Anyone know Rialto Beach, Washington?

Marion David Poff

Marion David Poff

Joined
Oct 8, 1998
Messages
5,403
Howdy,

My girl is not the outdoor type, cue the Lemonheads....

But, my interest is getting her interested, so I am happy to encourage any sign that she shows, any time she wants to go outside.

She has been telling me that she wants to camp at Rialto Beach, and I am to understand that "Wedding Rocks" is nearby....

What do you all know about this country? Anyone ever been there? What do I need to know? Is it busy, do I need to make reservations? Are there facilities, or will I need to prepare her for pooping in the woods?

Thanks in advance....
Marion
 
Marion David Poff said:
Bump...

Somebody has got to know about this beach....

Marion
Click to expand...

Hi Marion, I haven't been to Rialto itself, but I've camped on the beach further north. From La Push to the tip of the peninsula is pretty much a long continuous beach. When I've gone, we had to check in at the ranger station in Forks and get backcountry access permits, as our spot is within the part of the beach that is in Olympic Nat'l Park. I bet you can find a phone number for the station in Forks and get more detailed info about where to camp. A lot of people go to Shi Shi beach at the northern tip of the peninsula.

For more logistical info, the beach itself should be very nice. Relatively bug free, nice sand, lots of seals and otters around. Expect rain, though you may get lucky and just see threats of rain. In mid-summer you can expect temps to reach around 75 or so if it is sunny, and 55 or so if rainy. The water will be cold, but you can go in if you want, but I might recommend having a fire burning before you do. Overall, it is a great area, and you can do day trips for hiking, rainforests, etc.

From Couer'D Alene, drive time is probably 10-11 hours. Its around 4 from Seattle.

Map Link: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...68,-124.428406&spn=0.596992,0.915985&t=h&z=10

Eric
 
Marion David Poff said:
Howdy,

My girl is not the outdoor type, cue the Lemonheads....

But, my interest is getting her interested, so I am happy to encourage any sign that she shows, any time she wants to go outside.

She has been telling me that she wants to camp at Rialto Beach, and I am to understand that "Wedding Rocks" is nearby....

What do you all know about this country? Anyone ever been there? What do I need to know? Is it busy, do I need to make reservations? Are there facilities, or will I need to prepare her for pooping in the woods?

Thanks in advance....
Marion
Click to expand...

First, I think you may have Rialto Beach and Cape Alava confused. I might be mistaken, but I don't think there's camping at Rialto Beach, and Wedding Rocks is a pretty hefty chunk of beach walking north of there. Cape Alava, however, is a short hike from the parking area along slick boardwalks 3.1 miles to the beach. There are numerous camping sites here, but expect things to be pretty full-up on summer weekends. The inevitable pre-teen church retreat from nearby Forks or La Push will likely be camped in the 6 spots surrounding yours. Very lovely, though, when you have the place all to yourself. And bring a bear canister, no matter where in that area you settle on. Bear lines are no longer allowed, and you can catch a hefty fine if you try to use one. My recommendation: Plan to hike the Cape Alava/Sand Point/Ozette loop (it's just a tad over 9 miles total, very doable as an overnight loop), and camp at Wedding Rocks. Less people there for sure. You'd probably still want to call ahead for a permit from Olympic National Park. They can also give you more info on how potentially busy things might be on the weekend you're planning to go. Here's a link I dug up for you.
http://www.seattlepi.com/getaways/020499/hike04.html
It's a nice article from the Seattle P-I from awhile back, but things haven't changed all that much (I was last there in 2004) since that article was published. Hope this helps. It should be beautiful out there from July through September. Have a great time, and for pete's sake be careful on those damnable boardwalks!
 
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