Third Beach, Forks

Though I’ve hiked, camped, and backpacked in several forests and mountain ranges, the Olympic Peninsula is still by far my personal preference. The lush greenery, the large rock formations jutting out of the Pacific Ocean, and the wide variety of mushrooms keep calling me back. The Third Beach backpacking trail starts at Third Beach Trailhead off Highway 110, and heads south until you reach the Hoh River delta, about 16 miles one way (32 miles total).

The trail itself traverses over many terrains, including the forest floor, river beds, and sandy coasts, as you go from inlet to inlet. One thing to be prepared for is that you’ll need to climb up the side of the bluffs to get from one bay to the next (and by that, I mean rope-assisted vertical climbing). However, the views along the way are worth the difficult vertical scrambling!

Top highlights from this trail include:

• teeming-with-life tide pools

• gorgeous-beach-front sunsets

• beach-front campsites

The particular view I’ve chosen (on the sticker, Third Beach) is from Strawberry Point, a popular spot to pitch your tent (or hammock) for the night, 5 miles into the trail. Beware though - keep track of the water because high tide covers parts of the trail and you don’t want to get stuck on the wrong side of bluff!

Lastly, if you want to make this a day trip instead, Third Beach itself is roughly 1 mile from the parking lot through the trees, and there is lots of coast to walk up and down. Parking is limited so head over early in the day!