Second Beach — Attraction in Forks

Second Beach is open and accessible. We came here on a Monday morning (7/26), about half an hour before the minus tide. We got the last parking spot in the little lot next to the trailhead, but the overflow lot had lots of space.

The hike to the beach was pretty easy. Some inclines/declines, and some areas with stairs. There was no driftwood blocking the exit into the beach (I had read prior reviews of people having to clamor over driftwood to access the beach, and that was not the case for us at all - all the driftwood piles were further down the beach). Very pretty walk through a lush forested area. Honestly, we thought the hike here was MUCH better than the Spruce or Hall of Mosses trails at Hoh (where we went after, and thought it was a huge letdown, especially considering the hour wait to get in to park). In retrospect, I wish we had skipped Hoh and spent more time at Second Beach.

The beach itself was wide and uncrowded. The minus tide was really low (-2.17, I think) and we were able to walk out to and behind the large seastack that's to your left when you exit the trail. There was a lot of tide pools around the base of the sea stack. Not so much along the small rocks stretching up the beach in front of it. We saw tons of starfish (in a variety of colors), anemones, mussels, hermit crabs, and a few dead crabs. We've been tide pooling before, and this was by far the most we've ever seen. The sound of the mussels crackling was so cool! Be sure to get up close to a big patch of them and listen.

One other note... There are two porta potties at the head of the trail. But, be warned... They were VERY full. Heaping, even. I have also never seen such full porta potties. Also, there was no toilet paper in either. So bring your own if you think you'll need...

First off, the good. Second Beach's trail head is easy to spot on the way to La Push. There is ample parking, with a good sized overflow lot. The hike is shorter than the one to Third Beach for people looking for maximum views with minimal effort. If camping here, arrive early. Some of the best campsites are only accessible at low tide further south of the log jam. Two spots are just north of the trail head, which are both tucked in the tree line and superb. On my last overnight the raccoons were so brazen they walked within 10' of a roaring campfire, so be prepared to deal with critters. Lots of bald eagles, as well as an owl or two. Hike in your water. There are creeks, but they flow through areas that are undergoing logging and could contain some chemicals. Overall a...

Second Beach is a beautiful NW Coast beach and should you decide to visit you will love it. So why only three stars from me, because that is what I expected when I visited the beach this morning. Just meeting my expectations earns a solid three stars. When I'm disappointed, stars are lost. If I'm pleasantly surprised, stars are added. This visit I arrived with low expectations in regards to the tide pools. The wasting disease continues to affect the sea stars on the coast and I knew that coming in. Still, the beach and the features there are beautiful. I did find some sea stars in a large tide pool near the sea stack at the north end of the beach near the arch. Not many, but perhaps they are going to...