South Coast Hike, Third Beach, Toleak Point
Aug 29, 2010
by
copisetter
—
last modified
Aug 31, 2010 03:55 PM
- Type of Outing
- Multi-night backpack
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: South Coast Hike
- Region: Olympics -- Coast
- Trails: South Coast Hike (#24)
- Avg Rating: 3.25
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: Third Beach
- Region: Olympics -- Coast
- Agency: Olympic National Park
- Trails: Third Beach (#23)
- Avg Rating: 3.67
- Read More in our Hiking Guide
- Hike: South Coast Wilderness Trail - Toleak Point
- Region: Olympics -- Coast
- Agency: Olympic National Park
- Avg Rating: 3.67
- Hiking Companions
- Hiked with kids
- Why You Should Go Now
- Wildflowers blooming
- Be Aware Of
- Mud/Rockslide
- Water on trail
We started from the Third Beach trailhead around 1:30pm on Sunday and passed a number of weekend hikers and backpackers heading out of the forest. The trailhead privy was well stocked with toilet paper and hand sanitizer. The 1.4 mile trail down to the beach was mellow and fairly wide.
As soon as we got down to the beach we saw some dolphins and seals playing in the surf- not a bad way to start the trip! From there we continued down the beach and up the rope ladders (not for the faint of heart) to the next few beaches, ultimately ending up at the awesome campsite at Scotts Creek. It took less than two hours to get there and we settled in for the afternoon with an early dinner and walk south to check out the tide pools at low tide. There we saw dozens of purple and red starfish and green anemones. If you're looking to explore some tide pools, these were the best we saw on our short trip.
We woke up to a gorgeous day and headed south around 9am for some more exploring while the tide was low. We made it all the way past Toleak Point where you can look out and see Alexander Island after crossing Goodman Creek. The ladders south of Toleak had some wooden pieces missing making the climb a little spicier than usual. We only saw about 2 or 3 other couples throughout the entire day and otherwise had the beaches to ourselves. We saw a bunch of banana slugs, wildflowers, birds, one bald eagle, and some seals and otters throughout the day. The blueberries were just a week or so too ripe for eating.
We had turned around and had lunch back at the south end of Toleak Point around 1pm, just in time to beat high tide at camp. It was definitely helpful to have water shoes (Chacos/Keens,etc) as the rocks were slippery and we had to wade through the water a few times coming back. The point just south of Scotts Creek is impassable at high tide but there is an unofficial trail just behind it that we found and used with ease. We made it back to camp by 4pm just in time for naps and an early dinner. Since we had to get out early the next day, we packed up and hiked 1.5 hours back to Third Beach to camp for the night, arriving just before sunset. As we woke up to pouring rain, we were happy to only have to hike out 1.4 miles to the trailhead. Overall, a wonderful and very unique adventure!
As soon as we got down to the beach we saw some dolphins and seals playing in the surf- not a bad way to start the trip! From there we continued down the beach and up the rope ladders (not for the faint of heart) to the next few beaches, ultimately ending up at the awesome campsite at Scotts Creek. It took less than two hours to get there and we settled in for the afternoon with an early dinner and walk south to check out the tide pools at low tide. There we saw dozens of purple and red starfish and green anemones. If you're looking to explore some tide pools, these were the best we saw on our short trip.
We woke up to a gorgeous day and headed south around 9am for some more exploring while the tide was low. We made it all the way past Toleak Point where you can look out and see Alexander Island after crossing Goodman Creek. The ladders south of Toleak had some wooden pieces missing making the climb a little spicier than usual. We only saw about 2 or 3 other couples throughout the entire day and otherwise had the beaches to ourselves. We saw a bunch of banana slugs, wildflowers, birds, one bald eagle, and some seals and otters throughout the day. The blueberries were just a week or so too ripe for eating.
We had turned around and had lunch back at the south end of Toleak Point around 1pm, just in time to beat high tide at camp. It was definitely helpful to have water shoes (Chacos/Keens,etc) as the rocks were slippery and we had to wade through the water a few times coming back. The point just south of Scotts Creek is impassable at high tide but there is an unofficial trail just behind it that we found and used with ease. We made it back to camp by 4pm just in time for naps and an early dinner. Since we had to get out early the next day, we packed up and hiked 1.5 hours back to Third Beach to camp for the night, arriving just before sunset. As we woke up to pouring rain, we were happy to only have to hike out 1.4 miles to the trailhead. Overall, a wonderful and very unique adventure!
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