| Start | Washington DNR dispersed camping outside of La Push |
| Points of interest | First Beach Rialto Beach Hall of Mosses Trail (Hoh Rain Forest) Spruce Nature Trail (Hoh Rain Forest) Ruby Beach Kalaloch Beach |
| Eating and drinking | Where’s the Fry Bread (Forks) |
| End | Kalaloch Lodge dispersed campsite |
Today is about the beaches (and some rain forest), always the beaches.
La Push – First, Second, and Third Beaches
Heading west from Hwy 101 towards the coast is WA-110. Follow it to the end, and there is La Push, the largest community within the Quileute Tribe. La Push is also home to First Beach with its plentiful driftwood, crashing waves of the northern Pacific Ocean, and unique sea stacks. Extra bonus: dogs are permitted on the beach! With parking literally adjacent to the beach, it made for an easy jaunt into the sand with the pups, who enjoyed the wind and soft ground.
After having our fill, we headed back up the road, stopping at Native Grounds Espresso (it’s the only coffee shop; can’t be missed) on the way to the Second Beach trailhead. Unfortunately, the trailhead parking was full. We didn’t feel comfortable leaving the van and dogs as the sole vehicle in the overflow lot, which is completely exposed with no shade. The ~1.5 mile round trip hike and Second Beach views will have to wait for the next trip out here. Similarly, Third Beach is nearly a 3 mile round trip hike, and we simply did not have the time for it this go around.
Rialto Beach
We weren’t done with the beaches though and were soon at Rialto. More populated than First Beach, greenery turns quickly turns to sand, which is covered with huge pieces of driftwood towards the high-tide line. The spray rising from the ocean added a misty appearance to the numerous sea stacks off the coast. Although dogs are permitted on the beach closest to the parking lot, one of the appealing features of Rialto is relatively close access to wilderness camping. However, no dogs are permitted in the wilderness areas.
Hoh Rain Forest
Trepidation set in as we drove toward the Hoh Entrance Station. Signage along the side of the road noted that the parking lot was full and estimated the wait time. However, it became clear that these signs indicated wait time from that point! We were so glad that we came during the shoulder season and experienced no wait. We drove straight to the parking lot and didn’t have to wait at either the Entrance Station or for a spot.
What comes next is likely blasphemous, but we were disappointed by Hoh. Don’t get me wrong, it’s lush, green, and mossy with towering trees. But it didn’t feel like something we hadn’t already seen. The two trails accessible from parking, Hall of Mosses and Spruce Nature Trails, are full of seemingly outdated signs, and the experience feels almost curated. We have no regrets as it is beautiful, but it did not live up to the (perhaps unrealistic) expectations we had.
Ruby Beach
Our final stop of the day was the spectacular and truly awe-dropping Ruby Beach. We lucked into arriving at low tide and were able to walk over the driftwood and around the beach, including through the “sea arch.” We just kept commenting on how incredible it was and this will definitely be on the permanent list for return trips to the Peninsula.
End of the day
We finished our day at our campsite: a parking spot at the Kalaloch Lodge at the public beach access. It was a bit awkward with rental cabins not terribly far away and even more so as renters came out to watch the sunset. We contemplated leaving for one of our backup spots, but it was so beautiful, we decided to wait it out and are so glad that we did because the view is stunning and the ocean sounds beautiful.
Eating and drinking
The one food item worth mentioning today was the meal we had at Where’s the Frybread in Forks, across the street from ThriftWay. We ordered far too much delicious but, admittedly, unhealthy food:
- Three Little Indians – An appetizer special of three mini tacos served on “small” frybread: birria, chicken, and carnitas.
- Clam chowder – so thick that it was barely soup – served with a side of frybread.
- Rez burger – definitely not needed after seeing the size of the tacos.
We really enjoyed the meal (though would have stuck with the appetizer and soup and passed on the lemonade) but noticed it was slightly more greasy than the frybread we had earlier in the trip.
Day 3 post-mortem
No real observations or concerns with Ody today. Everything seemed to work as it should. Interestingly, for someone who prefers mountains and lakes to sand and beaches, the beaches definitely won the day!
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