Came here after hobuck beach, which is like an 8 minute drive away. Much prettier with the sunset…read morejust over the water body. Couple of parking spots to the side. No hiking trails around here. But, still so pretty when I first entered. No one else on the beach, so I was just running around and splashing on the water. Got to easily see the thunderstorm and lightning with my own eyes over the tall and green trees. I was not scared, but more so in awe at how cool the sight looked. Sand here much nicer than the one at hobuck beach, too Trailhead had a cute, wooden boardwalk at the start that were in the shade of the tall and skinny treescovered in moss. It was so nice to breathe the air here and there is so much side street parking no matter what time you come. I came during prime hours that were later in the day, but not too late...still was able to park! Just watch your step for the muddy parts and the change in elevation with the boardwalk steps

A must visit beach if you are exploring the Olympic NP! Although it's associated with the park, the…read morebeach is on reservation land, so an additional $20 entrance fee is required. The hike to the beach is about 2 miles, very muddy, but it truly feels like you are walking through a rainforest. It's also the best trail to spot banana slugs! The beach itself is incredible, especially during low tide with amazing tide pools. It's much less crowded than other beaches in the area, giving you plenty of space to explore. You can walk along the shoreline for miles. Overnight camping on the beach is also allowed!

This was such a fun spot to visit. I would recommend if you go to try to get there before 8am and…read moreeven before 7am if you can swing it. The parking lot is small and it fills up fast in the morning. This park is absolutely beautiful - a lush rainforest that is close to a river and has tons of flora to see. Very easy hikes overall, I think almost anyone could do these.

One of the most popular attraction of Olympic NP, Hoh rainforest is undoubtedly beautiful and…read moreunique, however it came with a crowd and traffic. Parking is extremely limited, if you don't arrive early in the morning, prepared to wait in line for an hour or two. We got there very early and hiked the Hall of Mosses, the Spruce Nature trail and a portion of the Hoh River trail all before 9 am. All the trails are well maintained, mostly flat, family friendly and has wooden railings in many sections. By the time we finished our hike, the trails have become noticeably more crowded and the waiting line for parking was already long. The lush greenery, the streams and moss covered trees are great, but there are other alternatives in the area offer similar experience that has a more natural feel, without the crowd or wait for parking.

We happen upon this place while looking for a hike one morning before the kids were up. It's…read morelocated near the University of Washington Olympic national resource center, which looks to be a forestry research center. We found some great hiking that had lots of different trails shooting off of a main gravel road that ran up the hills. In conjunction with the app all trails, we went up about a mile and a half and then took one of the trails back. The trail was nicely, kept, had some signage along the way, and there were enough options that it could be as longer as short as we wanted. there are some spots where it gets a bit steep, but never anything more than a moderate difficulty. Kids that get outside will do fine here. During the hike, we got some brief views out into the Olympic mountains. The overall views are not as majestic as being up in the Cascades, but it's very pretty in its own right. We caught three beautiful days Over here where there was minimal cloud cover. I know that's not the norm, but blue sky days over here are just spectacular against the backdrop of mountains with trees on them. While walking through the forest, we saw a herd of elk that crossed in front of us. We've lived here most of our lives, and we've never seen that in the forest. It was pretty magical If you're looking for a hike with the family or by yourself, we can't recommend this place highly enough!

Large parking but expect it to be full! It's very popular so expect a lot of people too…read more It was overcast when we visited but it was still very beautiful. We stayed about an hour and had a snack on the beach. It's a black sand beach and be aware of the large driftwood thats washed up on the beach, they can be a bit dangerous. Overall a beautiful beach.

Ruby Beach was a stop I missed during my 2023 Olympic trip. This time around, I made sure to add it…read moreto my itinerary. Driving over from my lodging in Quinault took about 50 minutes. Along the way, I stopped at some other coastal overlooks and made Ruby Beach the grand finale. On a September Wednesday, the lot was nearly full. It was a nice day-not too chilly with the sun out. Later on, the fog rolled in and made the scenery even more dramatic. It was a lovely coastal walk. The sea stacks were amazing and even though the tide was coming in, I managed to see a few sea stars. To get to the beach, it's a short downhill path, with a gentle grade. Although it's super popular, if you walk far enough, there's solitude to be had. Ruby Beach lives up to its hype and absolutely worth visiting while on the coast.

This inexpensive no-frills campground has all the basics, and nothing more: tent and RV sites with…read morepicnic tables and fire pits, three porta potties that appeared to be well maintained, one dumpster, a really basic playground, and a station set-up with two tanks of potable water for the campers to use. A few things you should know: 1) Google Maps is not able to route you to the campground entrance. Use the coordinates provided in your email receipt. The driveway is easy to miss. 2) Keep the campground number handy. I got to what I thought was the camp and was unable to figure out how to check in. So I ended up calling the owner via the phone numbers listed on the small Forks Sol Duc Campground sign by where I had entered. Mitch then directed me to my spot over the phone, and I was able to set up camp. 3) There were no instructions on how to operate the two tanks full of potable water available to the residents. It would be more helpful if there was a sign on how to operate the water pumps. And by the time I had figured it out, the white tank was already out of water. I had lost patience with trying to figure out how to operate the blue tank. I texted the owner via the number he provided, and at least he was very responsive. Or they can at least include the water access instructions in the email receipt. 4) I don't think they have people cleaning up between campers. So you may end up dealing with the leave-behinds from the previous occupants. The previous campers left me alcohol and a small amount of lighter fluid that I never ended up using. 5) The camp sites are all very diverse, with some being more secluded than others. But most are pretty open. FYI you get a discount if you let them pick your site for you. I think that's it. If you are looking for an affordable, no-frills camping spot that will allow you to explore the rainforests and mountains of the western Olympic Peninsula, then this might be the place for you.

Beautiful, trees and brush between most sites so more private than most campgrounds. Everything was…read moregood about the campground except for the porta potties. Cousin Eddie will tell ya... Gorgeous old growth trees too.

Third and Fourth beach have rest stops along the highway. Scenic views overlooking the pacific…read more There are no crowds, no major attractions - other than the views themselves. There are clean restrooms and gravel walking paths that lead down to the beach. This would be a difficult trek from the rest stop parking down to the beach for any strollers, walkers, wheel chairs, or for anyone with limited mobility. However, there are some great lookout points from the rest stop that are more accessible. You can walk several miles along the coast and see unending views of cliffs, trees, and rock formations. Great walk & views!

Third Beach was just eh, just okay for me. I wanted more. But in comparison to Rialto Beach and…read morestunning Ruby Beach among the Olympic Peninsula....I felt like this...3rd Beach...fell flat. At least...can I give a reasoning or two, lol? During my summer visit of 2020, after hanging out at mesmerizing Hoh Rain Forest, I was heading in a counter clockwise direction (which I believe is the most efficient way to navigate Olympic National Park). I had read that the La Push area and 1st, 2nd and 3rd Beaches were all worthwhile spots to explore from my itinerary. Well...1st and 2nd Beaches were closed due to the pandemic. My only option for a getting a feel for what the La Push area surroundings were like was to come here to 3rd Beach. This was fine by me as I figured all 3 beaches would be relatively the same in appearances...so if I was only afforded 1 beach to explore...I was accepting of coming here to 3rd Beach. I was quite surprised that for the entrance way towards 3rd Beach...you had to park along the road. And I couldn't believe how crowded it was!!! Yeah, I barely found a parking spot and cars were parked off the road on the shoulder in almost a 45 degree slope. Could they be that desperate to hang out here? It was quite a steep angle! So...I put the emergency brake on just in case. I then had a good feeling about what to expect here at 3rd Beach since it appeared quite popular according to the amount of cars. To get to 3rd Beach...you have to hike almost 2 miles! Wow...I didn't expect this. Though that's what it said according to the trailhead. Well, I guess I was already committed to the task so I didn't mind making the trek. Overall, the hike was pleasant. It was along flat ground through the forest without much elevation. Towards the end of the trail I walked down a series of switchbacks to the beach. Finally making it here along the shores...the best way to describe things were...very quiet and desolate. There wasn't much happening. I actually noticed tents on the sand and was in astonishment that you could really camp out at 3rd Beach. My main reasoning for coming to 3rd Beach was to capture the best photographs of the surroundings, among the Pacific Northwest setting here in Washington. But...I never captured any magical moments for pictures. I did walk towards the end of the beach to an area that had some rocks on the shores sort of making the area somewhat scenic. In the end, I was just sort of bored and maybe spent 30 - 40 minutes hanging out. And...for having to hike 2 miles each way just to arrive at a "pedestrian" looking beach sort of frustrated me as if I was wasting time out of the day. In comparison...Rialto and Ruby Beaches offered much much more as to the scenery and sweeping beach shores. Rialto Beach featured plenty of fallen trees and a few boulders protruding out from the waters enhancing the overall setting. Although the beaches were very touristy and crowded...their sights were worth it. Ruby Beach put everything to shame. This was my favorite beach at Olympic NP. There were terrific viewpoints, a rugged yet scenic coastline, many playful spots to climb rocks and offered really good photography opportunities. Ultimately when I compare Ruby Beach to this 3rd Beach...I much more preferred the scenic terrain where I felt like I was admiring the true essence for what makes Olympic Park so special. But...for those who are interested in more exclusivity without the visitors and tourists, then this 3rd Beach would be appropriate for you. For me, I want to be hanging out at a place where the views reign supreme.

Unfortunately very closed due to construction on Mora. Think it should've been communicated more…read moreclearly outside of the road sign on La Push!

The number of great beaches in this area of the state is pretty impressive! They're never the white…read moresand beach in the Caribbean, but rather the rugged, rock Beach with loads of driftwood and places to explore. This one is literally about 10 miles down the main road and opens into a couple of large parking lots with the beach just beyond. You have to climb over layers of driftwood to get to the rock part of the beach, followed by the sand part. It means that there's always something to explore and do here! Our kids did everything from playing in the water to build forts, to you sticks like a baseball bat and golf club to hit rocks into the water. It was pretty phenomenal to watch everybody exploring and playing while the sun went down over some beautiful rocks out in the water. When the tide is down, the tide pools are pretty fantastic and there's a ton of stuff to explore out in the water. The walk down to the eye of the needle is definitely worth it, and is something you should do earlier in the day as it does tend to get fairly dark fairly quickly. Check the tide schedules and plan accordingly. If you're over in the area, this is one of those places you need to go at least once, and will probably go again the next time you visit.

Maple Pass Loop is a rewarding hike and one that will be remembered for a very long time…read more You can approach the loop clockwise or counter-clockwise. Most people choose to go counter-clockwise because you start with a more gradual ascent. Clockwise starts out with a steep 3.2 mile climb with a 2000 plus elevation gain. My group decided to go clockwise and we were rewarded with incredible beauty. The views along the way are stunning and once you reach the top it's breathtaking. The second part of the loop is much easier. The descent is smooth and the views are also amazing....but it's long. The trail is listed as a 6.6 mile hike but completed it is about 8.2. miles.

A seven mile loop around Lake Ann, with some stunning ridgeline vistas, forests, lakes and meadows…read more A great adventure for the day, especially if you fancy doing some "Hills are Alive" frolicking while recreating the sound of music.