Stats, trail tips and important information regarding this trail are located at the bottom of the blog post. Unless explicitly noted, all pictures in this blog are owned by me and should otherwise not be used without expressed written consent.

The day of April 20, 2025 was an ambitious one, at least in terms of volume of hikes. First, we hiked Hike #651: Rialto Beach to Hole-in-the-Wall. It’s well-known that Washington can be quite rainy and damp in April. This day was no different, at least during our first hike. As we drove towards Second Beach, the weather cleared up significantly. As you can see in the first picture, the parking lot to Second Beach is relatively small and I suspect it fills up quickly during prime travel season.

Unlike the Hole-in-the-Wall hike, the journey to Second Beach begins with a romp in the woods. Of course, you are in Olympic National Park so it’s quite lush with some interesting flora to observe. The beauty of this plant is eclipsed (or counteracted? haha) by its name: the American skunk cabbage…

Flower, I don’t care what your name is. You still got it goin’ on. 🙂 There were many of these on the trail towards Second Beach, which was a serene experience. After all, the supposedly quietest place in the United States is somewhere in this same park (Olympic National Park). Most of the stroll through the woods was casual with minimal effort, but there was a modest elevation change towards the beach.

Many of the hikes I’m on, I’m left to ponder “Does human intervention have a negative impact, or does it create something interesting?” This exposed tree root system has been leveraged as a smooth-rock “offering” over time. I found it interesting…

As we exited the forest and hit sand, you’re immediately greeted with a spectacular view of this nearby island/ sea stack. I don’t believe it has a name, but wow. You’ll see me doing the “beautiful feature reflecting in the water” thing again. 🙂 It’s a little cliche, but it is way too stunning to ignore. I love how the pockets of ocean water reflect to create a zig zag effect on the island’s silhouette.

Here is what you first encounter when you enter Second Beach from the forest:

We also captured an interesting moment where a row of birds migrating north were flying behind two sea stacks near the beach. Check it out! …

Here’s a distant view of the sea stack, what you will first see when you arrive at the beach….

We were still at close to low tide so there were several puddles around. Unfortunately, the puddles did not contain much sea life. At another sea stack that was accessible – it was a different story!…

Sometimes when I travel, I am continually amazed at how colorful the world is – bright pinks, deep yellows, fluorescent greens. Low tide on the Washington Coast was probably one of the most naturally colorful hikes of done. We walked around this temporarily coast bound sea stack and were amazed at the sea life! I’m having trouble confidently identifying the above, but perhaps it is a beautiful pink anemone? And check out this interesting, gelatinous blob…

This jelly-like blob, what appears to be a bryozoan, looks straight out of a corny ’80’s horror movie! We kept tip-toeing around the rocks (trying to avoid walking on living organisms) and came across a fish galaxy! *dmm dmm tss*….

It’s a galaxy of starfish! Are you amaized at how corny that joke was? I am. Anyway, that’s well over a dozen starfish! I’ve seen a handful of starfish in my life so seeing so many in one spot was a real treat. Here’s a closeup of a purple starfish and large green anemone…

These green anemone, man. They don’t look real, do they? Absolutely beautiful creatures. Here’s another one, surrounded by a gelatinous blob. Which begs the question – is the above really a bryozoan? I don’t profess to be a biologist and Google image searches can only get you so far. 🙂

This particular tide pool had an abundance of anemone!

As one would suspect with highly immobile species – they all get along pretty well!…

As we walked around the beach area, we found this intriguing moss-covered rock…

We explored the other side of the beach, where this was this ENORMOUS driftwood log was hanging out. We summoned a crow to give you a size perspective. 😎

We finished up the hike having lunch on top of the driftwood. One of my most favorite recent lunch spots! Credit to Jason for the awesome pic.

After lunch, we made our way back through the woods, to the parking lot and off to our next hike! We did three hikes this day, the third of which was not on my hiking bucket list. If I add it to my list, you will see it on my website soon.

Total Distance/Time: 2.7 miles 1 in 25 hr min
Calories Burned: 773
Trail Type: Out-and-back
Trail Features: Tide pools, haystacks, lush forest greenery, seagulls, (possibly) whales, beach, driftwood
Best Time to Hike: May through August
Difficulty Rating: 6.5/10
Trailhead Coordinates: 47.898, -124.623
Trail Tips:

• Parking: We did not have any trouble parking, but I can easily see this parking lot filling up during the busy season and more so during low tide. I would get there in the morning or an hour or so before low tide.
• Sand: This is the proverbial warning that hiking in sand is more difficult than hiking on dirt. Yeah, you get to choose how much you explore the beach on this hike so it isn’t much of a concern here. But it’s worth considering. Wear appropriate footwear!
• Low Tide: To really experience the beauty of this hike, I would recommend going during low tide. Yes, it probably will not be a secret. The beach will be busier. But the light hike to this beach will deter more people than other hikes that are more easily accessible.