Ruby Beach

Overview

Ruby Beach serves up the Olympic Coast at its most dramatic: towering sea stacks, mountains of driftwood, and sand that can sparkle with a reddish hue from tiny garnet grains. It’s one of the park’s most beloved stops—and for good reason.

What You'll See

• Sea stacks, surf, and moody Pacific vistas that feel wild and cinematic.
• Tide pools teeming with sea stars, anemones, and crabs at low tide.
• Cedar Creek spilling across the beach, forming a broad pool that’s fun to explore.
• On clear days, distant views of Destruction Island and its lighthouse offshore.

Wildlife

Watch for bald eagles cruising the shoreline and coastal birds like gulls and common murres; tufted puffins are part of the broader coastal birdlife here. In migration seasons, you may spot whales offshore. Tide pools showcase the small stuff—colorful anemones, sea stars, and rock crabs—best revealed at low tide.

Getting There & The Experience

A short, generally steep trail drops from a bluff-top parking area to the beach. Expect to clamber over big driftwood logs where the trail meets the sand—winter swells rearrange this zone every year. The parking area has two vault toilets and a bluff-top ocean-view overlook. Dogs are allowed on leash.

Practicalities

• Facilities are minimal: vault toilets only, no potable water, no food, no store.
• The nearest services (food, lodging, supplies) are around Kalaloch, roughly a 10-minute drive south.
• Drone use is prohibited to protect wildlife.
• Parts of the beach can become impassable at high tide—check tide tables before you go.

Why It’s Special

The mix of garnet-streaked sand, sculptural driftwood, and craggy sea stacks makes Ruby Beach one of the most photogenic spots on the peninsula. It’s a place where you can linger: wander to tide pools, watch surf pound the stacks, or just sit and soak in the Pacific.

Best Time to Visit

• Low tide: Reveals tide pools and more beach to roam—plan your visit around it.
• Early morning or late afternoon: Softer light for photos and thinner crowds.
• Sunset: Often spectacular with silhouettes of sea stacks.
• Weekdays beat weekends in summer for parking and elbow room.