted to land much south of Goodman Creek but I’ve looked at Ruby Beach as a possible put in or take out for a kayak trip many different times from shore. I’ve never thought it looked like a good possibility for a trip with a gear load. If I had to do it one way or the other I’d choose departing from Ruby Beach rather than risk landing on a beach where there are many hazards that one can’t see from offshore. If one intends to land there I’d spend many hours during a large tide change (with reasonably large swell) studying and mapping the area and the locations of potential hazards first. The creek there can also be dangerous to cross on foot at times of higher water and the best landing area I’ve seen, behind and south of Abbey Island (a long walk from the road with gear and kayak), would require crossing that creek somehow.