The morning we visited Rialto beach dawned clear and sunny as drove along the roads and through part of the Quileute Reservation to get to our destination. We did pass a large sign that says "No Vampires Beyond This Point. Treaty Line", covered in many signatures of individuals who have visited and are fans of the series. There were only a few members of our group that were disappointed we saw neither vampires or werewolves on our day there.
The parking lot for the beach is a little small, but we didn't have any trouble finding parking and people seemed to be coming/going fairly quickly. I would highly recommend checking the tide chart on the large board, as well as doing your own research to know when the high/low tides are. For safety, so you don't get stuck past certain points on the beach. But also for exploration purposes as there are places you can only see at low tide.
Rialto Beach is covered with rocks and pebbles all worn smooth by the constant crashing of waves. As well as massive driftwood trees that have washed up all over the beach. Some have been there so long they are bleached white by the sun. At times while walking along the beach, you can hear the sound of the rocks rolling and bouncing over one another as the water moves them around. We found several pebbles of surprising colors; green, red, purply-blue. As well as what appeared to be a small porpoise carcass.
What started as a clear sunny day, quickly changes as fog rolled in on the beach during our walk, giving the beach a sense of eerie calm and isolation as you couldn't see very far in either direction. The quick shifts in weather are common in the Olympic National Park especially along the coast, so just something to be aware of and keep in the back of your mind.
We made our way north along the beach (quite a calf workout walking on rocks and pebbles of various sizes, but overall an easy stroll) to check out the tide pools and rock formations.
One notable rock formation we saw is called Split Rock. An aptly named rock formation as it is a large and impressively tall formation that is split right down the middle, creating a fissure that fills with sea water. Very carefully maneuvering our way over the slick rocks, we were able to look through the split to the waves crashing between. And check out the tide pools around the formation, finding lots of green sea anemones.
Our goal for Rialto Beach was to reach one rock formation which can only be fully explored at low tide: Hole-in-the-Wall rock formation. This sea carved arch rock formation is located close to 2 miles (I read different sites that say 1.5 miles, 2 miles, or anywhere in between there) north along the beach from the parking lot. As the name implies, this rock arch makes a hole in the cliff wall that you can pass through. The rocks are slippery and do require some scrambling to get to the hole. This is fairly easily done in shoes with good traction. Some of our group wore sneakers, other opted for water shoes so we could go in the chilly water and explore more tide pools. It is definitely a cool view from either side, and I think worth it to at least pop your head through and see what there is to see on the other side.
On the way to the Hole-in-the-Wall and on the way back we saw several bald eagles either perched in the tall trees that border the beach or on the cliff faces. It was an added bonus to be able to watch them soar along down the beach towards the river.
Notes:
wear or bring shoes with good traction
a small day pack with water and extra layer(s) - i.e. long sleeve or raincoat as the weather did change fairly quickly from a sunny day to a foggy one with a light misty drizzle
a picture or physical copy of the tide charts - be aware of the timing and shifts as they can make parts of the beach very difficult to access or get back from. I saw people posting about how they had to climb over some of the very large driftwood trees and go up off the beach into the woods to get back at high tide
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