Day 5 - Cape Flattery & Forks

We left Port Angeles this morning and headed west, further out onto the peninsula. In fact, we headed as far Northwest as you can travel in the continental United States - to Cape Flattery on the Makah Indian Reservation. The trailhead is about 7 miles past the small village of Neah Bay. The trail winds through beautiful, mature forests. Be careful not to step on a slow moving Banana Slug. We saw one of these 6 " slimy, yellow beauties moving across the trail at a virtual snail's pace. Boardwalks have been installed along much of the wettest and furthest reaches of the trail and there are observation decks over-looking stunning views. The vistas of the Pacific Ocean, the Strait of Juan de Fuca, Vancouver and the Tatoosh Islands are not to be missed - not to mention the sea cliffs and marine life! This destination is a little out of the way, but well worth the time. There were very few people here, making for a peaceful and very enjoyable morning. We spent about 2 hours enjoying the views and shooting photos, but the hike itself is probably only a 45 minute round-trip.          

Then we made our way back to the main route, Hwy 101, and South to the town of Forks. We checked into a very cute and quaint motel and spent a little time settling into our room. We grabbed a very tasty and inexpensive early dinner at the town cafe and headed out towards coast.

Our first stop was at the end of the road just outside of the town of La Push. Rialto Beach is a long stretch of rugged coastline with numerous sea stacks and giant, downed, driftwood trees pushed up to the top of the beach, by the ocean tides, against the live forest. These trees are piled high enough to block your view of the ocean from the parking lot. Once you make your way through the jumble the views are open and vast. It is about a .75 mile walk up the beach to the Hole in the Wall - make sure to check the tide tables before you go. We arrived just before low tide, but it was also the middle of the afternoon - not the best time for photography. But this was our first experience with a real north-coast beach, so we were excited to shed our shoes and walk barefoot in the sand through the ocean breeze. Because our timing was good with the tide, we were able to walk through the Hole in the Wall and I took some photos of a large sea stack viewed through the natural arch. 

Driving back towards Forks, you'll find the trailhead for Second Beach just outside town of La Push. The trail is fairly short as it works its way through the thick woods and down to the ocean. The sun's rays cutting sideways through the dark canopy of the forest reminded me of some medieval scene from a movie. After descending down a series of steps and switch-backs you arrive at another jumbled pile of giant trees strewn across the top of the beach like driftwood. There are several large sea stacks close to shore which provide excellent foreground for sunset photography. We were early for the late middle-of-the-summer sunset, so we had plenty of time to enjoy the scenery. Second Beach is known for its incredible sunsets. It is a well deserved reputation.