Parking
Use the west-side pullout on US 101, where the trail begins. Pullouts are also on the east side, but that requires crossing 55-mph traffic with no crosswalk. WTA reports room for about two dozen vehicles across the pullouts.
Overview
About Beach 1 Trail
Why go
- A few minutes of walking separates spruce forest from the Pacific shore
- The optional Spruce Burl loop adds a distinct forest detour
Heads up
- A steep return climb includes 58 stairs
- Drift logs can make the final beach approach awkward
Map & elevation
The route
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
6 active Olympic alerts
- CautionUS 101 Hoh River Bridge reduced to one laneUS 101 at the Hoh River Bridge is restricted to one lane of alternating traffic; obey the signals and 25 mph speed limit.Official details
- ClosureStaircase wilderness trails and campsites remain closedWilderness trails and campsites around Staircase remain closed during recovery from the Bear Gulch Fire; the developed Staircase area, including the Rapids Loop, campground, and ranger station, is…Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Olympic Tour Guide
Your drive to Beach 1 Trail, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Olympic National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Olympic audio tourRecorded for this trailhead
Kalaloch Beach One and the Spruce Burls0:00 / 0:30
“Up ahead is Kalaloch Beach One, where the forest walk has an attraction of its own: the swollen burls on the Sitka spruce. Use the pullout on the ocean side of the highway, where the trail starts.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Kalaloch Beach Two: A Steep Little Beach Stop
- A Paycheck in the Forest
- Kalaloch Lodge: Seafood Above the Pacific
- Kalaloch Beach and the Tree of Life
- 204 audio storiesacross Olympic’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Olympic Marmot, Humpback Whale, Grey Whale, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 148 trails, 94 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Beach 1 Trail
A very short beach walkBeach 1 is an out-and-back from the west-side pullout on US 101 through Sitka spruce to the…
Beach 1 is an out-and-back from the west-side pullout on US 101 through Sitka spruce to the Pacific shore. The NPS-listed trail is 765 feet one way, so walking back makes about 0.3 mile round trip; the optional Spruce Burl loop is a separate detour. Allow about 30 minutes for the return climb, stairs and the drift logs at the beach. It suits a quick stop for a forested descent and a less-visited stretch of coast, but the last approach is awkward if you cannot manage steps or uneven logs.
Stairs, a bridge and logsThe compacted-gravel path starts gently through spruce, with the first 365 feet under a 5%…
The compacted-gravel path starts gently through spruce, with the first 365 feet under a 5% grade. The short Spruce Burl loop branches off early and rejoins the main trail; its large, rounded burls make a worthwhile forest detour. The beach descent then drops through 53 deep-tread stairs. After they end, the slope reaches 16%, crosses a wooden footbridge and finishes with five more stairs. The last bank section is rocky and uneven; a cut through one beach log leads to a large drift-log pile you must pick through before reaching open sand.
Parking, tides and petsStart at the west-side US 101 pullout.
Start at the west-side US 101 pullout. The east-side pullout is across 55-mph traffic with no crosswalk, so crossing the highway adds a real hazard. There is no toilet at the trailhead. High tide can bring surf to the drift-log line, while low tide exposes more sand; check the tide before walking farther along the shore. Dogs are not allowed on the Beach 1 access trail even though leashed pets are allowed on Kalaloch beaches. Bald eagles nest nearby; watch from the trail or beach and give wildlife room.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Olympic
710 sightingsOlympic MarmotMost seen around 11 AMSighting map
30 sightingsHumpback WhaleMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
42 sightingsGrey WhaleMost seen around noonSighting map
23 sightingsMountain LionMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
71 sightingsMountain GoatMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
306 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 11 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Olympic. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
