Hoyt Beach–Shoreline of solitude at the Mouth of the Sekiu River
Location: Northwest Olympic Peninsula
Land Agency: Washington State Parks
Roundtrip: 2.0 miles
High Point: sea level
Elevation gain: none
Contact: Washington State Parks
Notes: Discover Pass required; Dogs permitted on leash
Access: From Port Angeles, head west of US 101 for 5 miles. Turn right onto SR 112 and follow west for 46 miles to Clallam Bay. Continue west another 3.0 miles to junction with the Hoko-Ozette Road. Bear right remaining on SR 112. After 2.2 miles (near Milepost 10), locate a pullout with parking for several cars. Hike begins here.
Good to Know: Kid-friendly, dog-friendly, beach walking, snow-free winter hike, bird watching
Since 1991, Washington State Parks has been acquiring prime natural, cultural, and recreational lands along the Hoko River in the extreme northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula. Eventually these tracts will be developed as a destination state park complete with camping. The new Hoko River State Park comprises of several parcels including wild coastline on the Strait of Juan de Fuca. While access issues are still being worked out on some of the coastal properties, the Hoyt Tract can easily be visited right now.
From the pullout, work your way around a few driftwood logs to a beautiful expanse of beach sans crowds and other signs of civilization. Walk west towards the mouth of the Sekiu River on a smooth sandy expanse of beach. Enjoy views north across the Strait to the scrappy snow-capped peaks of Vancouver Island. Watch seafaring vessels of varying sizes and shapes ply the waterway passage to busy ports in Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and Tacoma.
Being less than ten miles from the Pacific, the Strait is wide here and often produces breakers of ocean proportions. After you saunter the sands west, turn around and visit the east end of the public beach. Here away from SR 112 shiny barked alders and scaly barked Sitka spruce line the silver sands. Throughout most of the year streams of varying intensities carve snaking channels across the beach. None are difficult to cross, just prepare for wet feet. Prepare too to be serenaded by a plethora of birds; from eagles and gulls, to sand probing shorebirds and surf riding ducks.
Be sure to respect any adjacent private property owners by not trespassing as you explore this excellent tract of new park land.
The Cowan Ranch section of the Hoko River State Park is one of 136 featured hikes in my fully updated and expanded Day Hiking Olympic Peninsula 2ndEdition (Mountaineers Book). For more details on that hike and others (including several near Forks and Cape Flattery), pick up a copy of this book—the number one selling and most trusted guidebook on hiking in the Olympics—today!
For more information on accommodations and attractions on the north Olympic Peninsula consult Northwest TripFinder.
