The Olympic Peninsula National Park beaches are worth the visit, so don’t miss them. We went to Rialto Beach, and we had to go at low tide to be able to walk out to the Hole-in-the-Wall. Rialto Beach is unique for its tide pools, huge driftwood logs, and amazing scenery. We walked the 1.5 miles along the sandy beach stopping to view the tide pools, rocky beaches, sea stacks, and driftwood. Since the tide was low we could walk through the Hole-in-the-Wall to get the right perspective to view the sea stack through the “hole”. The tide pools were full of sea critters on this side of the arch. On our way back we were able to catch the sunset from Rialto Beach, couldn’t get much better! Click on thumbnail to view images
Rialto Beach
Olympic National Park Beaches
We drove about 25 miles south from Forks to Kalaloch Beach to see the Kalaloch Tree of Life, one of Washington State’s natural wonders. The Kalaloch Tree is a Sitka spruce, the largest type of spruce, and is noted for its towering height and its wide trunk, two characteristics that contribute to this tree’s mystery. This massive tree is clinging to its parting coastal bluff by winding thick roots which contributes to its mysteriousness. Underneath the webbed roots is the Tree Root Cave, where a stream falls into the cave and flows into the ocean. We stopped at Ruby Beach to explore the tide pools, driftwood and more sea stacks. Then we drove back to La Push, where we hiked out to Second Beach. It was a 4 mile R/T hike with a set of switchbacked stairs leading down to a coastline dotted with sea stacks. Once we arrived at the beach, we were greeted with a dramatic scene – sea stacks rise straight out of the water, visible far to the south, and an arch to the north features a hole through which the wind whistles on stormy days. We walked along the the smooth sandy beach enjoying the views of all the sea stacks near and far. It was definitely worth the hike through the rainforest to get to this beach. Click on thumbnail to view images
