A Hike in the Sublime: Coastal Trails of Olympic National Park, Washington

The Trip

Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, has one of the longest, most majestic, ever-intriguing, primitive, isolated, and overall wondrous coastal areas to be found in the world. Its captivating ocean views, dramatic cliffs, countless sea stacks, wind-sculpted trees, beautiful beaches, vibrant tidal pools, abundant diverse wildlife, and awesome sunsets are but a few of the memorable gems found in this very special and unique place. In this wind- and water-swept expanse, the ocean, land, and sky meet to make the vistas seem timeless. The solitude, grandeur, and endless horizons found in this singular location make for a rich and ever-changing tapestry.

We will backpack a total of about 33 miles on the ONP Northern Coastal "Trail" using the tidal ebb and flow as one of our guides. The North Coastal Trail is often referred to as one of the most adventurous coastal backpack journeys around.

Pre-Trip: The evening before our trip begins, we will meet to conduct our pre-trip orientation and distribute group gear. Dinner and lodging for this evening and breakfast the following morning are not in the trip price. The trip leader will provide details of the pre-trip meeting location and guidance on lodging options.

Day 1: We will meet mid-morning at Rialto Beach to catch a shuttle to the Shi Shi Trailhead, a 65-mile drive. The first couple of miles on the trail are flat, but could be challenging with navigation through/around muddy sections of the trail. After descending to the beach, we will walk a mile or more on sandy beach to camp. This truly picture-perfect beach is one of the most memorable and gorgeous wild beaches in the world. A highlight is the view of Point of the Arches. You will have time to make your own priceless photographs and explore the area and, most importantly, refresh your inner spirit in this little ocean-side paradise.

Day 2: Starting early to take advantage of the low tide, we will travel what some have found to be the most difficult section of our trip, as we work our way around, up, over, and down the Point of the Arches and subsequent headlands. On this path, the isolated Seafield Creek area is noted for a rebounding, but still rare, population of sea otters. This day will be your introduction to hiking on wet, slippery rocks and scrambling up and down headlands. We will move slowly and carefully as we take in the breathtaking views, reflect on the history of the area, and contemplate our significance to the future of it. Camp is planned for the north side of Ozette River, allowing us to cross the river at a low morning tide.

Day 3: Today, perhaps with eagles flying overhead, we will make our way to South Sandpoint. Along this section are traces of old Native American villages and ancient petroglyphs. The terrain over this 6-mile trek will include wet slippery rocks, large driftwood, and full-sized trees to navigate, but we will be rewarded with tidepools teeming with sea life and views of an endless horizon.

Day 4: Today we travel through what a few have named Purgatory for the seemingly endless boulders and driftwood. We’ll pay a visit to the Norwegian Memorial, a historic shipwreck location, before rounding a headland at low tide to reach our camp at Cedar Creek with its exceptional views of the Pacific Coast. We cover a total of eight miles today.

Day 5: We travel nine miles today, including a relatively minor but fun climb and descent over a headland. Then we round a couple of headlands at low tide, which involves a few sections of navigating large boulders on all fours! We will pass the Chilean Memorial, another historic shipwreck site, and go through the Hole in a Wall, then finish back at Rialto Beach.

Getting There

Rialto Beach, one of the prettiest beaches along the coast, will be our starting and ending location. This beach is about 200 miles (a four-hour drive) northwest from Seattle, WA and 260 miles (a five-hour drive) north from Portland, OR. Both Seattle and Portland have major airports and are served by Amtrak. Getting from Seattle or Portland to Rialto Beach is easiest by car since there are limited transportation options. Car-sharing is encouraged for convenience, camaraderie, conservation, and cost savings.

There are places to stay close to the beach, such as the Quileute Indian Reservation in La Push, the Mora Campground in Olympic National Park, or several private campgrounds. Alternatively, there are places to stay inland such as Forks, which is about 10 miles away.

There is ample parking space at the Rialto Beach trailhead, where we meet our shuttle to the Shi Shi trailhead on Day 1 of trip and where we return on the last day of our trip.

Please do not make non-refundable travel arrangements until notified to do so by the trip leader.

Accommodations and Food

You will want a lightweight tent that is rainproof and has good storm resistance. You will also need to have all your “extra” tent support lines in place and the appropriate amount of ground pegs for potential storm winds. The unpredictable coastal weather can potentially bring in strong storms rapidly.

Our first trip meal will be lunch on day one and the last meal will be lunch on the final day. We try to bring enough food so everyone is satisfied, but also want to keep our packs as light as possible. We will prepare simple, lightweight, ample, easy-to-prepare, good-tasting meals from dried and freeze-dried ingredients. We also provide snacks. Trip participants will be asked to assist leaders with food preparation and clean-up.

Trip Difficulty

The “trail" is very challenging for what might seem to be a generally flat, sea-level hike. Hiking here is not exactly what we generally think of as “a walk on the beach." That's because of the loose, wet, sinking sand; loose, rocky beaches; large boulder fields; ubiquitous slippery wet surfaces; large driftwood-covered areas of beach; rugged rock outcroppings; steep (cliff-like) overland passages where you'll likely need to pull yourself up and let yourself down with a rope; unpredictable weather; ever-changing tides; and numerous water crossings (including rivers).

Hiking on this type of beach terrain is considered 1.5-2.0 times harder, energy-wise, than on a similar land route. You will find that trekking speed will be extremely slow in some places. With this in mind, a 5-mile hike feels more like 7.5 to 10 miles and can take longer. There are a few relatively clear zones and we will take advantage of these areas where we can move more quickly and cover longer distances. Because we need to take maximum advantage of the low tides and avoid the dangers of the high tides, our hike times may include very early mornings and some evenings, and at times we may need to pause along the trail and wait for safer conditions. We may also need to do additional overland crossings depending on the conditions and time limits we encounter.

All these factors make this trip a level 4. This is not a good trip for a casual or very inexperienced backpacker.

Equipment and Clothing

Weather along the Olympic Coast, even in summer, is variable. It can be windy, rainy, sunny, hot, and cold all in the same day. However, usually summer is a pleasant time to visit with cool temperatures and partly cloudy skies. A detailed equipment list will be sent after participants sign up for the trip.

References

Maps:

• Green Trails Map 99S - Olympic Coast Beaches
• Custom Correct North Olympic Coast Map

Books:

• Reid, Joshua, The Sea Is My Country: The Maritime World of the Makahs. Yale University Press, 2015. A history of the Makah people of the Pacific Northwest, whose culture and identity are closely bound to the sea.
• Egan, Timothy, The Good Rain: Across Time and Terrain in the Pacific Northwest. Vintage, 1991. Egan is an engaging writer who brings the Northwest into perspective in this series of conservation and historical essays.
• Stark, Peter, Astoria. Ecco, 2015. An absorbing history of John Jacob Astor’s and Thomas Jefferson’s quest to create another, even more enlightened, republic in the Northwest. It is a story of unbelievable adventure and hardship that eventually ended with the Oregon Treaty of 1846.
• Egan, Timothy, Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher: The Epic Life and Immortal Photographs of Edward Curtis. Mariner Books, 2012. Although not strictly about the Northwest, Curtis’ photography career started with his studio in Seattle and his images of Princess Angeline (daughter of Chief Seattle) and of Puget Sound.
• Lopez, Barry, Horizon. Knopf, 2019. From his home in Oregon, Lopez writes this sprawling humane refection on the state of the world. A prize-winning conservation writer Lopez shares the wisdom he has accumulated from traveling the world as he is dying of cancer.

Conservation

There are few undeveloped or unspoiled coastal areas left in the world and the Olympic Seashore is one of them. With climate change causing sea level rise and larger storm surges, all coastal areas are threatened. The warming and increased acidity of the oceans associated with climate change are threats to reefs and to untold numbers of aquatic organisms. Discussing these issues and the value of preserving the remaining pristine coastal areas will be an important part of this trip.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and will operate under a permit from Olympic National Park.