One of our favorite adventures in the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State is the hike to Rialto Beach, located in the Olympic National Park. We love the Olympic Peninsula for its coastal beaches, mountains, lavender farms, and its unique beaches and sea life. And the beaches contain so much sea life! Before reaching Split Rock and Hole in the wall, you will see a few rocks on the beach with starfish. However, when you arrive at Split Rock, you will be overwhelmed by the number and variety of starfish and sea anemones.
Our favorite place on Rialto Beach is Split Rock. We couldn’t believe how many starfish and sea anemones were in this area! We spent most of our time at Split Rock, counting the starfish and listening to the waves. It took us awhile to pull ourselves away and hike back even though the tide was coming in.
To hike this trail, you can use the Rialto Beach Tide Chart to determine when low tide occurs. You must hike the beach during low tide as it is not accessible during high tide. This is a short 3.3 mile hike along the beach. You will see many people on this hike and you can easily follow them from the parking lot. Restrooms are available at the parking lot.
From the parking lot, simply turn right and hike down the beach with lots of other people on the Hole-in-the-Wall Trail. Give yourself plenty of time to explore and take your picture at Hole-in-the Wall. Check out all the amazing sea life and have fun! Although we also explored Kalaloch Beach 4in the Olympic National Park, Rialto Beach is our favorite beach in this area and we will visit again when we come back.