Sand Point, North Coast Route, Norwegian Memorial & Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall — Saturday, May. 28, 2011

Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast

This report is about a 2-night coastal backpacking hike starting at Rialto Beach and north to Sand Point (with the following points of interest we went through or got really close to: Hole-in-the-Wall, Chilean Memorial (passed nearby), Cape Johnson, Cedar Creek Campsite, Kayostia Beach, Norwegian Memorial (passed nearby), Yellow Banks, Sand Point, and Ozette Ranger Station). Highlights: Awesome coastal scenery; sea stacks; animals (eagles, falcons, seals, otters, raccoons, starfish, crabs, etc); oceanfront lodgings and beautiful sunsets (on a clear day). Lowlights: very difficult, slippery terrain; extremely steep, muddy overland trails; dangerous tides Words of WARNING: the terrain on this hike is very difficult and it's essential to carry a tide chart and topo map to plan out your crossings appropriately. Except for a few 1-mile-long stretches, most of this hike is NOT a beach. Most of the time you are lucky if you get to travel on gravel or pebbles. Often times you have to navigate wet and slippery headland rocks, mudslides, slippery fallen trees. You should allow for additional time in case of unforeseen obstacles. A few of the most treacherous headland outcroppings have steep overland trails but most of those have to be climbed using rope (if it's there). Some areas are only passable at low tide with no overland trails available at all. We started the hike by parking one car at the Ozette Ranger Station parking lot (where we were also able to obtain our overnight permits and rent the required bear canisters). We then drove towards Forks and turned onto the La Push/Mora road (Once on the La Push road, watch carefully for the signs for Rialto; they're placed poorly and a bit confusing. Basically you need to turn right at the first gas station/campsite looking area). We parked the second car at the Rialto Beach parking lot and set off. The trek to Hole-in-the-Wall is quite easy. We had arrived at the parking lot right at the crest of the tide and were expecting the tide to have receded enough to pass the Hole but it was still too high (first lesson: the tide chart/topo map combo should only be used for estimation, it does not necessarily guarantee that some place will or won't be passable at a given time). Instead of waiting we took the fairly easy overland trail and continued on. The beach now had more rocks and gravel than sand. The easy part was over. We continued on for another 1.5 miles or so (to around the point right south of Cape Johnson) and decided to stop for lunch. After that we kept going with the terrain getting more difficult with lots of big rocks to scramble over which made it slow-going. This lasted for about 2.5 miles. At that point we started hurrying to make it in time to get around Cape Johnson and the next point as the tide was slowly starting to rise. Specifically that next point has a vertical wall coming straight into the ocean that would be impassible at higher tides. After that slightly easier though still pebbly terrain followed for the next 1.5 miles until we reached the first roped overland trail. This one was the easiest rope to use. The beach got slightly easier but there were lots of mudslides and fallen trees that obstructed the way and took time to get around, over, or under them. The ground was still very soft and easy to sink into. Another mile and another roped overland trail. Then more pebbles and small rocks and a bit of sand till we got to our campsite at Cedar Creek. The campsite here is really nice with great views of the ocean. The map we had marked it slightly incorrectly. Make sure to continue on past the creek mouth. It should be right on the low bluffs. The next morning we started off a bit later than we had hoped, the tide started coming in, and it did not look like getting around the headland would be possible. This was later confirmed by other members of our party who tried getting around only to find themselves having to turn back around 3/4 of the way around. We went straight for the overland trail. The climb up used to have what looked like a nice wooden ladder. However the steps were no longer attached to one of the supporting ropes and instead hung loosely from the other. Fortunately there was yet a third rope you could use to climb up the slipper slope. Going down on the other side was yet again challenging but doable. Afterwards there was a 1-mile-long stretch of sandy Kayostia Beach. Enjoy it while it lasts (that is, until the abandoned Norwegian Memorial trailhead). What follows for the next 4 miles is an unending length of steep cliffs, boulders, sharp rock, and slippery inter-tidal rock bed that extends up to 500 feet away from the cliffs. We crossed it at low tide. At high tide there are plenty of sections that would not be passable. Because of the difficult terrain it still took hours and hours to cross. This was certainly the most difficult part of the whole trip. Fortunately after that you are greeted with a long stretch of nice sandy beach at Yellow Banks. One more headland crossing; while getting around still seemed doable we opted instead to climb through the hole just to be safe considering the now-rising tide. After that another nice stretch of sandy beach to South Sand Point where we camped for the night. The campsite entrance is at the unmaintained trailhead (clearly marked) to Erickson Bay (on Ozette Lake). The campsite is quite nice with 8 good spots. Don't freak out that the water in the nearby creek is a bit reddish-brown. It supposed to be colored thus by the leaves and cedar. It's quite drinkable once treated. The last day was easy with a brisk way to the tip of Sand Point and the 3 miles of boardwalk (fortunately it wasn't that slippery) to Ozette Ranger Station.