Ruby Beach is one of my favorite beaches on the Olympic National Park coastal strip. It’s ease in accessing (large parking lot, off the highway, well built trail to the beach) makes it a great place to spend an hour or a day at.
The trail starts from the parking lot and is a mix of flat trail and stairs. At the bend in the trail is a bench to sit on and has an overlook of the beach below and the sea stacks.
As the trail drops down and becomes flat it parallels the creek. Side paths flitter off to the beach by the creek.
Walker reading to Alistaire.
All about the dangers of drift wood and logs on tides…..
The trail comes out to the beach. It varies by the year and high tide can change it easily.
With the tide coming in and high with the season, I kept the boys in a playground area of sorts – far back from the water, with a sandy area full of rocks to play in.
In winter the creek becomes deep, especially at high tide, when the waves push up far.
I was people watching as the boys played in the sand happily, as a couple guys crossed the creek in thigh waders, heading over to fish.
They were trying to time the waves, and the guy on the left was nearly to his crotch in the stream.
The waves were huge, and the wind bracing. My kind of day at the beach.
A beach of flat smooth rocks is heaven for small children.
The coastal forest above the beach, in winter the beach gets dark early.
We left the beach and headed back up, taking our time to look at the logs decaying in the coastal forest.
~Sarah