Ruby Beach is part of the Olympic National Park. There are signs off Hwy 101 near the entrance about 10 miles north of Kalaloch. A National Park pass is required for parking (there is lots of it) and there is a privy in the parking lot. This is a popular beach!
I visited on the Thursday and again on Friday of a holiday weekend. It was busy, but I did not have a problem finding a parking spot. There is a .25 mile zig zag trail to the beach. Once you arrive at the beach trailhead, you have to meander around driftwood or climb over it to get to the beach. The trailhead area of the beach is very busy with visitors. There are two large pools that people frequently dip into and large rocks nearby for climbing and tide pooling.
On Thursday, I walked the beach south from the trailhead and saw very few people. On Friday, I walked about a mile north from the trail head and saw more people, but they thinned out the farther I hiked. Most people congregate near the trailhead. The weather and overall hike were pleasant. I could only go about a mile south of the trailhead, but could have gone farther to the north.
At high tide, the beach is rocky (all sizes of rocks), so it might be better for hiking and tide-pooling to visit at a low tide. I saw lots of birds, including eagles, near the cliffs. I also saw an otter in the water. The large rocks and cliffs are picturesque. The south route has lots of caves in the rock walls and seems to have less rocks on the beach. I googled the name and the beach is supposed to have almandite, a type of garnet stone, in the sand giving the beach a ruby tint. I did not notice the red tint in the sand or rocks, but maybe you will.
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