Trail Guide: Hole in the Rock at Rialto Beach

There are many beautiful beaches along the NW coast of WA featuring sea stacks, foggy rainforests, sculptured drift wood, and miles of gorgeous coast line. The trick is which one to visit! If you have time I highly recommend them ALL but Rialto Beach really captured our attention the most. The reason being is it has a very doable and gorgeous trail to Hole in the Rock!

While the La Push beaches have trails that connect to other smaller beaches, there really was something magical about the short trip to the hole in the rock.

There’s beautiful sea stacks and tide pools along the route and the way the fog slowly dissipates out from the trees over the water is something magical to see. It can be completely sunny over the beach but the trees will still hold a haze until the late afternoon.

Best time to visit Rialto Beach:

Rialto Beach is accessible all year round and “mostly” snow free in the winter. For the best chances at sun and warm weather to enjoy the beach I recommend the summer but know that it WILL be crowded. If you visit on a Saturday morning like we did, get to the beach by 8AM to get a spot in the parking lot.

Best time of day

*By day, check when low tide is and aim to go around then, or at least avoid the hike at high tide. This gives you a lot more space on the beach to roam and will keep you dry. It also reveals all the little tide pools.

I am also partial to morning because the morning light in the trees is MAGICAL.

Beach/ Trailhead directions:

From Forks, WA, head North on US 101 for 1.5 miles before turning left onto WA-110W/ La Push Rd. Follow this road for 5 miles before taking the right fork onto Mora Rd. Drive to the end of the road where it forks again into two parking areas. The parking lot is on the right and is where the restrooms/ TH is located but either parking area will work.

Left: The view from the TH to the left. Right pic: The view of where you are headed

Hole in the Rock Trail Details:

Distance: ~3.7 miles RT
Elevation Gain: flat
Difficulty: Easy
Time: 2 hours for the trail, extra time for beach combing
Fees: free
Facilities: flushing toilets in the parking area

*Recommended footwear: While you can certainly wear sandals for the hike, keep in mind the distance and how difficult it can be walking in sand and small rocks. Only wear sandals if your feet can handle lots of small pebbles and grits of sand getting under foot.

Trail Description

This trail is incredibly difficult to get lost on. Just turn right from the parking lot (heading North) and follow the shore the whole way until you reach the cliffs.

The reason you want to go at low tide is so you don’t have to navigate all this drift wood!

You may encounter a stream (river?) crossing along the way that cuts from the trees down to the beach. It was mid calf deep the morning we hiked here. Since I wore chacos, I waded through. Braden made a harrowing leap.

On our way back however we discovered a spot further up near the tree line where you can cross this small river on tree logs. I’d recommend looking for that. Much easier than leaping or hiking in wet shoes.

You will know you are getting close when you get to the fin shaped rock. Hole in the Rock is just behind it!

Then you can actually walk through the hole in the rock (again low tide) and wander along the shore a little further. Return the same way you came and explore around as you may find some hidden gems.

In the morning the best photos are going to be from the other side of the hole.

Checking out all the little tide pools around the hole in the rock on our hike back

Obsessed with the “fin” shaped rock outcrops!

Looking around we also found another “hole” in a rock. Perks of visiting at low tide!

All in all this trail and this beach blew my expectations for a PNW beach experience out of the water! I’m sure backpacking/ camping along the beach would also be fantastic! Either way, this trail and this beach definitely belong on any Washington bucketlist.