rialto beach

Very cool beach to visit and watch the driftwood and the very interesting landscape. When we went it was about 15 degrees cooler than the rest of the park and it was pretty foggy, this to me enhanced the experience but it also limited the sights but I would recommend this as a must do.

To get to the beach we had to climb over all the large driftwood which made it fun. It was like a puzzle trying to pick your way through. Once on the beach, it was a peaceful stroll. Bring a picnic lunch.

Amazing to see all the driftwood on the shore. The stacks in the water are massive and just add to the beauty if this beach. Would have spent more time here if we could have.

Another awesome beach along the rugged Washington coast! We picked up Subway subs in Forks and brought it down to the beach for a picnic among the driftwood. It was a beautiful sunny day though very windy--- great for a long walk along the beach-heading to the right from the parking lot will take you to the 'hole in the wall'- but it is a lot further away than it seems;)

Photographing Rialto Beach, the Best Beach on the Olympic PeninsulaThis beach is just north of LaPush on the Pacific side of the Olympic Peninsula. Although it’s a stones through from La Push it’s an 11 mile (20 minute) drive from La Push as you have to go 5 or so miles up stream to where there’s a bridge across the Quillayute River which separates La Push from Rialto Beach. The good news is that you can drive right to the beach where there is a large parking lot. From the parking lot, there’s a small sand dune which separates the parking lot form the beach.This beach is known for it’s Sitka Spruce forest behind the beach, jumble of large driftwood on the beach and beautiful sunsets. The beach itself has lots of medium sized rounded stones and pebbles, but they are not hard to walk on. There are also thousands of large pieces of driftwood all over the place with very picturesque forms that look great in photos. PHOTOGRAPHING RIALTO BEACHIn early September we wanted to photograph the sunset and arrived at Rialto Beach around 4:45. The thought was that this would give us some time to wander up and down the beach to find interesting driftwood to use as a foreground for the sunset shots. However, when we got there it was quite foggy, not to mention damp and cold. Being sure that the sunset shoot would be a bust due to the low fog I switched gears and decided shoot moody – spooky shots by using the fog along with strangely shaped driftwood to give the desired affect. Not too long later the fog lifted a bit to form a low cloud cover leaving not enough at ground level for my idea. So, on to plan “C” of just getting shots of the driftwood with perhaps some fog in the background. This worked out to some degree. But then, much to my surprise (and delight), a bit before sunset the fog just went away leaving open skies with some interesting clouds above the western horizon. So, back to plan “A”. It was too close to sunset to now go off looking for just the right piece of driftwood to use in the foreground so I grabbed some shots of nearby driftwood in the warm golden light just before the sun touched the horizon and also turned around to face the sun for some dramatic shots to the west using my wife sitting on a log as a foreground element in my photos (see attached). So, the moral is not to give up on a shooting loctation too soon. Wait it out and maybe the photo gods will take pity on you and provide a great scene for you to shoot. So, how do you shoot it? To emphasize those rich gold, red, and violet colors, set you white balance (WB) to Cloudy. The cloudy setting is meant for cloudy days where the light is somewhat blue, so it subtracts some blue from your image making the warm colors all that much more rich and vibrant. When shooting with driftwood illuminated by the setting sun stand to the side so your shadow is not in the picture and so the light is not coming from directly behind you. This will show way more texture and contour in your driftwood than if the sun was directly behind you. For these shots, the standard camera exposure settings should work fine. If you want to shoot the sun itself as it sets it is a bit trickier as in the moments just before and after the sun sinks below the horizon the lighting changes very rapidly. In addition, with the bright sun in the shot it fools you camera’s meter and many times your exposure get’s thrown off. For this reason I usually switch to “M” (Manual”) mode for exposure or use exposure compensation to deliberately under expose the shots. The key is that you can get many different looks by either over or under exposing. While the sun is above the horizon I like the looks of under exposed shots best. Then after the sun is below the horizon, many times over exposing a bit brings out drama in the clouds. So, when shooting sunsets I shoot shots both over and under exposed and decide when I get home which I like better. You can see some examples of these attached to this review.When shooting something off in the distance, try to get something nearby in the foreground as well. Also, along with your landscape shots, look for strange shapes of the driftwood and also look for close up details like textures and patterns.If you found this information useful in your decision making process, you gleaned information you may not have otherwise discovered, or you just enjoyed reading it and appreciate the time I put into writing it, please give me a "helpful" vote. You’re welcome to contact me through danhartfordphoto dot com (where you can see photos of my travels) or through the “Ask Caifdan69 about .........” button at the bottom of this review

A magnificent wild coast with some enormous rocks that inspire one's imagination. It is a very picturesque location. Gloomy days (that are not rare at all in that part of the World) add to the dramatic atmosphere of the place.When we were there you actually needed a bit of adventurer spirit to reach the part of the coast with the most impressive rocks (that are nearest to the coast). The way to the rocks was blocked by an ice cold stream running from the forest to the ocean and one could only reach the other side of the stream by walking through a large log that served as a natural bridge. The beach is not far from the parking lot.

That I would have liked to see! We traveled to Rialto Beach as part of a Twilight Tour. If you get to the beach at low tide walk right, cross the river and keep going. In the cliffs that end the beach there is the Hole in the Wall and you can walk out into the ocean through the arch. Beware! If the tide comes in you will get stuck on the other side and there is no way out. Check the tides before you go. Worth the hike!

Gorgeous and easily accessible from the parking lot (we hiked the 7 mile round trip out to Ozette Beach-this was even more impressive). If you have one beach to stop at, make the drive out here.

The sea was not friendly the morning of our visit, but the experience was remarkable and wholly memorable.Date of Visit: 13Oct2014

Rialto Beach is a short drive from Forks WA, located within Olympic National Park. This is part of the very scenic WA coast line. Every time I've visited it's been quite cold here, so come prepared. The scenery is stunning, with sea stacks and driftwood aplenty. There are some info signs about the coast and it's dangers. Excellent photo ops for photographers. Photos will follow.

Was there for sunrise on an Oct morning. Had the place to myself. The play of sunlight and fog was amazing. The foliage ringing the inlet on the back side also added to the play of light and color. It was a great way to decompress for awhile. Very easy to get to. Pull up, park, scamper around the gigantic logs, and enjoy the scenery that awaits.

Just a short drive from Forks, the beach was deserted. Lots of huge driftwood trees and large pebbles on the beach. Sea Stacks and birds. Wonderful

I love this beach. It's chilly, but quiet and gorgeous. The tide pools and seastacks are amazing. Know the tides and plan accordingly. Stay through an entire tide cycle to see how amazing it is. You can even find a few tiny pieces of beach glass. My family is always happiest on the beach. This one has cold water, but they can handle it.

Mora and Rialto BeachWe headed to Mora after 2 nights in Kalaloch. The strategy was to pack up early and get here for walk-ins. There were some available every day. At least in August while we were there, “camp full” signs were usually up by 2p. There was a steady flow of disbelievers cruising till 7p. The good news is that there appeared to be a couple of RV parks in the vicinity to accommodate this over flow. It might be worth making a reservation there for 1st night to arrive early at the campground the next day.This camp ground was much more open, dry, and quiet (other than a neighbor who ran his generator from 630a-10p). The beach however is a couple miles away. The “path” to this beach is down a busy 2 lane road which is decidedly NOT pedestrian friendly. The beach is rugged, beautiful to look at, and there are excellent tide pools a short hike up the beach.Rialto beach is spectacular in a very rugged wild fashion. The beach is steep, littered with drift wood and VERY rocky in places. The steepness means that there is a wicked rip current that one should be aware of prior to entering the water. Plan a hike to “hole in the rock” at low tide to fully appreciate the beach and sea stacks. The tide pools were chocked full life- hermit crabs, anemones, some fish and even a healthy population of stars fish. Star fish are in decline throughout the Pacific NW from what is thought to be a viral illness that turns them to mush. Our girls (4 ages 7-10) complained for most of the 1.5mile hike but then decided it was worth it. These tide pools were the best I have seen, easily trumping Rosario beach at Deception pass which were great.There is good cell phone and 3G coverage in this area for AT+T and Verizon. There is a decent general store at 3 Forks 3miles up the road from the campground cover the basics drinks, smores, firewood (3-5$/bundle) and ice. If you want more, Forks is <10miles away has ACE hardware and groceries. There is also stuff for “Twilight” fans.On our way out we stopped at the Olympic Game farm in Sequim. I also recommend a visit there and review that separately.In the future I would like to bring Canoes and/or Kayaks to explore the calm Sol Duc/Quileute river estuary. We were able to appreciate pelicans, herons, mergansers, grebes in the water way. I suspect given time one might find otters and beavers as well.Bottom line. I recommend this place. Get there early in August and July because the campground is full. If you can, bring boats to paddle the estuary. Travel times here are underestimated by Google, it took us 90min+ from Kalaloch to Mora- Google estimated 54min. If you want to use the ferry make reservations from Port-Townsend at least 24hrs in advance, or be prepared to wait more than 2 hours in Ferry line ups at Port Gamble (no reservations). We were “treated” to the raising of the hood Canal bridge that brought busy traffic to a standstill for 40min. This is the only conduit across the canal connecting Sequim/Port Angeles to Port Gamble and Tacoma Narrows**Apparently there are no rules other than quiet hours from 10p-7a in Olympic National Park regarding generators. I support the campground hosts proposal that a regulation similar to Glacier National park, permitting no more than 2hrs 8a-noon, noon-6p, and 6p-10p. My experience at this campground was marred by the drone of a neighbor's generator that ran non-stop.

This beach had the easiest path to access, but the beach was very 'rocky.' I had a hard time walking on this one with my broken ankle as it had a slope and there were lots of pebbles/rocks and not as much sand. It was nice to see the cliffs from the 'other side' since we were staying in La Push. This might have been my least favorite beach that we saw but it could have been my discomfort or the fact that I was almost taken out by a wave :-) That being said, it is a beautiful beach and worth the visit. It was amazing weather during this trip with little wind, sunny and 75.