Olympic Coast South: Third Beach to Toleak Point

Trail was in great shape with no blowdowns or washouts.  The first 1.4 miles is an easy mostly downhill through the forest until you reach Third Beach.  Lots of nice campsites here right on the beach but choose carefully as it appears the high tide line is quite close to the beach edge.  A quick jaunt along the beach and you encounter the first of many ropes/ladders but it's pretty easy warming you up for the ones to come!  The ladders and ropes were all in great repair and allow you to bypass the impassable headlands by a very nice trail through the forest 

This pattern of beach walking and scaling the beach face using ladders continues all the way to Scott's Creek where we encountered a huge pile of driftwood making trail finding difficult especially on the way back.  Just know that you must cross the creek first and then continue onto the beach going southbound and also cross it before you pick up the trail going back up the hill going northbound.  Lot's of nice campsites on the beach here as well but pay heed to the high water mark.

There are no more ropes or ladders from Scott's Creek to Toleak Point and if you get the tides right, it's easy walking on packed sand and the view of the sea stacks is spectacular.  The descent into Scott's creek is like a Nature Conservancy beach calendar, not bad pictures possible here!  But the descent is steep and will be challenging for some going back up.

Next we reached Strawberry Point and rounded the headland to see Toleak point in the distance, lovely beach walking all the way.  Both Strawberry Point and Toleak have many nice camping sites on the beach and Toleak has some nice forested sites as well.  We stayed in the forest but it was just steps from the beach so you really can't go wrong here.