Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall — Thursday, Jun. 12, 2014

Olympic Peninsula > Pacific Coast

We started this hike around 2pm and the tide was higher than I expected. It would have been a good idea to bring a tide chart which we did not but we decided to take our chances cautiously. A mile into the hike there are a couple of signs up in the trees indicating that Ellen's Creek is there but we didn't see any kind of a creek crossing the beach into the ocean. Perhaps they meet during wetter times of the year. There was however a large area covered with tannin colored water that we assumed was a tide pool. At 2 miles we reached the Hole in the Wall where we and a few backpackers were waiting for the tide to go down a little more before making our way through the actual "hole". It was worth the wait which was only about an hour. This hike is a nice stroll on the beach beginning at Rialto Beach. The sound of waves crashing against the few sea stacks scattered along the shore has a calming affect. I recommend bringing a tide chart so you can know when it's low tide. Otherwise, you'll have to admire the Hole in the Wall from a distance.