The beaches range from boulders and rocks to glistening sand. One stretch, Ruby Beach, even has a distinct pinkish cast, created from tiny grains of garnet. Besides geology, the wildlife is another source of fascination at Olympic. In the air, bald eagles, osprey, gulls, and mergansers ride the coastal winds. Oystercatchers and sandpipers prance along sand and rocks.
Tidal pools teem with sea anemones, star fish, hermit crabs and a host of other invertebrates.
And you can train you binoculars on offshore gray whales, orcas, sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals. Hiking options range from short excursions to multi-day backpacks. The Kalaloch Beaches , along the southern coast, are a good pick for day hikes. U.S. Highway 101 runs along the coast here, and the beaches can be reached along wooden causeways leading down from the bluffs. You can't miss Destruction Island off of Beach Six, the scene of several major shipwrecks.