The Olympic Peninsula is my favorite place on earth. And nothing is quite as sweet as spending a beautiful day on a remote beach with my love.
This summer, @ukuleletutorials and I packed up the car and headed to Ruby Beach on the southwestern part of the Peninsula. We snagged a campspot at Bogachiel State Park as a basecamp, and enjoyed a sunny day exploring the rugged coastline.
Our camp spot was directly on the river - this was the view about 30 feet from the tent!
I spent quite a few hours exploring this river and searching through the lovely, smooth rocks for a few special stones to take home as mementos. Not pictured in this post - when we arrived at camp the night before it was pouring rain - and we learned how to cook pizza, in cast iron, over a campfire, in a legitimate monsoon.
Approaching Ruby Beach is incredible, especially when the deep undergrowth gives way to this view!
In total, you can hike a 6.0 mile round trip trek on this trail. If you knew how to manage tidal charts, you could easily go farther and connect to other beach routes up and down the coastline. Regardless of when you go, it’s a great idea to know when the tide is coming in (you don’t want to be stuck!) - and you’ll have better tide pool viewing when the water is low. Here is a link to WA State Tide Tables to keep you safe should you go!
Snapping some shots on the driftwood!
I’ve never seen better driftwood than in the Puget Sound. Huge logs, and incredible wooden sculptures wash up on shore and collect in gigantic piles. Walking through the driftwood gardens is one of the best parts of these hikes.
We went at low tide, so we were able to get up close to seastacks and tidal pools!
I love the cool tones and colors of the sand and water.
I’m honestly not sure what causes it, but we came across several stretches of beach with fascinating shapes in the sand.
I assume this has something to do with how current in the water adapt as the tide goes out? If you know what causes this please leave a comment, I’d love to know!
More sand, more vista!
This adventure was nothing but beautiful scenery, and incredible combinations of natural texture.
Here a splash of bright seaweed in a receding pool.
Pictures don’t really show these stacks off properly!
These stacks were easily 20-feet tall, and those we wandered past ranged anywhere from 10-50 feet tall (with some exceptionally large formations as well!).
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Here a shot down the beach, you can definitely see the scale of some of the rocks here!
All good hikes come with music.
After exploring, we settled in for a picnic and uke tunes on the beach.
And here I’ll leave you, with this shot up the river...
I am consistently thankful that I get to live in this part of the world, and explore it with one of the best adventure partners I know.
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What were the best hikes you went on this summer? I’d love to know. <3
A Summer’s Worth of Adventures | Photo Album
Offering an Explanation
How I Got Here: a poem about existence
BIG LOVE, Lily
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