Neah Bay, WA

Neah Bay is the Makah Reservation's community at the northwestern tip of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, where the roads end among forest, ocean beaches, and the waters around Cape Flattery. The Makah Tribe has called this area home since time immemorial, and the town's name comes from Neah Bay, itself associated with the Makah name of Chief Dee-ah. The reservation's tribal government, marina, stores, schools, and homes give the town its everyday structure.

The Makah Museum and Cultural and Research Center gives visitors a way into the community's history, while Cape Flattery's short forest trail leads to a view over the Pacific and the meeting of the ocean waters. Hobuck Beach adds a broad shoreline and a place for camping, fishing, and beach time. Recreation passes, marina stops, and local shops are part of the route for people heading toward the cape or beach, but the town remains a working Makah community first. Neah Bay's map is all edge: reservation roads, tidewater, forest, and a far northwest horizon.