Just south of the village of La Push are three Olympic Coast charms: First, Second, and Third Beaches. Each one is sandy and broad and hemmed in by dramatic bluffs and headlands. And while they're in close proximity to each other, you can't hike from one to the next because those headlands block the way. With roadside access, First Beach is the easiest to get to and so can be crowded. Third Beach requires a 1.2-mile slog down a forested trail. But Second Beach is just right: a hike just long enough to discourage crowds, yet short enough to encourage all who want to see this beautiful beach.

Well-constructed and well-maintained, the trail starts on the Quileute Indian Reservation. Immediately cross a small creek lined with imposing Sitka spruce before beginning a short climb. At the height of the land enter Olympic National Park, and then begin a short, steep descent to the beach, the distant surf growing louder with each step you take. Soon, start catching glimpses of offshore sea stacks through the surrounding towering spruce. Before you know it, emerge on the log-lined shore. Take a deep breath. The beauty of this place just may leave you short of breath.

You can hike a short distance along the beach northward. Do it, for it'll lead you to a natural arch. But to really stretch your legs and get the most out of Second Beach, head south. Over 1 mile of sandy beach awaits your footprints.

Immediately offshore is a consortium of battered islets and sea stacks known as the Quillayute Needles. Crying Lady Rock is the largest of the batch. These forbidding landmarks are part of the Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge. Inhospitable to humans, they're productive breeding grounds to thousands of seabirds, oystercatchers, murres, gulls, petrels, cormorants, and auklets among them.

Continue wandering. Taste the salty spray coming off the crashing breakers. Eventually you'll come to an impasse, the headland named Teahwhit Head. But before you turn around and retrace your steps, scan the rugged bluff. Teahwhit Head is also graced with a natural arch. In retrospect you may conclude that with two arches, an awesome seascape, scores of pelagic birds, and an inviting sandy shoreline, Second Beach is second to none.