Point Grenville: The most beautiful place you never heard of

Point Grenville on the Quinault Indian reservation shelters two spectacular beaches and a collection of offshore seastack rocks that rival anything on the Oregon coast or north up in the Olympic National Park. The Quinault tribe keeps this treasure to themselves, doing little to promote tourism. However, you may visit by purchasing a beach pass. The beach entrance lies just seven miles north of Pacific Beach, WA.

The interesting thing about this landscape is the way it unfolds over a 2 1/2 mile walk from the beach entrance out to the point. (Note: You may also drive on this beach to shorten up the walk, keeping to the high part of the beach to avoid the clam beds.) At the entrance, you step out onto a wide, sandy beach with forested cliffs behind that are typical of the area. In the distance you can see a large promontory, marking the point, and two, large seastack rocks to its left. But these are as yet indistinct.

A little further along the beach you will reach two isolated, 50-foot high rocks high up on the beach crowned with trees and vegetation. One of these slopes down on the north side for an easy climb. At the top you can enjoy a bit better view south towards Moclips and Pacific Beach, out to the ocean, and north to the point. Someone has installed a rope to climb the steeper, second rock.
Continuing north, you begin to approach the point and the seastack rocks more closely and their details become visible. The two largest seastacks are topped with green vegetation. A flock of seagulls wheels around and settles on these rocks. Smaller rocks at their base kick up the sea spray as the waves crash into them. Then a surprise emerges: far out to sea beyond the point and hidden by these two large seastacks is a large rock with an arch in the middle of it.
As you reach the point, you pass some smaller rock formations, piles of driftwood (missing further south), and some rocks covered in barnacles and mussels. The shore forms a tight, half-circular bay here and the waves swirl around in interesting patterns.

Ahead of you is the point, a large volanic hill perhaps 200 feet high. This tapers down to a barrier about six feet high, and then the land rises again to meet the 100 foot high cliffs. The obvious thing to do is see what is over that short barrier. The anticipation builds as you approach it. It's an easy climb over the barrier, and then you hop down into one of the most stunning sights of the whole Washington coast.

You are standing in a narrow, semi-circular bay. An amphitheater, you might call it. On the other side of the barrier you were walking on sandy beach. Here you stand on volcanic gravel. Towering, 200-foot rocks mark the north and south boundary of the little bay. The rock to the north has an arch in it. Out to sea you get a closer view of the offshore rock with an arch mentioned earlier. All around you in this bay are small, offshore rocks between a few feet and 20-30 feet high. The water churns and boils in fantastic ways among these dozens of rocks and the volcanic cliffs echo the sound. I was here near sunset, which lit all the rocks up beautifully. I climbed a slippery, 20 foot rock to get the best view around the two points. I was trembling from the unsure footing, the vibrant crashing sounds all around me, and the sheer beauty of the scene.
On the long walk back to the car, I kept looking back at the sunset, which was prettier every time. I took a sequence of six or seven sunset pictures.

I can't recommend this visit highly enough. It's not to be missed.

You must buy a beach pass to visit the beaches of the Quinault Indian Nation. A day pass costs $5 per person or $15 per family. Weekend, weekly, and monthly passes are available too. I bought my pass at the tribal administration complex - building B - in Taholah, WA. Taholah lies at the end of highway 109. Look for the administrative buildings on your right - a collection of modern-looking buildings - after passing the church on your left at the town entrance. Passes are available on weekends at the police department. Ask for the map - a multiple page brochure on the area beaches.

Taholah itself has a marvellous beach, which I might have featured if I hadn't visited Point Grenville later in the day. You can park right by the river and beach entrance just beyond the mercantile (groceries and cafe).

It reminded me a bit of Ruby Beach north of Kalaloch. This is a rocky beach varying from large flat stones down to pea gravel. The Quinault River flows into the ocean on this beach. Across the river to the north you see two large rocks forming Cape Elizabeth. To the south you'll see massive piles of driftwood. These would have been spruce trees that floated down the river. Spruce trees grow up to 300 feet tall in this area. In the distance to the south you can see the north end of Point Grenville. I would have walked on several miles towards the point, but I had my little boy with me.

Your beach pass permits you to venture north of Taholah to Elephant Rock - a fantastic formation of multiple arches on the beach. However, this beach is reached by an eight mile dirt road and a two mile rough trail with bear and bobcats active in the area. The brochure says that the animals will "probably" run away from you. An Indian guide is available to accompany you to this area.

See more pictures at:

http://www.BobsPacificBeachHouse.com/pictures.html

(Vacation rental beach house built in 2007: great ocean view, short walk to beach, 3 king beds)

Copalis Rock and Copalis State Airport

Saturday, March 1, 2008: This was a magical day at the beach. I drove onto the beach at Roosevelt Beach Road - 4 miles south of Pacific Beach. Another two miles driving south on the beach brings you to a stream issuing out of the Iron Springs Resort. I chickened out and crossed the stream on foot, but just after I saw another car cross easily.


Copalis Rock lies a further one mile south of Iron Springs. It is an entirely isolated seastack rock. The next one of its size is found 20 miles north on the Quinault Nation reservation at Point Grenville. To the south, I don't know where the next such rock might be - maybe not until Oregon.


The weather had turned out unexpectedly pleasant - mostly sunny with just enough clouds to make the sky interesting. This picture shows dozens of seagulls flying around the rock. There seems to be a colony nesting there.


I continued south to see some further small rocks scattered about the beach, and then I noticed a windsock in the distance. I had read about the Copalis beach airport, so I continued on to check it out.


The airport consists of a windsock, two signs explaining that this is indeed an airport ("elevation 1 foot"), and a container labeled "Guest Book". The guest book was missing. There were no airplanes to be seen this day. However, online I read that up to 75 planes may visit on a sunny, summer day.


I continued a bit further south to the Copalis River. This marks the boundary of Griffiths-Priday State Park, which I had visited the previous August and enjoyed wading in the river. This walk answered the question I had in my mind of whether there was another access point back to the road in this area. There is not, the river cuts off the last possibility.


So it was a two mile slog back to the car into the wind, which had now picked up and turned chilly. Did I mention that I was barefoot? I didn't want to ruin my shoes in crossing the stream. My feet felt like icy bricks at times, but it wasn't so bad as long as I kept moving. The sun was setting at this time and I snapped several more pictures of the rock, sky, ocean, and setting sun.


See more pictures at:
http://www.BobsPacificBeachHouse.com/pictures.html
(Vacation rental beach house built in 2007: great ocean view, short walk to beach, 3 king beds)

Excursion to Kalaloch and Ruby Beach

Last Sunday we drove up to the Kalaloch Lodge and Ruby Beach. It's an hour and a half drive from our house. Google Maps makes you think you can drive straight through the Quinault reservation to that area, but it's not true. Either there is no road or the road is not open to non-tribal members. The shortest route from our house is to head north on 1st Street, north on Highway 109 through Moclips, and then turn right on the Moclips Highway. The Moclips Highway runs through the reservation and is almost deserted. You pass a few houses at its entrance, there's a fish hatchery, and that's it. You don't see any other sign of habitation. After 20 miles you reach Highway 101 - turn left in the direction of Forks and it will take you all the way to Kalaloch.

You are mostly in beautiful forest throughout this entire drive. Sections of the forest are very tall and grand where the National Park has protected it from logging. There's a memorable section leading into Lake Quinault where it looks like you are driving through a green canyon. I think the trees must be 200 feet tall on either side of you. On the other hand, the clearcuts give you a view of the wider area. At the east end of Lake Quinault there's a stunning view of the lake and the snowcapped mountains behind. In 10 years that view will be gone as the trees grow up. Near the entrance to Queets campground there's another clearcut that affords a wide view of the Olympic range.

After Queets the highway runs for 12 miles along the shore. This is one of the special places on the Earth. You drive through a windswept forest with frequent peaks of the ocean and beach. There are many offshore island and rocks, including Destruction Island with a lighthouse on it.

The Kalaloch Lodge sits on a very lovely site. It is perched on the edge of a cliff, overlooking a sweeping creek that has cut a canyon through to the ocean. Beyond the creek you see the beach and ocean. We were here in January. Most of the cliffside cabins were vacant and the restaurant was almost empty. We enjoyed a table next to one of the view windows - the best view from any restaurant you're like to see.

Nine years ago when our twins were four years old, we stayed in the cabins and played on the beach in August. At low tide the beach had lots of warm, shallow pools to play in. It was a perfect, safe environment for kids.

Seven miles north of the lodge is the fabulous Ruby Beach - pictured above. It has lots of interesting features: a creek, logs piled on the beach (including some very pretty red cedar logs), the windswept forest, seastack rocks offshore, lots of big rocks scattered in the surf, large flat polished rocks for skipping, and some sandy areas to play in.

See more pictures at:
http://www.BobsPacificBeachHouse.com/pictures.html
(Vacation rental beach house built in 2007: great ocean view, short walk to beach, 3 king beds)