Parking
Use the signed Ruby Beach parking area off US 101. It holds roughly two dozen cars, with overflow along the access road, and fills early on busy summer days. Two vault toilets are by the lot.
Overview
About Ruby Beach Trail
Why go
- Sea stacks, driftwood and tide pools after a short approach.
- An accessible overlook beside the lot offers a view without the descent.
Heads up
- Steep gravel and ditch crossings make the bluff path harder than its distance suggests.
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 Ruby Beach 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
Ruby Beach: Stacks and Tide Pools0:00 / 0:32
“Ruby Beach is coming up, with sea stacks rising beyond a shore piled with enormous driftwood. I'd stop here even if you only want the ocean view from the overlook beside the parking lot.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Olympic Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- The Crab in a Borrowed Shell
- Beach Six Overlook: An Ocean Pause
- The Meal in the Seaweed Line
- Kalaloch Big Cedar: Beyond the Split Trunk
- 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 Ruby Beach Trail
A short way to the coastRuby Beach Trail is a short, steep out-and-back from the signed US 101 parking area to a…
Ruby Beach Trail is a short, steep out-and-back from the signed US 101 parking area to a Pacific beach lined with sea stacks. The mapped gravel path is about 0.5 mile down and back, and the walk with a look at the landing usually takes around 30 to 45 minutes. NPS lists the descent as 0.2 mile one way on its hiking page and 0.1 mile to the beach in its accessibility entry; the winding mapped path measures about 0.25 mile. Beach walking beyond the landing adds optional distance and is not part of this route.
Down the bluffThe compacted-gravel path drops through a few steep pitches and drainage ditches, with roots…
The compacted-gravel path drops through a few steep pitches and drainage ditches, with roots and rocks making the tread uneven. At the bottom, Cedar Creek reaches a pool beside the beach entrance. Logs shift with winter surf, and the creek or driftwood can make the final steps awkward; the landing changes over time.
Explore with the tideThe beach has no marked continuation, so choose how far to wander and leave time to return.
The beach has no marked continuation, so choose how far to wander and leave time to return. High water can block parts of the coast, and sneaker waves are a real hazard; check a tide chart before exploring. A tide lower than one foot exposes more pools, where you may see anemones, mussels and ochre sea stars. Leashed pets are allowed on Kalaloch beaches, but keep them off tidal rocks.
Why the rocks stand outRuby Beach's jagged stacks are part of the Hoh Rock Assemblage.
Ruby Beach's jagged stacks are part of the Hoh Rock Assemblage. They include resistant volcanic and marine sedimentary rock left standing as waves wear away softer mudstone; tectonic uplift raised the coast. From the beach, frame a stack with wet sand, driftwood and surf rather than shooting only the horizon.
At the trailheadThe lot has roughly two dozen spaces, two vault toilets and overflow along the access road; it…
The lot has roughly two dozen spaces, two vault toilets and overflow along the access road; it can fill early on busy summer days. There is no confirmed drinking water or food at the trailhead. An accessible overlook sits at the north end of the lot before the steep descent, though vegetation may partly screen its view from seated height. Olympic National Park requires an entrance pass.
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.
