The Cape Flattery Light is a historic lighthouse structure located at the entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca near Neah Bay, in the state of Washington, within the Makah Indian Reservation. The deactivated lighthouse sits on Tatoosh Island, which is named after Chief Tatooche of the Makah Tribe. It is the northwesterly lighthouse on the West Coast of the contiguous United States.

Although the light is closed to the public, it can be viewed from Cape Flattery overlook at the end of a walk of about thirty minute or less from the Cape Flattery Trailhead parking. Access to the trailhead parking location is either by a 7.7 mile drive on south Cape loop road, or a 5.4 bike ride on north Cape loop road.

VRB-25 on skeletal structure

48.3859074, -124.7266293

After arriving at the Cape Flattery Trail parking lot a short time after two this afternoon, I find it quite crowded. So before I begin my hike, I start questioning those who are returning from their hike out and back to the observation deck. Did you walk all the way to the last observation? If their answer is Yes, I then ask, Did you see the lighthouse? At first and for about an hour, everyone answered no to the second question.

So, I just sit and wait, but, I continue to question each returning group and at about half past three, their answer to seeing the lighthouse finally becomes Yes. With the answer now changing to yes, this means that the fog has finally burning off, at least enough for the lighthouse to become visible, so at four this afternoon, I decide that I will begin my hike out to the northwest corner of the state.

The walk on the Cape Flattery Trail is about .35 mile mostly downhill to the observation deck and takes me about forty minutes. I know, that is terrible time, but at least I did make it. When I arrive, I walk to the third and last observation deck, walk up to the edge and look out into the water. Not only is there no lighthouse visible, but the entire Tatoosh Island is enshrouded in fog. Even the small rock about half way across to Tatoosh Island is mostly covered with fog. I take a few photos, after which I just sit down on one of the benches and begin to wait.

Many people come and go, I ask each, Where are you from? and conversations are started which allows me to give out a few of my business cards. Too, because the fog remains too thick to even see Tatoosh Island, I begin to pray to Jehovah to ask Him to remove the fog so I may be able to take a photo of the island and the lighthouse and will not have to walk here again. After about another thirty minutes, the fog begins to slowly dissipate and I look up toward heaven and begin to thank Him for clearing the fog.

Soon, I am able to see Tatoosh island, then the south harbor, and finally the lighthouse on top.

During the next half hours, the sky clears so much that even the sun on the horizon begins to reflect light into the blue directly above it. I thank Jehovah again and again for providing the subject for my photos.

I have been here long enough to get plenty of photos, however, I only use my phone as I can not get my Nikon zoom camera to work corectly.

Too, the number of people hanging out has become a crowd so, since I have got enough photos, I back away from the front rail and talk a few more from the side rail before I leave.

Finally, I pack out, don my day pack and begin the long walk back to the parking lot.

One further note, there were several people that I gave my card to who would have liked to have seen the lighthouse but told me that there were not able to see it. I just hope that you can see the photos that I have taken today.

Prior to my June 2023 Journey to Cape Flattery, I had relied upon searching the internet for photos to display on this page. Too, because of the extensive research, I decided not to dispose of the photos, but to display them here in this section, which I am referencing as my 2022 Journey.