The hike is 1.8 miles roundtrip. Even though it is a fairly short hike, there is a big payoff – a 90 foot waterfall cascading in a shimmering ribbon down a rocky cliff. On the way to the falls, though, take note of the interpretive signs posted along the trail. The signs are very educational – they explain all different aspects of the rainforest. Also, watch underfoot for banana slugs, a rainforest resident that is easy to miss. I love the lush vegetation in the rainforest. The mosses soak up any noise and you are surrounded by a peacefulness that I haven’t found anywhere else. The plants also hang down around you and push toward you from outside the trail – fabulous!

When you get almost to the falls, the trail goes up a series of wooden steps to a viewing platform. The falls are great! The picture I have posted doesn’t do it justice because I couldn’t fit the whole falls in the picture. We had the whole place to ourselves, so it made the falls even more enjoyable. On the way back to the trailhead, I noticed a spur trail going off the main trail. The spur trail looked like it went up at a steep grade, and I wondered if it went to the top of a nearby peak. What a great view that would be, looking out over Crescent Lake, the rainforest, and probably even out to the Straight of Juan de Fuca.

While visiting the area, you may want to spend more time checking out Crescent Lake. We didn’t have time while on our whirlwind tour, but it would have been nice to find out if there is a trail that goes around the lake. It is on Forest Service land, so you could maybe even bike around the lake. Something else to add to my To Do list for my next visit to the Olympic Peninsula (it is a pretty long list by this point!)

The beaches that we visited are Klaloch and Ruby Beach. Klaloch was an area that we had heard about from friends. While we weren’t as impressed with it as our friends, we did enjoy a long walk on the beach – I even built a sand castle decorated with empty crab shells! There was a really interesting tree growing on the embankment at the back of the beach – part of the bank had washed away, so the tree was hanging on to the sides with roots hanging down into the cave below. The campground was nice, but the sites we very close together. The campground is very popular, so I recommend an early arrival. We did not get to the nearby Visitor Center, but I imagine it is worth a visit. I have always been impressed by the Ranger Programs that I’ve seen at other National Parks – you always get a wealth of information about what you are seeing or will see soon. I highly recommend Ranger Programs – and most of them are free!

We really liked Ruby Beach. From the parking area, there is a short walk down to the beach that winds through a berry patch. Needless to say, it took us longer than it should have to get down because we were berry-eatin’ fools! At the bottom of the trail we had to crawl over some washed up beach logs – not sure if they are washed up onto the beach as a result of natural causes or from the extensive logging industry in the area. The beach itself is made of rock and driftwood, and there are great view of the cliffs and seastacks. We spent a long time hanging out watching the waves and some sea lions swimming around near some rocks just off the shore.

There are some other beaches near Klaloch and Ruby Beach – Second Beach and Third Beach - that are only accessible by hiking at low tide. Backpacking permits are available at the Visitor Center at Klaloch – you can camp on these backcountry beaches, just make sure your tent is above high tide line! This is definitely on my To Do list for my next visit to the area.