Memorial day weekend can be iffy weather-wise.
And Friday morning in Forks didn't look very promising.
Heavy clouds showed little promise of dispersing during the morning hours.
We escaped the clouds by moving north.
Sunny and clear by the time we stopped in Neah Bay to get our Makah Permit.
(Get it at the mini-mart, don't wait for the tribal center)
The Flattery trail was in good shape and a crew was making it even better.
("Maybe we'll get to the Shi Shi trail next year")
A few clouds at the cape but gorgeous.

The second half of the Shi Shi trail has many mudholes and the trail is getting wider as hikers attempt to keep their footwear dry. The hike down the bluff to the beach is steep and dicey. It can hardly be called a trail.
(I wonder how the guy with the full pack, surfboard and half-rack got down.)
Once we safely got to the beach it was wonderful.
But where were all those backpackers we passed on the way out going to camp?

Headed to Shi Shi Beach this weekend expecting not so great weather, and was surprised by almost perfect weather. Stopped at the visitor center in Port Angeles on the way to get a camping permit ($9) and a bear cannister ($3 donation). Stopped in Neah Bay at the museum to get a "recreation pass" ($10, good for one year) that appears to be required as well.

The parking lot at the trailhead is for day use only. Ended up leaving the car about a mile away at "Donna's" parking lot ($10). The owners of nearer parking lots were nowhere to be found, and some of the places looked a bit dubious. Fortunately the guy at that parking lot offered to drop us off at the trailhead.

The first half of the trail is immaculate and consists of lots of boardwalk. Then things get a bit muddy. Fortunately most of the mud was either dried out or bypassable. After rain or heavy use things might look different... In any case the trail is well marked.

Down at the beach there were three other parties camping, well spaced out. Didn't have trouble finding a good spot, but was glad to have a tide table handy and to be able to compare the evidence of the last high tide with the next expected high tide. There was plenty of firewood lying around, and no garbage (perhaps thanks to the recent coast clean-up day?). Should have brought binoculars to watch the sea otters, and to look out for whales...

The next morning we walked along the beach to Point of Arches and back. The tide was low at -1 so there were plenty of tide pools to peek into, and walking was easy. The only obstacle was a small stream, which could be crossed without getting wet feet on the lower part of the beach.

Seeing the Sea stacks was something we wanted to do on a hike for a long time. We decided that whatever be the weather, we would go to the Shi-Shi beach in the Makah nation.

The drive from Seattle is around 4.5 hrs, and with breaks for rest, it can be around 5.5 hrs. We reached the trailhead around 1:30 PM. The drive on SR 112 west is full of curves, but beautiful when you have the ocean around.

We went on a rainy day. It rains most of the days near the Shi-Shi beach, and the day we went was no different. The views of the ocean are filled with mist when it rains. It must be really good when sunny or even cloudy.

The trail head is easy to find from the town of Neah Bay. The trail consists of 2 distinct stretches, one from trail head to beach, and the other along the beach. Both are almost 2 miles each, so the total one way distance is around 4 miles. The first stretch from trailhead to beach was full of mudholes.It was extremely muddy, soggy, wet, some pits had lots of water, and most of our shoes got easily wet. In fact, its a very difficult hike for the first 2 miles just because of the extent of mud. Lot of perseverence is a must to cross the first 2 miles. In extremely bad portions of the trail, look out for some side trails [near the side of the main trail] and try to use that whenever you can. The trail is very very slippery and lot of caution is needed.

The hike is fairly flat but its strenuous only because of the muddy trails. Once down to the beach, its beautiful. The beach was beautiful even in the rain, and so it must be awesome on a sunny day. We could see the sea stacks and point of arches at some distance from the first entry point on the beach. The sea stacks were not clearly visible because of the mist formed by the rain. Still it looked good.

We had to hike for some 2 more miles to reach the Point of Arches where the view of the sea stack is great because you are very close to it. Hiking on the beach is a little bit tricky, because the beach is not a flat surface and it is some amount of strain on the ankles and legs to hike on such a soft surface. There are no trail markers once in the beach, and we just kept going left to a place full of sea stacks which we assumed would be the Point of Arches based on some of the pictures we had seen before.

We did not check the tide maps and stuff, but we were lucky enough to be able to reach Point of Arches easily. The view of the sea stacks was majestic, and we were left wondering how the view could have if there were no rain. On a sunny day, the sunset should be really awesome and even the views of the sea stack simply majestic. The ocean water wave crashing sound was simply great to hear and reminded us the power of nature and water. It was cold with the breeze and we were feeling colder because we had been wet, water entering our shoes, and continuing showers. But with so less people around, it was a nice place to enjoy solitude at this time of the year.

After spending some time at Point of Arches, we headed back. All the struggle against muddy trails continued, and we are quite happy to reach the parking lot by 6 PM. A drive of another 5 hours and we reached Seattle.

For those looking to visit this hike, my suggestions would be to check the forecast and go only if its sunny. The mud would probably be gone, and the sea stacks would be terrific. And if possible, make it a backpack. There are some nice places to camp in the beach away from the tides.

Bottomline: Its a must go hike just for the sea stacks but plan well for the forecast and go on a sunny day.

The recent beautiful weather has helped to dry out the trail a bit. Mud was still prevalent, but the worst sections could all be bypassed on the sides, or over wood placed across them. Be careful on the side trails - one or two of them lead to bigger mudholes than they bypass. I was told that the trail was 'pretty muddy' by several people, but it all seemed manageable with even slightly-waterproof shoes. I wouldn't hike it in running shoes, but any hiking boots would be fine. At least, until it rains again!