Wandering Olympic National Park - The Beaches

In this 5-part series, we explore Olympic National Park. We’ll share our travel log, the hits, the misses, the missed, and the reasons we can’t wait to go back again. PART 4 – The Beaches.

The Pacific Coast boasts too many incredible beaches to count and being a native of the west coast I have had the privilege to see many of them, so when we were planning our trip to the Olympic Penninsula my sights were focused on the rainforests and the mountains of the area. As we were on the road exploring it became clear that we needed to adjust our agenda a bit and work in a beach day! I feel like a broken record saying this, but once again, you need to plan your time because the coastline is long and although we did a little beach hoping, you really can’t cover it all in one day. Shi Shi beach, at the northern end of the peninsula, is popular and famous for its sea stacks, however, it’s a bit isolated, as a matter of fact, you have about a 2-mile hike to get there. We didn’t have the time to do it on this trip but we’ll get there next time. Instead, we opted to hit Ruby Beach which is farther south off of US 101 between the Hoh and Quinault rainforests.

Ruby Beach

The beach gets its name because of the ruby-like crystals found in the sand and when the sun hits it right it shines with a ruby glow. There was no glow we were there, it was a cloudy, rather foggy morning. I love those conditions. It always feels mystical to me and it gave our exploration a great backdrop. As you hike the short trail down from the parking area you enter a gigantic field of driftwood. It is absolutely beautiful and you could spend a while just climbing around checking it all out. It is truly amazing to think about the power that the ocean has as it tumbles these trees and smooths them into works of art.

We were lucky to be at the beach during low tide so once we got past the huge pile of driftwood the beach stretched out a long way in both directions and was calling us out to the tide pools. To be clear, we’re not talking about a few rocks and a pool or two, the sea life went on and on. It was jaw-dropping. anemones gracefully undulating as the water ebbed and flowed, and there were pops of bright orange and purple spattered around. At first, I thought that it was some sort of shellfish but upon closer inspection, they were beautiful starfish. Once you realized what those pops of color were you could start making out their shape and they were EVERYWHERE! It was so freaking cool. I haven’t seen a starfish since I was a kid and it was a thrill. We spent quite a while walking the tidepools and along the beach but we knew that we needed to tear ourselves away and head up the 101 to the most Northwestern point in the lower 48.

The 83-mile drive (2 hours-ish) from Ruby Beach to Cape Flattery takes you through densely forested areas, rolling foothills and then hugs the Strait of Juan de Fuca for a while as you approach Neah Bay and enter the Makah Indian Reservation. You’ll want to make sure that you purchase a recreation pass ($10) before heading out to the trailhead. We stopped at the Makah Cultural and Research Center to get ours although most businesses in the area have them. The museum is a great way to get to know the history and culture of the native people of the area. The Makah have great respect for the environment that they inhabit and have mastered the tools and techniques to be symbiotic with the land and sea. On January 31, 1855, the Makah villagers, represented by 42 Makah dignitaries negotiated and signed a treaty between the United States and the Makah Indians. The Makah ceded 300,000 acres of tribal land to the U.S. In 1859 Congress ratified the treaty, ushering in the beginning of radical cultural changes imposed on the Makah by the federal government and those who implemented them.

Cape Flattery

Captain James Cook gets the credit for naming the area. As he and his crew were in search of safe harbor in 1778 they saw, between a low cape and a steep island just off the cape, “a small opening which flattered us with the hopes of finding a harbour”. It turned out not to be so and thus he named it Cape Flattery, however, it did lead them into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and on to Vancouver Island where he did well setting up trade with the local Indians.

The trailhead is located at the very end of the Cape Loop road. There is ample parking although I’m sure that it fills up on busy summer days. Facilities are located here as well and you would be wise to use them because even though the hike is only about 1.5 miles round trip, the vista you are about to see just may keep you out there for a while.

Once you leave the parking lot you are immediately drawn into the lush forest and you begin the 200-foot or so elevation drop as you wind your way down to lands end. The trail itself is part of the experience as soon you will be walking on boardwalks built in and around the trees. There are so many variations of green that it literally makes your eyes hurt! As you get closer to the end the vegetation starts to clear a bit and you start to see the sky opening up and you soon realize that you’re on a piece of land that is jutting out into the ocean. Cliffs surround you on 3 sides and the views are spectacular. You can hear the waves crashing on the rocks and into the sea caves below and the dramatic coastline comes into full sight. There several viewing areas near the end of the trail with a larger, elevated platform at the very end. Here you are indeed at the edge of the continent.

We’re so thankful that we added this to our itinerary. It added over 3 hours of drive time to our day but when all was said and done it was absolutely the highlight of our visit to the peninsula. Definitely put Cape Flattery on your list of must-dos during your visit!