One of the unique things about Olympic National Park is how quickly you can go from scaling a mountain peak to strolling on a beautiful coastline. Today, we hiked north from Rialto Beach to a formation known as Hole-in-the-Rock. Instead of following a traditional trail we used the beach itself as our path. Along the way we were able to explore the base of some sea stacks and then the tidal pools that surround Hole-in-the-Rock.
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Rialto Beach is about 20 minutes from Forks, Washington near La Push . . .
We left around 7:00 am so we could arrive during low tide which was scheduled for 9:00 am |
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| We were surprised to find the beach wasn't comprised of sand, but rather billions of polished rocks |
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| The early morning sun shining trough the rainforest, along with a light fog, made for some moody photos |
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| After walking for about a half mile on the polished rock, the shore gradually transitioned to sand |
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| Soon rocks began to appear and the fun began as we examined each to see what was attached to them |
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| Starfish were abundant in all sizes and colors |
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After about a mile and a half we came to the Hole-in-the-Rock arch . . .
If you don't arrive during low tide, you will only be able to see the hole, but not be able to stand under it |
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| More starfish! They were everywhere |
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We spent about an hour exploring the tide pools that jut out from Hole-in-the-Rock . . . very fun!
(Remember, all of these will be under water if you don't arrive at low tide) |
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Green sea anemone . . .
It was unusual to find this one "open" still trying to attract food . . . most were closed and not so pretty
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| Click on the picture for an expanded view |
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Hole-in-the-Rock from the other side . . . looking south from where we have come
You can see the tide marks on the walls . . . this gives a good indication of how high the tides rise |
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| As we headed back, we decided to spend some time exploring the area around these sea stacks |
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Starfish and sea anemones
(Notice how different the sea anemones look when closed up) |
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These sea stacks were fun to explore . . .
We were able to walk between them out to where the waves were crashing on the formations |
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One last look at the morning sun (before it burns the fog off) as we head back to the parking area . . .
It's been a great morning! |
We thoroughly enjoyed our time at Rialto Beach! If you are considering doing this hike remember that it's about a 1.5 mile walk (one-way) from the parking lot to Hole-in-the-Rock. Make sure to plan on arriving one to two hours before low tide so that you can have a leisurely stroll to the sea stacks and tide pools that surround Hole-in-the-Rock. You can click
here for a tide chart for the La Push coastline. Low tide happens twice a day, so if you're more inclined for a late afternoon/early evening visit to Rialto Beach you're in luck!
