Beach 2 Trail

Beach 2 is a short out-and-back from US-101 to a rocky and sandy stretch of Kalaloch shore. Plan about 0.2 miles round trip and roughly half an hour for the steep walk and a brief look at the beach; walking farther along the coast adds distance. It is an easy-to-reach ocean stop, but the short mileage hides a steep path.

The compacted-gravel tread begins with a short climb at about 19%, eases through spruce forest, then drops sharply toward the beach at 15–22%. At the fork, the left branch runs about 90 feet to the sand; the right is slightly shorter but rockier, with exposed roots. Downed logs at the entrance may need to be stepped over or around. The path is listed at about 385 feet one way, while full return estimates round to 0.2 mile. Published elevation figures range from about 30 to 60 feet, so use the steep grades to judge the effort. This is not a smooth or step-free beach route.

The trail starts just north of a one-car pullout on the west side of US-101. The larger pullout is across the highway, where there is no crosswalk and traffic is posted at 55 mph. If spaces are full, choose another beach rather than parking along the highway. There is no toilet at the trailhead; Kalaloch Lodge has a restaurant as a separate nearby stop. Leashed pets are allowed on Kalaloch beaches.

Large burls on the spruce make the short forest stretch worth slowing down for. At the beach, logs give way to sand and pebbles beneath a forested bluff; frame the driftwood against the bluff for a sense of scale. Kalaloch's beaches likely served as safe landing places for ancestors of area tribes for millennia.