BY MATT KITE for WEEKLY VOLCANO 12/5/25 |
Tired of gray? Gray weather, gray city streets, and gray winter moods? What you deserve is a little ocean getaway. Find an old pair of shoes you don’t mind getting sandy or wet, gas up your car, and head west to Washington’s rugged coastline.
A hike along one of our state’s wild beaches will make you forget all about the gray monotony of winter. The clean air, the majestic scenery, and the salty environs will take you out of your urban routine and remind you that, even in the dead of winter, the great outdoors beckons.
If possible, plan your trip to coincide with two things: a mild weather forecast and a low tide. You don’t need sunshine, per se, but dry, calm weather will make your hike more enjoyable. Either way, consult the tide charts ahead of your road trip so that you can time your arrival with the low tide. That way you can safely explore headlands, sea caves, and rock formations that are otherwise treacherous. You’ll also be rewarded with more beachcombing opportunities.
What follows are three popular hikes on the coastline that are guaranteed to chase the gray away, even on a cloudy day.
Ruby Beach
Located in Olympic National Park and not far from Oil City, Ruby Beach offers the perfect introduction to the Washington coastline. Most tourists congregate near the mouth of Cedar Creek, a short walk from the parking lot, where they can explore countless tide pools as the tide rolls out to sea.
But head south along the sandy beach for a quarter of a mile or so and you’ll have the ocean views more or less to yourself, even on a mild weekend day. Dip into shallow sea caves, many of them still dripping with saltwater from the recently departed tide, or stretch your legs all the way to Steamboat Creek, three miles away, all against a backdrop of sea stacks and rolling surf.
The farther you walk, the more important it is that you time your hike with a low tide. A series of rocky headlands stretches seemingly forever southward, each one appearing around the next bend, but becoming stranded out here during high tide can prove deadly.
Visitors who don’t mind getting their feet, ankles, and maybe their calves wet can ford Cedar Creek and venture north all the way to the end of the mighty Hoh River, about three miles away. But that route, too, requires knowledge of the tide charts. If you don’t feel like making that long of a trek, a logical turnaround point arrives when you pull even with Abbey Island, whose steep cliffs touch the shore during low tide.
Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall
Situated just north of La Push, Rialto Beach, like Ruby Beach, is one of the coast’s most popular destinations. The two often vie for top billing. Both boast spectacular sea stacks and intriguing tide pools, but Rialto Beach has something Ruby Beach does not: a huge, dramatic opening carved through a rocky formation that allows hikers passage during low tide.
Check and double-check the tide charts before embarking on this hike. You can’t reach Hole-in-the-Wall on foot unless the tide is low. All told, the out-and-back route to Hole-in-the-Wall is less than four miles. At about the one-mile mark, you’ll have to find a way over or through Ellen Creek, which empties into the ocean. If you don’t feel like wading through the creek or maintaining your balance over an enormous downed tree, you can skip over the stream at its shallowest point, just where it meets the retreating surf during low tide. You might get your toes wet.
Once past the creek, take in the rugged beauty all around you. Sea stacks shaped like shark teeth rise alongside a quintessentially rocky coastline. This isn’t a beach for sunbathing. Forever churning tides have carved the landscape into a slowly evolving monument, with Hole-in-the-Wall serving as its most striking feature
Second Beach
Less heralded than some, Second Beach, south of La Push, checks all the boxes of a coastal adventure: sea stacks, sea caves, a natural arch, and beachcombing. It even features an enchanting forest walk to and from the beach that will get your heart pumping on the return ascent, which climbs 220 feet back to the parking area.
A natural arch, reminiscent of Hole-in-the-Wall but inaccessible on foot even during low tide, marks the beach’s northern boundary. To the south, an impassable headland lurks in the distance. On the way, sea stacks and sea caves await your exploration. You can’t get lost in the sea caves accessible during low tide, but they’re just mysterious enough to inspire your imagination as you investigate their dark and dripping depths.
If the weather allows, find a comfy seat among the sun-bleached logs scattered along the beach and enjoy a picnic while listening to the soothing sound of the incoming surf. It doesn’t get much better than this.
