Schooner Cove Beach

Schooner Cove Beach is a sandy cove at the north end of the Long Beach Unit, with a small tree-covered rocky point offshore. The mapped approach is a 1 km descent from Highway 4 through coastal forest to the shore. Keep it in mind for the shift from rainforest to open Pacific beach, but expect a steep route with long stair flights rather than an easy stroll.

The walk passes through younger and older cedar and hemlock before reaching a fringe of Sitka spruce near the coast. The short distance understates the effort: the stair sections make the climb back up more demanding than a flat beach path.

A rocky outcrop offshore is described as reachable at low tide, though the route can be cut off as the water rises. If the shore is open, frame the point across wet sand with seaweed-covered rocks in the foreground; the tide line gives the cove its scale.

From the beach, Esowista is visible across the water. The village belongs to the Tla-o-qui-aht, who have lived along this coast for centuries. It gives the view a human history as well as the forest and surf.