I chose a day with a negative tide when I went to the Salt Lake Recreation Area. I primarily wanted to hike around Tongue Point and check out the tide pools. To access the beach, I parked at the kiosk at the end of Tongue Point Rd. (within the tent camping area).

The trail to the beach was fine down to the end of the cement steps. Beyond the steps, there were large boulders & rocks that I had to navigate (these are usually covered by water). I would guess that the elevation difference between the bottom step and the beach was about 100 feet with a very steep incline)

I used my trekking poles to help my balance as I gingerly stepped from one to another, making my way down to the beach. Younger adults and children had an easier time than I did, but now that I'm 60 and have had both knees replaced, I've lost my confidence of jumping from one boulder to another. If I didn't have my trekking poles with me, I wouldn't even attempt climbing down to the beach (it was very steep). Oh, and many of the rocks were covered with barnacles, so a fall would surely tear up the skin! 

Once on the beach, about an hour before full-on low tide, I saw a multiple of crabs in various sizes, different types of seaweed/seagrass, tubes from feather duster worms, periwinkles, and thousands of mussels. I didn't see a single sea star, so I don't know if that's normal for the area or if it's a result of the wasting disease from a couple years ago.

I rounded once mussel covered rock and came face to face with a raccoon. He was eating mussels, but then he suddenly stuck his head between two rocks, back legs practically in the air, and very intent on getting something that I had yet to see. It took him a couple of minutes, but he finally popped up triumphant. He had found a good size fish (about 6" long) that had been trapped by the low tide. He was content to sit them and eat half of it while I watched from four feet away, before he took the remainder of his catch and climbed up the steep cliff (making it look so easy).

Instead of going back over the boulders/rocks to get to the cement steps I came down, I skirted most of them and found that it was easier to reach a different set up steps (that didn't have me cringing in fear).

When I got to the top of the steps, I was rewarded with a gorgeous view and Indian paintbrush starting to bloom.

Salt Creek Recreational Area operated by Clallam County perches on a cliff abutting the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Beautiful ocean views (the rest of the Olympic peninsula to the west, Vancouver island to the north, San Juan Islands & Mt Baker to the east), lots of trails through the woods, stairs down the cliffs get you right next to crashing waves, and during low tide, scrambling about and exploring all the tidal basins; also walk out to the island pictured. If you look really closely, there is a bald eagle perched on the snag at the very right edge of the island. A few brave souls were swimming in the shallows next to the island during high tide. Camp out in wooded sites, some with ocean views, watch the eagle soar as he fishes the kelp beds at sunset. Take lots of warm clothes - the ocean breeze really keeps things on the cool side, especially if you have a campsite in the shade. I left Seattle in tank top and shorts. Ended up with 5 top layers, long pants, and ski cap by bedtime. I had left Tokyo Tessie at home and brought my canopied truck instead, which was a good thing because I was cozy in the truck while my friends shivered all night in their tents. But the views are worth every bit of shivering.