One of the places we were the most excited to visit during our trip to Olympic National Park was Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall. My kids love sand—they love to get it in their hair, in the car, in their beds! The grownups were pretty interested in the tide pools that Rialto Beach is famous for. (Well, the kids were excited about those too I guess—and the sand).
There are a lot of stunning beaches to choose from inside Olympic National Park. We opted to visit a few, but Rialto Beach was definitely a highlight.
We planned to go around the tides. If you want to visit Rialto Beach, or any beach for that matter in the Park, it is important to consult a tide chart. A ranger can help if you don't know where to find one or if you aren't sure how to read it. The tide chart is important because it will let you know what time you need to get to your destination to experience tide pools. And, on some beaches, you will need a low tide to be able to walk along the beach and get back safely.
We chose a day that didn't have us waking up at 5 AM or earlier to do the long drive, then the longish walk to the tide pools.
Rialto Beach is popular!
If you do plan to visit Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall, which I highly recommend, keep in mind that parking can be a challenge. It is definitely one reason to go on the early side—you are more likely to find parking.
Also, you might consider packing lunch or at least snacks! There are no close food options once you are there—and you won't want to give up that coveted parking spot if you have to leave for food.
The tide pools
There is a lot to see at Rialto Beach, but the tide pools are incredible. You can see purple and orange starfish, green sea anemones, kelp in all shades, little fish (sculpin in particular!), and more!
We walked for about 20–30 minutes before my kids had to stop and look at the nearest tide pool. They would have happily spent the entire day searching for things and pointing them out. They also loved being able to gently touch some sea life like star fish. If the tide hadn't started to rise, we might still be there.
Once the water did start to rise, we continued on our way to Hole-in-the-Wall. There is picturesque driftwood lining the beach that is bleached. The beach itself is made of all sorts of rocks (though it can make it slower to walk on it!). The sea stacks rising from the water are gorgeous. And if you are there early enough, as we were, there will be a light fog that adds a mysterious quality to the entire walk.
Hole-in-the-Wall
This is the big destination for many folks headed to Rialto Beach. Once you are there, it is easy to see why. It's very pretty and photographic. Though, there can be a lot of people, so you might have to get creative to get that photo free of other folks!
Still, it was a lovely place to explore with the kids. Though, it can be slippery, so if you have wet shoes/water shoes with good grippy soles, I highly recommend using them. Plus, if you are traveling with kids, they will absolutely want to walk in all the large pools of water, whether you want them to or not.
Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall—Fun for the whole family!
Rialto Beach and Hole-in-the-Wall is fun for the entire family! Besides the tide pools, there is a lot to keep kids of all ages interested. My kids spent more than an hour walking on the large driftwood bordering the beach—really just trees that have fallen and been bleached.
My kids also loved gathering rocks of all colors and textures to try to make a rainbow of rocks. We spent a long time looking for ones of different shapes and sizes. It was also an opportunity to talk about why we then leave the rocks so as not to disturb anything!
On our walk back to the car, we saw a bunch of seals! This was a big highlight for the kids. Well, and the sand :)
Comments