Otherworldly Beach Vibes at Kalaloch, Olympic National Park

Rain. Slow jazz. Strong coffee. A lazy Sunday morning that easily rolls into the afternoon before we get outside for the day. These are all popular signs of the beginnings of fall in the Pacific Northwest.

Typically, this also marks my mourning period for long summer days, the sun and 10 pm sunsets.

This year, though, I'm determined to embrace the change in the seasons and be creatively inspired (not blocked) by the grey skies, dark green trees, cool morning air, early sunsets and continuous gentle rain.

And I'm taking a moment to look back at our most favorite moments from this summer.

This particular post is about our trip to the Olympic Peninsula. We spent a few adventurous days exploring the far west coast of Washington. Here's a recap and recommendations if you plan to do a similar excursion.

Kalaloch Beach

There really is no better way to describe Kalaloch (pronounced "clay-lock") Beach than otherworldly.

It's one of the westernmost beaches on the Olympic Peninsula and there is this beautiful dramatic thing that happens when the sun is low in the sky and the tide is coming in. It almost feels like you're on a sandy beach stage, with the spotlight pointed directly at you.

It's peaceful and unsettling at the same time, if you can imagine it.

Each day spent walking along this beach felt magical and also very different, visually. One day was much more overcast. The other day had smaller patches of clouds floating across the sky. It was windy and the weather felt quite volatile both days (probably because we were there in September and not the peak of summer).

There were some brave folks, like ourselves, walking the beach, but not many. A boy was bodyboarding with dog in tow.

I still can't get over how untamed and wild this beach felt, compared to others I've experienced. Again, perhaps it was the time of day and time of year we were visiting, perhaps not.

Oh, and the sunsets did not disappoint.

Tree of Life at Kalaloch Beach

The Tree of Life (aka Tree Root Cave) is the main attraction at Kalaloch Beach.

We chose this campground specifically because of its proximity to the beach, and this tree. I didn't realize just how close we'd be to it though. As soon as we descended the steps to the beach and turned right, there it was.

The Tree (yes, it deserves to be a proper noun) is amazing in person. This is a tree that keeps on living even though its roots aren't in soil. It hasn't fallen down from the harsh winds and rains on the coast. Each year the earth it clings to erodes a little bit more, yet the Tree continues to thrive.

There's definitely a life lesson here somewhere. 🙂

Kalaloch Campground

As I mentioned above, we chose Kalaloch Campground because it was close to the beach. I wanted to hear the waves crashing as I drifted off to sleep each night.

We also chose it because there were still spots available to reserve.

However, since we booked so late in the season, the site we stayed in wasn't really anything to write home about. But it did provide the ocean sounds I was looking for. And the wind. It was a bit challenging maintaining a fire and a camp stove but we made do.

This is a huge campground with close to 170 campsites, multiple (mostly clean) restrooms and access to several small nature trails. I really liked that there was running water to do dishes. It's also very close to Kalaloch Lodge, just a 5 minute walk south, where we stocked up on bundles of wood... and marshmallows.

This was not really a "roughing it" kind of trip, but we slept well, got plenty of fresh salty air and left satisfied.

Lake Crescent

Lake Crescent is up in the northwestern corner of the peninsula and we stopped here on our way back to Seattle. This was actually our second time coming to this lake because we loved it so much last summer.

This is one of my favorite lakes, and that's saying something because there are so many in Washington!

It's a nearly perfect setting for kayaking, stand-up-paddleboarding, sun-bathing and pretending you're staying at one of the fancy cabins tucked along one side of its shores.

Driving up to the lake is also a treat and, while I don't have any photos handy of that experience, I recommend taking it slow and enjoying the intermittent views of the super blue water as you approach. You'll also want to drive slow because it's a very windy road 🙂

Even though the water was much choppier than it was last summer, we had a great time kayaking and soaking up some of the last of the hot summer sun. Ugh, take me back!

If you're heading here to rent a kayak, go for at least 2 hours. That'll give you plenty of time to explore a large portion of the lake.

Hoh Rainforest

So, we had initially planned to go to the peninsula to hike. I kinda fudged the planning here, because Kalaloch Campground is not super close to some of the most scenic spots I was dying to check out.

Keep this in mind if you're planning to hike trails like Ozette Triangle, Shi Shi Beach, Hurricane Ridge and basically anything on the eastern side of the peninsula. You're in for more long driving.

We did manage to do a little exploring of the Hoh Rainforest, though. It's an hour's drive from Kalaloch Campground to the Hoh Rainforest, and we drove in to check out some of the trails there.

We did Hall of the Mosses first, since it was a small loop (under a mile) and takes you through some super funky and big old trees, plenty of moss and other pretty greenery. A lot of tourists walk this trail to get a taste of the forest, so keep that in mind.

We also walked a portion of the Hoh River Trail, which in total is over 26 miles long. There are plenty of destinations and spots to backpack/camp along this trail and we saw many people walking large packs in for the night.

There are also little offshoots of the trail that take you straight down to the river's edge, which was a peaceful and nice break from walking. I would have loved to do more of the trail but it was later in the day and we wanted to head home. We had had our tree fix and now it was time for hot dogs and roasting marshmallows at camp. 🙂