With Each Mile

National Parks / Olympic National Park

Rialto Beach, WA: Dog-Friendly Guide, Tips & What to Expect

—

by

Sam

—

5 minutes
A view from the gravel and sand of Rialto Beach, dominated by a foreground of massive, gnarled driftwood logs. In the middle ground, two tall, bare tree trunks stand against the gray ocean, and in the distance, the iconic, fog-shrouded sea stacks of James Island are visible.

When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. See our Affiliate Policy.

Our last full day along Olympic’s western coast was supposed to be hiking the Hall of Mosses in the Hoh Rain Forest. Well, until we saw to the entrance and saw the line to get in was over two hours long. We decided we could come back the next morning before leaving Forks for Sekiu and turned back toward to Rialto Beach instead.

By the time we got there, it was already after 7pm. While we were along the coast, it was mostly overcast and drizzling. It was the exact same while we were visiting Rialto last year. We put on our ponchos, Minerva slid on her Crocs, we leashed up our dogs (the beach is dog-friendly!) and we made our way across the smooth stones that cover the beach.

A wide-angle, low-perspective view of the stunning Rialto Beach coastline, showing the vast gray cobblestone beach and the powerful Pacific waves crashing on the shore. The shoreline is littered with huge pieces of driftwood, and a dense, misty forest line borders the beach under a cloudy, overcast sky.

Getting to Rialto Beach from Forks

To get to Rialto Beach from Forks, we followed US-101 west, then turned onto WA-110 / La Push Road. From there, it’s a right turn onto Mora Road. We followed this for about 22 minutes (14 miles) until we reached the parking lot.

There are public restrooms right there, and the beach is just a short walk from the trailhead.

First Impressions: Fog, Sea Stacks & Wildlife

If you’ve been to Ruby Beach or First Beach, Rialto kind of feels like their rougher cousin. It’s not as picture-perfect, but it feels raw and wild. Fog rolled in and out over the sea stacks, James Island and Little James Island. These were the same islands that we saw from First Beach, we were just seeing them from the north now.

The smooth stones made me way to try skipping a few into the ocean, but the Pacific Ocean waves swallowed them before they really got anywhere. And as we walked along the coast, we spotted a seal popping its head in and out of the waves.

A close-up view of smooth gray stones covering the shoreline at Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, with misty waves rolling in under an overcast sky.
These look like awesome skipping stones
A close-up, telephoto shot of a single dark seal head just barely breaking the surface of the choppy, gray Pacific Ocean water at Rialto Beach, Washington.
This seal kept popping its little head up!

Exploring Rialto Beach with Dogs

Rialto is one of Olympic’s dog-friendly beaches (leashes are required here), so Toby and Lily came along for another beach adventure. By this point, both pups were over the constant drizzle, but they still sniffed around the driftwood, sand and stones.

We didn’t hike north to Hole-in-the-Wall (the 3.3-mile round trip along the beach to an arch carved by the ocean) since it felt like it might be a little too much for two soggy dogs on our last full day on the coast. Instead, we wandered a little way from the parking lot, sat on some of the driftwood and enjoyed the foggy coastline.

Two small dogs in harnesses and leashes stand on the rocky shore of Rialto Beach, Olympic National Park, with driftwood nearby and ocean waves crashing in the background.
Two soggy pups on a soggy beach
A young woman, seen from behind, leans on a large, bleached driftwood log on Rialto Beach. She wears a clear plastic rain poncho and points toward the misty Pacific Ocean. A small tripod and camera are set up on the log next to her.
The moment when Minerva spots the seal!

Things to Know Before Visiting Rialto Beach

  • Rialto is about a 20-minute drive from Forks with easy parking, bathrooms and direct access to the beach.
  • Bring ponchos if it looks like rain and binoculars to see some wildlife (like seals).
  • If you want to see Hole-in-the-Wall, check the Rialto Beach tide chart first. You can check Rialto Beach weather below:
Rialto Beach Weather

Where to Stay Near Rialto Beach

We stayed at Mossquatch Resort, about 13 minutes from Rialto Beach and 19 minutes from Forks. After spending the evening walking up and down the coast in the drizzle, we loved using their sauna to relax and warm up.

If you’re looking for places that are closer to town, Forks has several hotel options. There’s also the Mora Campground just a couple miles from the beach if you’d like to stay inside the park.

A detailed, low-angle shot of the textured surface of a massive piece of driftwood on Rialto Beach. The Pacific Ocean, with its breaking waves and distant sea stacks, forms the backdrop under a cloudy sky.

Other Things to Do Near Rialto Beach

If you’re exploring this part of Olympic National Park, there’s so many cool places nearby that are worth adding to your itinerary (we have our 4-Day Forks itinerary here):

  • First Beach / La Push: Just south of Rialto is First Beach in La Push, which was one of our favorite stops along the coast. It’s off-leash dog-friendly, easy to reach and has driftwood scattered along the shoreline.
  • Ruby Beach: Ruby Beach has some of the most recognizable views in Olympic National Park. We spent an evening there during our trip and loved the sea stacks, driftwood, and wide-open views along the coast.
  • Hoh Rain Forest / Hall of Mosses: The Hoh Rain Forest was actually our original plan before the entrance line changed our plans. If you’re able to get there early, the Hall of Mosses is one of the park’s most popular short hikes.

With the beaches, rainforest trails and coastal views, it’s so easy to spend days exploring this amazing side of Olympic National Park.

Is Rialto Beach Worth Visiting?

Rialto didn’t blow me away quite the same way Ruby or First Beach did, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The fog, the stones and spotting a seal in the waves set this beach stop apart from the others we visited along the Olympic coast.

If it had been our first stop, I think it would have felt a lot more dramatic. But by this point, we had been exploring the coast for a couple days.

I’m glad we took this detour and explored Rialto. It was great to spend an hour with two tired and soggy pups before we heading north to Neah Bay and Sekiu.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *