Today we are tidepooling to Hole-in-the-Wall in Olympic National Park on the Washington Coast. All 3 kids are with us and we are looking forward to hiking on Rialto Beach to this sea arch. And we’re especially looking forward to checking out the tide pools here. Read about our experience tidepooling to Hole-in-the Wall in Olympic National Park!
Planning Tidepooling to Hole-in-the-Wall
Tidepooling is simply checking out tidepools exposed at low tide to see the marine life living within. And there are many places to tidepool in Olympic National Park. Planning is simple, go at low tide. But you have to research the tide tables before you go. And the best way to look for the tides at Hole-in-the-Wall is to search for Rialto Beach tides. Not only do the tides change twice daily, but it’s best to go at negative tides. And it works out perfectly that our low tide will be at 9:17AM with a tide of -2.07 feet. There are only 4 tides predicted to be lower all month. We used this website that worked great: Rialto Beach Tide Times, WA – WillyWeather.
Unlike some other tidepool locations in Olympic, you have to hike to Hole-in-the-Wall. And the hike starts from the Rialto Beach parking lot in the Mora section of the park. It’s a 1.5 mile hike each way. And since it’s best to be at Hole-in-the Wall exactly at low tide, we have to give time to get there. So we plan about an hour to get there and an hour back with 30 minutes to explore.
It’s also important to wear appropriate footwear that can get wet. To get to Hole-in-the Wall, you have to hike over sometimes slippery rocks. So, we plan to wear our hiking shoes. And since the weather in the morning starts in the 50’s, we’ll bring some layers. It’s supposed to be a sunny day in the 70’s, so we’re leaving the raincoats in the car. But it’s always good to be prepared. And we’ll pack some snacks, but also plan to eat burgers afterwards at Three Rivers Resort down the road.
Getting to the Trailhead
We are staying in Forks and the Rialto Beach parking lot is about 25 minutes away. And I wanted to get here by 8:00AM to give us plenty of time before low tide at 9:17AM. However, some of us are already dragging so we don’t leave until 8:00. Racing safely to get there, I take a shortcut to save some time. It puts us out on Mora road where we pass an Olympic National Park sign. Of course Becky wants to stop, so I turn around. Yesterday we did see one sign, but didn’t stop, and there’s no one around. So, Becky gets out to take a few pictures.
This is actually a very nice sign though there’s not much parking. I’m just glad no cars are coming before we head out. We pass the Mora ranger station and continue down the road alongside the Quillayute River to Rialto Beach. Once in the parking area, we turn right and easily find a parking spot in the shade. And with my driving skills we get here before 8:30AM, though still 30 minutes behind schedule. So, we gather our things including our water, snacks and trekking poles. I also bring my GoPro I just got for Father’s Day and set it for time lapse, but decide to let our daughter wear the chest harness. This should be fun.
At the edge of the parking lot are some smelly vault toilets, but we take a pit stop before starting our hike. Just past the restrooms is an information board about the area. And just past is the walkway toward the beach. As soon as my daughter sees the beach, she exclaims “that’s beautiful” and I don’t disagree.
Tidepooling to Hole-in-the-Wall
We have to navigate around some driftwood to get out to the rocky beach, so glad we have our good shoes. And though it’s already in the 60’s, we’re in the shade and glad we have our layers. Though once we get closer to the shore, it’s mostly sandy. There’s not many people around us, but there are a lot of footprints in front of us. So we try to go faster. But only after about 10 minutes, we slow down when it gets a little rocky and we see big rocks just offshore.
It looks like something is on the rocks, but we’re too far away so we keep going. However, 10 minutes later we see some rocks closer to the shore and our 1st glimpse of some tidepools. And then we see our 1st sea stars on the side of a rock. One is bright orange and another is purple. A little further we see another orange one hanging on a rock halfway in the water.
We really wanted to see the large ochre sea stars, and 20 minutes into the hike we’ve already seen many. We walk around the tidepools for a few minutes finding more stars and other creatures. One of the boys points out a chiton on a rock. This armored mollusk is basically the aquatic cousin of a pill bug aka roly-poly, however it’s much larger.
Our daughter points out a small white starfish with 6 legs. And we also see a couple green sea anemones though out of water they shrivel up. In fact most of what we’ve seen so far is on the exposed rocks or in shallow tidepools. But we still have more than half way to go.
Approaching Hole-in-the-Wall
As we continue another 10 minutes, we pass a bunch of rocks covered in kelp. Upon closer inspection we see more ochre sea stars some hidden by the kelp. And on the side of a large rock, we see about 10 sea stars huddled together. We’ve already seen more sea stars than we expected, and can’t wait to get to Hole-in-the-Wall.
As we continue we still don’t see Hole-in-the-Wall yet. However, it is getting rockier. We start to see more people before we pass 2 large sea stacks facing the ocean. We thought this might be Hole-in-the-Wall at first, but these rock spires are actually a good marker you’re getting close.
Only a few minutes later, the beach basically ends at a large rock. Not sure where to go, we see some people walking over rocks and around the large rock. It’s not exactly a rock scramble. We don’t have to climb up, but rather walk carefully over rocks to continue.
The cool thing is we are also walking over more tidepools, so we tread carefully. And we find a path trying to stay away from the rocks covered in green algae or barnacles. We avoid slipping, and after about 5 minutes of climbing over the rocks, we are at Hole-in-the-Wall.
At Hole-in-the-Wall
Our daughter makes it to Hole-in-the-Wall first with my GoPro still attached. At about 9:42AM, and we’re only 25 minutes past the posted low tide. So, it took us just over an hour to get here even with the tidepooling stops along the way. And it’s still very accessible so we walk toward the large sea arch.
Since you can’t see if from the beach, and only after scrambling over some rocks, we didn’t know what to expect. In fact, we didn’t realize it would be so large up-close. Pictures don’t do it justice. Unlike the arch we passed through at Ruby Beach, this one is huge. And we all can easily walk through it.
Our daughter and I make it through first and look back to see Becky and the boys behind us. Once inside we are in the shade, and the rocks here can be even more slippery. And if that wasn’t cool enough, in the middle are more tidepools.
Inside Hole-in-the-Wall there are tidepools with pink covered rocks and bright green sea anemones. And around it we see more tidepools with everything from black turban snails to hermit crabs. We even spot some camouflaged fish called sculpins darting around. We make it to the other side and rest.
The Other Side of Hole-in-the-Wall
On the other side of Hole-in-the-Wall, it is quite rocky. But we make it to a large driftwood log where we sit and take a break. We eat some snacks and drink some water while enjoying the view.
We see many people walking through the large hole and taking pictures around it. Becky decides to head toward the ocean while I wait a few minutes. After no people in my shot, I take a few more pictures from this side.
We decide to follow Becky out to the ocean. Not only can you walk through Hole-in-the-Wall, but you can walk completely around it. And it’s amazing how far out we can walk.
We can only imagine this whole area being under water at a higher tide. And on the way we cross over rocky ledges with even deeper tidepools. After about 40 minutes of exploring around Hole-in-the-Wall, we start to head back.
Hiking Back From Hole-in-the-Wall
It’s already about 10:30AM, and we want to get back for lunch. So, we try to hurry making less stops as before. But as soon as we get to the 2 large rock spires, the boys want to check it out. So we head on without them. But it’s only a short time later we see some rocks we want to explore. Among the rocks covered in barnacles and kelp, we see some very large sea stars.
After our stop, we continue on losing some layers as it starts to warm up in the Sun. Matt catches up with us, but we assume Drew is still behind us, so we keep going. We start to see some pelicans flying around and Matt points out a floating island.
The large rock island off the shore has some haze making it seem like it is floating. We admire it and all of the pelicans while we keep walking. It’s about at this point our daughter says her legs are broken and wants to be carried. I refuse to carry her, but Becky gives her a piggyback for a few minutes.
After the quick piggyback ride, she is running again recharged until she complains again. But our feet are wet and we’re all getting tired. Somehow Drew had passed us and was waiting for us. So, now all back together we finish the rest of the way arriving back at the parking lot around 11:25AM. So, it took us just over 2 hours and 45 minutes. This 3 mile hike was really almost 3.7 miles with all the additional walking and time exploring. But we enjoyed every minute of it, though we’re ready for lunch.
Lunch at Three Rivers Resort
The Three Rivers Resort is less than 10 minutes down the road from the Rialto Beach parking lot. It’s on the left where Mora Road ends at La Push Road. And we arrive and park in front of the restaurant around 11:40AM.
Drew and I ate here a couple times on our last trip to Olympic. Though at the time, we had no idea the Twilight series of books and movies was based in this area. And that’s why there’s a Twilight Vampire Threat Level meter on the wall outside. I move the marker to red/Danger, but our daughter moves it to green/Low so we don’t see any vampires!
Inside many tables are full of people enjoying their lunch. But the counter where you order your food is open, so we check out their menu. They have all kinds of burgers, including their Werewolf burger if you’re really hungry. They also have seafood baskets as well as shakes and sundaes for dessert. We order some burgers and a couple Twilight-themed shakes to share.
We find a table and a few minutes later our shakes are ready. While we’re waiting, Becky and I check out their general store attached. We browse the store full of supplies buying a sticker before heading back to our table. And before long, our food comes fresh off the grill and we devour it.
Outside we have to make a stop at the Treaty Line between the vampires and werewolves. This restaurant is a great stop for Twilight fans, but also for anyone heading back from tidepooling to Hole-in-the-Wall. After 45 minutes here, we head back to Forks to meet Grandma.
Summary of Tidepooling to Hole-in-the-Wall
Tidepooling to Hole-in-the-Wall and back was a highlight of our trip. Though this hike is a little long, it really has it all. First, Rialto Beach is beautiful by itself. And walking down the beach is easy and relaxing until the end. We were also surprised we saw so many sea stars and other creatures early on. And seeing Hole-in-the-Wall in person and being able to walk through it was amazing. Not to mention all the tidepools in and around the large sea arch. Just remember to check the tides before going.
We also really enjoyed stopping and eating at the Three Rivers Resort Restaurant. There’s not a lot of places to eat in the area, and this restaurant delivers. Not only is it relatively quick and convenient, but it has tasty options at reasonable prices. And it’s a must-stop for any Twilight fans.
For some reason my GoPro did video instead of time-lapse, and the battery died after going through the arch. But now we have some funny videos with our daughter’s commentary to remember our time here. And she and the camera made it there and back safely, so there’s always next time. We highly recommend tidepooling to Hole-in-the-Wall if the rides are right. And now we have the rest of the day to explore Sol Duc Valley Hot Springs and more!