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Campsites: There are a few campsites off the beach in the forest but most camping is on the beach above high tide. During summer, camping space can be scarce! This is some of the best beach camping Washington has to offer.
Toilet Facilities: Pit toilet where the trail meets the beach.
Water Source: Most coastal water sources have a tea-stained appearance. The light tan color originates from tannin leached from leaves. Cryptosporidium and giardia exist in coastal lakes, streams, and rivers. Always filter or boil water. Iodine is ineffective against cryptosporidium.
Permits/Reservations: Obtain permits at the WIC in Port Angeles or the South Shore Lake Quinault Ranger Station. No reservations for South Coast.
Group Size Restrictions: Groups are limited to no more than 12 people. Associated groups of more than 12 must camp and travel at least 1 mile apart and may not combine at any time into a group of more than 12.
Contact Forks Outside for campsite set-up service: https://forksoutside.com
Very scenic and spectacular coastline and beach, accessible via an easy 1.3 mile trail from Highway 110 near LaPush. The beach is about one mile long, sandy, and somewhat steep, with views of forests, cliffs, rocks, and sea stacks. One can usually spot eagles circling overhead, as well as a variety of shore birds on the beach. Beach logs cast onshore by recent storms can make for tricky beach access from the end of the trail.
Near the far (SE) end of the beach is a circular orange and black trail marker with a fixed rope to aid hikers to ascend the steep bluff and access the trail to Scott’s Bluff and Strawberry Point to the south. This trail is about a mile long and features an ocean overlook with a small waterfall. The trail is generally muddy as are the fixed ropes. A pair of rubber gardening gloves are helpful in negotiating these ropes. Ties attached to cables form a sort of stairway up from Third Beach as of 2023.
3/17/20 Update: A series of Pacific storms in January and February have pushed a heavy load of trash in off the ocean and cast it up on the beaches. Visitors have been depositing some of this trash, styrofoam, fishing gear, plastic bottles and buckets at the foot of the Third Beach Trail. If you can bring a trash bag with you and pack some of this trash to the trailhead dumpsters it would be highly appreciated!
Great place to camp on the beach! Hike in is long but pretty flat until the end. No need to bring firewood since there is enough drift wood to burn if you have an axe or saw.
Beautiful place! Great star viewing. We usually go to second beach but it is closed now.
Short hike with a pretty easy and open trail, bathrooms at the beginning of the trail, the beach has a nice waterfall, and there is plenty beach to roam
Wonderful easy to get to beach. Lots of space on the beach behind the high tide line for camping but no sites up on the cliff. Privy trail is hard to get to past the driftwood but then great.
Beautiful, well-maintained shorter trail with rolling hills (my watch said 1.5mi). Beach is beautiful, spacious and clean with great tide pools! Good fresh water supply (bring filter). Pretty waterfall at one end of the beach with very interesting trail to the top of the waterfall (and beyond). Great short backpacking trip for families!
