Wild and almost otherworldly, Ruby Beach is where the PNW shows off everything it does best…read more From the moment you take the short walk down from the parking lot, you know you're in for something special. Massive sculptural sea stacks rise along the shoreline, rugged and dramatic. The beach is strewn with driftwood, some pieces arranged so naturally they feel like art instillations. Its name comes from the subtle reddish mineral flecks in the sand, which glow beautifully when the sun hits them. We loved exploring this area, and it's absolutely a must-stop if you're anywhere near Forks. Vault restrooms are available just off the parking lot; they're basic and don't have running water. Because this beach is part of Olympic National Park, you'll need to pay the daily entrance fee or better yet, grab an America the Beautiful Pass for access to all national parks. I wouldn't recommend walking barefoot or swimming here. The water stays around 45-55°F year-round, the waves are powerful, and the surf can be unpredictable. This is a place to admire, wander, and soak in the wild beauty of the coast.

Wow, this beach is probably one of most breathtaking beach in WA, besides Ecola and Cannon Beach!…read moreThere is a hike to get to the water, but its well worth the journey. The pools and driftwood make this even more magical to visit. The park was very clean trash free. This was a quick stop but well worth it!

Beautiful beach, limited primitive bathrooms and parking fills up fast, but it is an amazing view.read more

Came here as part of the Twilight film location tour spot, but my jaw dropped when driving down to…read morethis beach. It looked so beautiful in the sunny weather that Jaric and I were speechless throughout the drive. Lots of parking, yes! But, u need to go to the visitor center first to get a $10 day pass so that you can hang the lime green paper on your car rear view mirror. Nice to take pictures, but I hate that there was no seating arrangement to picnic and there was no area to comfortably lay on so that you can sunbathe. I was really :( about that because I wanted Jaric and I to spend more time together at the beach. The moss on the rocks was such a sight and made it more pop in color with our pictures. I wish that I could max out my star rating for this beach because my eyes were in awe, but really could not spend a long time here with how difficult it was to comfortably stay outside without designated seating areas :(

This beach has some really beautiful sea stacks. These sea stacks rise straight out of the water…read more It is a pity that it doesn't have a proper name other than Second Beach. The hike to the beach is around 0.7 miles one way. There are a lot of switch back stairs through a forest that lead down to a coastline. There are three parking lots that you can park at just outside of the town of La Push. The closest lot doesn't hold a lot of cars, but the overflow lots have more room to park if you don't mind walking a little ways to the beach. Second Beach is usually partially enshrouded with fog. It was also a little chilly at the beach for late summer. But overall I enjoyed my stroll to this beautiful beach.

Highlight of our trip!…read more Try to visit during low tide so you can see all the tide pools and marine life. Also the earlier you get there the easier it is to park. The parking lot starts about a mile trail through picturesque forests to the beach. The trail is beautiful with lots of ferns and other plants to see. When you pop out on the beach you are amazed by the view. The beach is large with so much to explore. You can easily spend an afternoon here so bring a lunch and stay awhile.

We camped here for the first time 10 years ago and stayed in D Loop. The first thing our littles…read moredid was climb the super tall trees! 10 years later, and we stayed in the same spot we reserved and the first thing our (now ) teenagers did- climb the super tall trees! I got a little emotional as I recalled them being so small, and cut to now, how fast time flew. Their memories of this place were so fond. We checked off a bucket list item though- we told ourselves that the next time we come back, we'd have a bonfire on the beach and that's exactly what we did! We stayed out until 11 at night on the beach and it was pretty dark! Core memories made. We will definitely return and it won't be in 10 years, more like 2. We love you, Kalaloch!!!

This pretty beach in Olympic National Park is also a campground. There is a ranger station nearby…read morethat you can stop at for information about the area. A park ranger is on hand to answer any questions that you may have. Kalaloch and Ruby Beach are located on the southwest coast of the Olympic Peninsula right off the 101. This is one of the most visited areas of Olympic National Park. Kalaloch Campground is one of the only places for camping on the southern coast of Olympic National Park. There are over 170 campsites that have a picnic table and fire ring. Make sure you reserve early as they fill up quick during the summer season. Kalaloch Lodge is also located right by the beach and has rooms and cabins available. Kalaloch Beach is a great place for tidepooling and bird watching. I enjoyed a short stay here. I was able to walk on the beach and take in some fresh air after being in the car all day. Nearby is the Tree of Life spruce tree if you want to check that out. Just follow the Kalaloch Beach Nature Trail from the Kalaloch Campground parking lot. Once you are on the beach, it is a short walk away.

Another great National Park! Its enormous, you cant see it all in one week. I would definitely map…read moreit out. I read alot of reviews and decided to go wth the recommended spot this trip. I have no problem saving my list for another trip next yr. Make sure you grab a map at the visitor center, they are very helpful. Dont miss Hoh Rainforest, I have already reviewed this park. Hope you all take some time and enjoy the USA parks. So much beauty to enjoy!

My fiancé and I had the most magical time exploring Olympic National Park. If you know me, you know…read morethat I'm an avid fan of NPS. I love to visit and collect brochures from the parks we visit. Checking out this park was such a treat. I especially adored how different each section felt of this park. Each highlight of the park felt wildly different from each other. Here's what we visited (I suggest checking it all out) : Lake Cushman: Our first day at the park we decided to do a quick stop to check the lake out. We didn't go on any hikes, but we met a kind retired ranger at a viewpoint that shared Staircase was the hike to do there. Hurricane Ridge: Go early to visit this one because it gets PACKED. It's absolutely stunning and beyond gorgeous. You're surrounded by mountains and every point on the hike is a fun viewpoint. At certain angles you can see Canada and Port Angeles. There is a lot of parking here and restrooms. Kalaloch Beach: There are several beaches and entrances to this spot. We went to Kalaloch Beach 3 and had a really pretty hike down to the beach. We saw some starfish on our walk. We also saw people fishing. My grandmother who grew up here recommended checking out this beach and I'm so glad we did. Hoh Rainforest: Another really popular spot that you'll want to show up early to. There is a visitor center attached to this. It's a fairly easy loop. The trees are amazing here. Sol Duc: It was POURING when we visited this spot. It really added to the whole experience though. This hike through the forest was majestic. And the waterfall at the end made it extra special. While we weren't able to take advantage of the hot springs further up the road (before Sol Duc trailhead), I recommend scheduling a time to visit after some hiking. This park is HUGE. And filled with endless beauty. We barely scratched the surface. I'd recommend making sure your trip is at least three days. We bought the $80 annual pass for our trip since we went in and out of the park a lot. I highly recommend visiting this national gem.

After my other shoes floated away by the rising tide, I had to walk the trail to and from Shi Shi…read moreBeach in my water shoes. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise because that trail was an absolute muddy mess. While there are some constructed walkways, the vast majority of the trail is dirt and/or mud. The mess was well worth the beautiful beach though. I loved the tide pools and views of the pacific. Just dress for mud

A must do hike. It's muddy so wear good shoes. It's about a 9 mile round trip hike. Bring lots of…read morewater, food and sunscreen. We had a picnic at the end of the beach and explored the tide pools and cave.

I've been lucky enough to come her twice in four months and even luckier that the second was during…read morelow tide. My daughter and I laughed that we were having enrichment time because there was so much to look at! We spent an hour alone looking at all the cool rocks and sea glass. The area is absolutely stunning!

We've been to this spot twice over the past five years. Once during the pandemic, and more recently…read morewith some friends while we were over on the peninsula. It was a nice play area for the kids, there appears to be a large amount of RV parking, there are a couple very acceptable port-o-potties, and most importantly there for some great rocky areas down by the water where the kids plus or minus you can go and explore! I've only been here when the tide has been in, but I can imagine what it is out, there are probably some pretty great tight pools. When we've been there, the small tide pools the form are great for looking for small fish, crabs, and see in enemies. It's basically going to the aquarium in real life! It takes a little bit to get here as it's about 10 miles off the main road, but the roads are nice and it goes quick. There's a more standard sandy beach just around the bend, but it's a private area and runs something like eight dollars a person to go enjoy it. We were more keen to hang out on the rocks after finding out!

lovely hike - wide and mostly flat path until the steps to the falls viewing area. ample parking…read moreand close to path leading to lake crescent lodge which has a nice dining room overlooking the crystal blue lake.

I chose this hike because my mother was with me and doesn't have a lot of stamina. The hike is only…read moreabout a mile each way and it's fairly flat right up until the very end, where there is suddenly a pretty steep staircase. My mom made it to the staircase but didn't want to go up, and unfortunately you can't see the waterfall unless you go up. However, there's a cute bridge and little creek right at the bottom there where a lot of other families and older folks had stopped and it's still very enjoyable just to hang out there! If you do go up the stairs, it's only about 4 or 5 flights and then you're at the lookout right by the waterfall. It's quite pretty! Tbh one of my fav things about this trail though was an absolutely MASSIVE and photo-op worthy mossy tree near the beginning of the trail just after you cross under the road. Really liked that! Overall - if you want a shorter, easier walking trail, this is a good one up to the staircase! You can also forgo the whole walk and just take a lap around the lake near the trailhead to see wildflowers and pretty sights.

Inadequate sanitation for the number of tent campers…read more We stayed at Crescent Beach & RV Park August 2025. One of the two toilets in the tent camping area was out of order for our whole stay (2 days) and the Port-a-potty was full. Very full. For two days. This campground sells out *every summer*; it should not be a surprise to them that they are fully occupied and need to provide adequate sanitation facilities for the people in the 31 tent sites. And in fact, they know that the sanitation is inadequate, because they mentioned it in the notice on the the toilet door: "Due to high volume during summer months, our vault toilets may experience overuse. We schedule two cleanings a day but encourage guests to take full advantage of the flushable toilets, showers, and rinse station located at the east / RV side of the park." The RV side of the park provides a whopping 3 toilets for women, and 2 toilets and a urinal for men. Given the swarms of mosquitoes, its not a delightful walk over to the RV side. Nor is it delightful to have to use a full Port-a-Potty when you are paying $45 a night for a tent camp site. The location is not enough of a redeeming factor for us, we will not be back.

We stayed at the Crescent Beach and RV Park along the Strait of Juan de Fuca (Port Angeles,…read moreWashington) in mid-August, 2024. Traveling in a van-sized Class B RV to visit Olympic National Park, we generally stayed at dry campgrounds (without hookups) in the national park or national forest. However, Fairholm on Lake Crescent (in the north) was already fully-booked and we needed electricity as we weren't getting enough sun to charge our solar panels. We were very pleased to get a reservation at this private campground. Reservation. It was easy to make a reservation online. There are different types of sites, including tent only (no hookups), partial hookups, full hookups, and cabins. After careful consideration of the campground maps, I made a reservation for site 01, which was at the edge of the RVs on one side and a fenced-in cemetery on the other. Tent sites were beyond the cemetery. The full hookup 30' RV site (50/30/20 amp) was $60, plus taxes ($6.36) for one night. Access. We were coming from Forks, WA, and followed 101N to the campground. We liked the idea of driving along Lake Crescent, not realizing that the road would be curvy and very narrow at times - sometimes with blind curves and seemingly room for only one car. We were fine in a van, but I wouldn't want to be on that road in a larger RV or if towing a trailer. After our stay, we took Route 112 out and that was much easier. Check-in. Check-in time was 3 pm, with instructions that you would be charged their $8 day use fee if you arrived before 3 pm. The girl at the desk was friendly and helpful. However, she informed me that they had to move our reservation to site 03 because site 01 was still occupied. This was disappointing as I had specifically reserved site 01 so that our small van wouldn't be sandwiched between two large RVs. Campground experience. The site was flat. The hookups worked. The occupants of our neighboring sites were quiet. The road to the tent sites were behind us, but we were separated by some trees so it was still quiet. Restrooms were clean. As others, we did experience some mosquitos and other irritating bugs, both at the campground and the beach, but they weren't of the volume/swarms as described by others. Beach access. The half-mile private beach was directly across the (low traffic) road directly in front of the campground. The beach was clean, with lots of natural driftwood and a view of Canada across the strait. The campground had two Adirondack chairs on the beach from which you could relax or watch the gorgeous sunset. We enjoyed the beach, but it was very cold and windy, even in August. The beach was also adjacent to the public Salt Creek Recreation Area. We recommend this campground. A point off on our rating because we were switched to a different site than we reserved (without being informed) and their policy of charging a day use fee ($8) to soon-to-be registered campers if they arrive early (before 3 pm).

The three beaches of La Push are located on the southwest region of the Olympic Peninsula on the…read morePacific Ocean. La Push is about 20 miles west of the town of Forks. Once you arrive at this remote community, you will find one of the hidden treasures on the Olympic peninsula. First Beach has some beautiful coastal scenery. First Beach and Rialto Beach are the only two La Push beaches with drive-up access. La Push/First Beach is the home of the Quileute Nation. La Push was very crowded when I arrived because of a festival that was going on. So I wasn't able to find any parking near the beach. I ended up parking near the general store so that I could spend time exploring the area. The views of the sea stacks at this beach are gorgeous. Like many of the La Push beaches, First Beach is littered with large driftwood. There are some oceanfront cabins at the Quileute Oceanside Resort that are great for families that want to wake up to a view. River's Edge Restaurant is a waterfront restaurant that is popular for dinner.

We stopped here after visiting Rialto Beach, which is across the way. We visited at around noon in…read moremid-October and the weather was surprisingly sunny and clear! Ample parking as well. I much preferred Rialto, though First Beach might be better if you want to walk on/lay out on sand rather than pebbles. You will drive on reservation land to get to First Beach. As such, I would recommend adhering to the speed limit signs, especially since there are sometimes rez dogs roaming around off leash (including near the beach). A brochure at the Forks Visitor Center said well-behaved dogs can be off-leash at First Beach but signs at the beach said dogs must be on-leash so I kept ours on a long leash. There were a few other folks with dogs and they had theirs on-leash as well. This beach definitely had more of an ocean-y smell to it due to the amount of kelp washed ashore. There were a ton of sea birds both in the water and on shore! I wonder what draws them to the area--there were only a few on Rialto. We picked up some trash along our walk (including someone else's used dog poop bag) but overall, it seemed pretty clean, especially for being what I assume a major tourist destination for the area. There are dumpsters in the parking lot to throw away trash, along with a few porta-potties.