Rialto Beach and Salt Creek Recreation Area - Washington State, USA

Washington State, USA - Travel Series - Part I

AH, MOTHERHOOD! I am currently experiencing the joys of welcoming a newborn into the world, which includes watching marathons of Netflix while this adorable milk monster goes on wild feeding ragers at all hours and turns her parents into laundry zombies. Currently with the entire Twilight series available on Netflix, I am working my way through Eclipse with two more movies to go. As such, my apologies for the pause on travel and book reviews as we learn to juggle this extremely cute but demanding infant 😊.

The paranormal phenomenon that is Twilight originates in Forks, Washington, where Stephanie Meyer made the Olympic Peninsula even more famous for its moody cloud cover and rainforests that hide secrets and monsters. In my travels there, I’ve never encountered wolves or vampires but something much cuter – otters! Among herons, anemones, starfish, deer, and bold raccoons if you can muster the courage to camp in drizzle. As such, introducing the Washington State Travel series. Let’s kick it off with two beautiful destinations – Rialto Beach and Saltwater Creek Recreation Area.

Rialto Beach, Washington – Hole in the Wall

Twilight fans are intimately familiar with La Push, home to main character Jacob and the werewolf pack of the Quileute Tribe. Off of La Push Road on the Olympic coast is Mora Road and the heavily wooded Mora Campground, which offers a great launch point to access many of the coastal beaches. A very memorable beach is Rialto, accessible along Mora Road and about 75 miles west of Port Angeles (around 4 hour drive west from Seattle). Rialto Beach is also directly north of the Quileute reservation.

You can reserve campsites at Mora Campground from May 26, 2021 - September 15, 2021 and find details here: https://www.recreation.gov/. The rest of the year it’s first come, first served to claim a site.  

Keep traveling west on Mora Road until you hit the coast, and you’ll find Rialto beach. There is a wonderful 1.5 mile hike to Hole in the Wall, a dramatic sea arch. Prepare to get a little wet depending on how high the tide is! Crabs, anemones, and seabirds abound. You can keep hiking beyond the Hole as well, or stop and enjoy the surf.

At the parking lot, take some time to look a little south at the reservation. You’ll spy Akalat Island, a sacred place to the Quileute Tribe. Deceased chiefs are put to rest in canoes cradled in the arms of trees. Look and wonder but don’t visit 😊.

Saltwater Creek Recreation Area & Crescent Beach – Washington

On your way back inland, there is plenty to explore. Saltwater Creek Recreation Area is a beautiful and atmospheric campground situated in the cliffs overlooking the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Located in Clallam County, Washington, travel along US Route 101 to discover this 196-acre park located 15 miles west of Port Angeles, Washington.

This makes for a fun 1-2 day exploring excursion and is a wonderful jump off point to plenty of hikes in the area. Salt Creek campground is RV and tent friendly, offering multiple options for small and large groups. You will likely be greeted by deer on your way in, and many of the campsites are dramatically right near the cliff edge.

Within walking distance is a trail that winds down to Crescent Beach. You’ll pass by Camp Hayden, which has concealed bomb-proofed two-gun batteries. It was built to protect the Puget Sound around 1941. It is recommended to duck into the batteries a bit ahead of your friends and find a good spot to scare them.

Another notable and fun beach exploration point off Salt Creek is fondly known as “the Tongue.” Most accessible at low tide, you’ll explore a medley of tide pools and discover urchins, anemones, chitons, sculpins, limpets, crabs, and blood stars. If you spot purple starfish, consider it a treat—they were once found all over the Pacific Northwest coast, but due to global warming and disease, have tragically disappeared.

Although it can be daunting to travel to the tip of the Tongue where waves crash, make the trip if you are able. We were pleasantly surprised to find a couple sea otters enjoying urchins and the surf. So if you have strong balance and heart, you won’t want to miss the Tongue—but watch your step out there. It can get extremely slippery.

The trail also wraps by this island, which you can access during low tide. We spotted a seal frolicking in the emerald depths off the island, and of course we had to try and climb to the top of the butte. It is a scramble that is not for the faint of the heart, and you’ll want to keep an eye on the changing tides so you don’t get stuck, but on top is a couple trails through the trees and salal berry bushes. Most exciting of all, we spotted two unexpected animals cuddling at the base of the island—river otters 😊.

These two were cuddling quite close for warmth and because they knew just how darned adorable it made them. Eventually they parted and shot off through the water as fast as bullets. It was quite a treat to experience sea and river otters on the same day!

Upon reaching Crescent Beach at the end of the trail, you do have to be careful, since Crescent Beach is considered private. However, that is only to the water line. When the tide goes out, it is fair game to explore. Do note that the private parking area is patrolled frequently, so your best bet is to walk down from the campground and visit at low tide. We did take a dip in the ocean—even during summer, we only stayed in an impressive two minutes!

Overall, Salt Creek is a fun family outing to explore. If Stephanie Meyer does revisit this area for future books, hopefully shapeshifting otters make an appearance.

Other Sights along the Drive: 

This is Part I of the Washington Travel Series.

Read Part II here: Poulsbo, WA.

*The above is depicted as fiction and not fact.