Backpack - Olympic Coast North: The Shipwreck Coast

1. Meet at Rialto Beach backpacker’s parking lot.  We will start hiking at 10:00 am sharp to get past the Hole-in-the-Wall while the tide is still low.  We will plan to camp at Chilean  Memorial June 14th and 15th. On the 15th we will leave our tents at the Chilean Memorial and hike up the coast with the goal to reach Kayostia Beach.  We will then return to our camp at the Chilean Memorial for the night.  On the 16th we will pack up and hike back to the trailhead.  We will time our hike to coincide with the low tides.

This trip will require travel on sandy beaches and rocky , slippery shores.  Trekking poles would be good to bring to help keep from slipping.  Participants must be in good enough condition to carry an overnight backpack across slippery, rocky shore and tide pools.  Timing departures will allow spending time to examine tidepools as the tides are low when we expect to be at Hole-in-the-Wall.  Participants must be ready to leave the trailhead at 10:00 am.

The campsite at Chilean Memorial will be small, please do not bring a large tent as it may not fit.

I would expect water to be available at a few creeks along the way, bring a water purifier.

I would expect that we would hike together and take meal breaks together.

We will carry bear canisters to protect our food from bears and raccoons.  Please purchase one if you don’t have one or cannot borrow one.  The National Park Service requires that hikers carry them

Each person must go online to Recreation.gov and purchase a permit for themselves for 3 days. Reservations open on April 15. Another option is to purchase an annual backcountry permit.