Information about this hike provided in partnership with
Mountaineers Books.
Copyright © Craig Romano/The Mountaineers Books Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches
Featured In:
Day Hiking: Olympic Peninsula,
by Craig Romano.
A portion of all book sales from the links above benefits WTA and helps protect and maintain our trails. One of the last additions to Olympic National Park, Shi Shi Beach's inclusion in 1976 was met with a fair amount of resistance. Abutting landowners had to be convinced to allow public access. Land developers had to be discouraged from turning the area into an enclave of second homes. And once the Park Service acquired title, they had to remove counterculture squatters and tidy up the mess left behind. Even then the fight to secure Shi Shi for the public wasn't over; in the late 1990s the trail was closed in a land-access dispute. But after much wrangling and negotiating, the Park Service and landowners broke the impasse. The Makahs developed a new trailhead and built a new trail to the beach, and it's top-notch in both design and standards. The first mile winds through pockets of mature Sitka spruce, traversing rain-saturated bogs via cedar-planked boardwalks and bridges. The new trail then intersects part of the old trail, where 0.5 mile of somewhat muddy terrain must still be negotiated. Eventually this part of the trail will be rehabilitated. At 1.75 miles you'll reach the national park boundary. Now, the only thing separating you from the spectacular beach is a steep trail down a 150-foot bluff. Brace your knees and emerge at the northern end of the 2-mile sandy beach. Taste the salty air. Feel the pounding surf at your feet. Embrace the raw beauty of this wilderness beach and immediately forget about the civilized world. Dunes and bluffs hem the sandy shoreline. Giant logs dance in the thundering breakers. Eagles belt out high-pitched welcomes from overhanging snags. In 1.3 miles from the bluff descent you'll come to Petroleum Creek. Cross it and continue. Point of the Arches, a mile-long cavalcade of sea stacks and natural arches, comes into better view. It's 1 mile farther to reach them. During a low tide, there's no better place on the Olympic Coast for admiring these wind- and water-sculpted landforms. The only thing grander than Shi Shi's natural beauty is its resilience in the face of forces that would have prohibited us from enjoying and admiring this national treasure.
Driving Directions:
From Port Angeles follow US 101 west for 5 miles to the junction with State Route 112. Turn right (west) on SR 112, continuing for 64 miles to the community of Neah Bay. (Alternatively, take US 101 to Sappho and drive SR 113 north to SR 112 and then on to Neah Bay. This way is longer, but not as curvy.) Just past the Makah Tribal Museum is Washburn's, where you can purchase the required recreation pass. Continue west on Bay View Avenue for a scant mile, to the end of the straight road, then begin following brown signs for "Cape Flattery". Turn left on Fort Street for one block, then right on 3rd Street (unmarked). In another block (0.1 mile), turn left on Cape Flattery Road. (The sign is partway down the road.) Follow this road 2.5 miles, then turn left over the bridge onto Hobuck Road. Staying on the main paved road, follow signs for the fish hatchery. Pay close attention to the speed limit, which fluctuates between 15, 25, and 35 mph. Drive to the parking lot at the trailhead (day use only), located on your right at about 5 miles. Recent Trip Reports
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Overnight
Features:
Fall foliage
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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Awesome way to spend New Years eve! The weather held for both days and it was actually nice. The only...
Awesome way to spend New Years eve! The weather held for both days and it was actually nice. The only wildlife was a pair of eagles. Surprisingly it wasnt to cold in the morning but dry firewood was tough to find.
Overnight
Issues:
Mudholes | Water on trail
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Beautiful Hike to Shi Shi Beach, The Weather was overcast Sunday afternoon but we were treated to a sunset coming...
Beautiful Hike to Shi Shi Beach, The Weather was overcast Sunday afternoon but we were treated to a sunset coming out of the fog--beyond amazing! The trail was muddy but easily hikable. We saw only 2 other tents on the beach. The roar of the ocean was so soothing. Sunshine on Monday morning as we hiked to Point of the Arches, spectacular view. As we packed up to depart the fog rolled in and our timing was God ordained. One of the most breathtakingly beautiful hikes I have been on in Washington.
Multi-night backpack
Issues:
Mudholes
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This was my first visit to Shi Shi Beach and it won't be my last. I backpacked in with one...
This was my first visit to Shi Shi Beach and it won't be my last. I backpacked in with one other person. We did most of the hike in, in dusk. We got to the beach just in time for a breathtaking sunset. Days were about 70 degrees and nights were just a bit cooler. We decided to set up camp behind the tree line and not use a tent. We woke up at dawn and while my partner made breakfast i went exploring. I climbed the nearby rocks on the north end of the beach and took plenty pictures of the changing morning fog. By 9 am we decided to walk south to the arches. There were hundreds of starfish in assorted colors and other marine life that i've never before seen.... except for at the aquarium of course. When we made it to the arches there were large areas of mussels. tons of them! We decided to check out the tide pools on the south side of the arches and found many more mussels, starfish and other kinds of animals. My favorite were the hermit crabs. By noon we headed back to our camp at the north end of the beach. An hour or so after we returned we could see whales spraying from there blow holes out in the ocean. There must have been a few of them because they were blowing a lot. So exciting. a few clouds came in that evening and we didn't get to enjoy another sunset like the night before but it was still a fairly warm night.
I highly recommend people to check out Shi Shi Beach because it is truly stunning. I'll be making this an annual trip. Day hike
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Mudholes
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Photo hike to Shi Shi Beach: Parked at the trail head (Makah beach permit required) and hiked down to the...
Photo hike to Shi Shi Beach: Parked at the trail head (Makah beach permit required) and hiked down to the beach. The trail consists of split cedar bridges, cedar rounds, mud-holes and a nearly vertical 100' drop to the beach navigated with hiking poles and tree-root hand-holds. (Interesting descent in the daylight, difficult ascent with head-lamps in the dark.) A 3-mile beach expanse with a few overnight campers. Lots of photo ops -- rock formations, starfish, tide-pools. A beautiful 70 degree day with a cool breeze and sunburns for Seattle tans. We waited for sunset and a marine layer showed up around 7:00. As the tide receded, the clouds lit up and the photo ops were many. We packed up at 8:15, and walked the three miles of beach and one mile of trail with headlamps. We got back to our cars at 10:35 -- a long, exhausting but exhilarating day.
Multi-night backpack
Issues:
Overgrown | Mud/Rockslide | Mudholes | Water on trail | Bugs | No water source
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The hike was extremely muddy in places to the point hikers have begun creating detours around some areas in the...
The hike was extremely muddy in places to the point hikers have begun creating detours around some areas in the trail. Definitely prepare with proper footwear. Considering the rain the region has had its no wonder however the trail will need major maintenance done once it dries out. Other than the mud slowing your hike it is easy going with the exception of last 100 ft or so dropping to the beach access. Switch backs are fairly steep and full of roots which could be challenging and potentially hazardous for some.
Also, bring plenty of your own water. Water sources are scarce. Petroleum Creek is very slow running. If you decide you need to use this water source, it would be best recommended to use only for cooking after it is treated/filtered and then boiled to avoid chances of paracitic illness. For first time visitors, the directions to Shi Shi Beach are not very clear. Follow the signs to Hobuck Beach. Once at Hobuck Beach, keep going. You may feel lost but near the end of the road (3 miles outside Makah Village) you will find the Shi Shi trailhead. The parking lot posts signs which say no overnight parking. However, some other hikers had talked to a police officer and you can actually park there overnight but the tribe has tried to deter against it due to vandalism to vehicles. Otherwise you need to park at one of the residences .6 miles back on the main road and hike from there to the trailhead. Overall, the lack of direction and the parking were kind of a pain but once you reach Shi Shi Beach it's all well worth it. One of the most beautiful beach hikes on the west coast. |
Inge Johnsson's photo of Point of Arches took 2nd prize in WTA's Northwest Expsoure Photo Contest in 2008.
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