This is one of my favorite coastal hikes in the Pacific Northwest. It takes the wild and rugged coastline to the next level, with innumerable sea stacks and interesting rock formations that can be explored at low tide.
Because there are so many cool rocks and tide pools, I'd highly recommend timing your visit so you'll reach Point of the Arches (the midpoint of the hike) at or before low tide. This rocky headland is where you'll find the spectacular sea stacks and tide pools. Part of the area isn't accessible at high tide.
We timed the hike for a day when low tide was just before sunset, which made the lighting magical. We spent too long watching the sunset, though, and had to hike back in the dark.
I read a lot of reviews that mentioned extreme mud. We went at the end of the dry season and found that the trail was muddy, but there were routes around the mud that allowed us to fairly easily avoid any trouble. We both wore regular running shoes and didn't need to hose them off afterward. If you're concerned about mud, end of summer seems like a good option for timing the hike.
We went on a Thursday and encountered a dozen or so other groups on the beach. It seemed very peaceful for such a spectacular hike.
We made a video of our hike (below). Happy hiking!
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