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The Olympic Peninsula on the upper west coast of Washington State has a wide variety of ecosystems. During our week on the peninsula, we had the opportunity to stroll through a rain forest, hike along a ridge-line trail, and visit several magnificent Pacific Northwest beaches, including Second Beach.
Getting to Second Beach
Beach-goers must hike a 0.7 mile trail through a luscious and lofty seaside forest to reach this beautiful beach.
Can’t say we’ve ever hiked through a forest to go to the beach!
The trail varies slightly in elevation (no more than 100 ft) and gets a little steep toward the end! (Coming back up certainly was “fun”!)
The view of sea stacks through the towering trees was the quintessential Pacific Northwest scene we were anticipating.
This is truly where the forest meets the sea!
Upon passing through the clearing of trees, we laid eyes on massive sea stacks and endless miles of beach.
These beaches are nothing like the east coast beaches we grew up with in Florida!
The wildlife is unique to the area as well. Bald eagles, seals, and bird life can be spotted on the off-shore sea stacks. Mussels cling to rocks, and a variety of sea stars and urchins slowly move about in the shallow waters near the shoreline.
This goes to show that beaches aren’t always colorful umbrellas, bikinis, and palm trees.
Even with the sub-tropical temps, the beaches of the Pacific Northwest are definitely worth the visit!
