Shi Shi to Hole-in-the-Wall: Late-Summer Tide Windows on the Olympic Coast

The full Olympic Coast Trail permit covers 73 miles of wilderness beach from Shi Shi Beach down to the Hoh River, but a lot of people carve off the northern third as its own trip: Shi Shi Beach to Hole-in-the-Wall, roughly 35 miles through Point of the Arches, Ozette River, Cape Alava, and Wedding Rocks. It's a solid 3-4 day itinerary and a good intro to how this coast actually works. Don't let the elevation profile fool you into thinking this is a mellow beach walk. The numbers show a steady drop from the Shi Shi trailhead bluffs down toward sea level, with a lot of short, punchy ups and overs where headlands force you onto overland trail segments. Those overland bypasses exist specifically because certain points can't be passed at all tide stages. Get a current tide table before you go and build your daily mileage around low tide windows, not the other way around. This is the single biggest planning factor on this trail, more important than mileage or weather. Permits run through Recreation.gov as a zone reservation - you book a zone and dates, not a specific individual campsite, so you've got some flexibility on exactly where you pitch each night within that zone. Cost is $8 per person per night, and if you're starting from Shi Shi you also need the $20 Makah Recreation Pass since that trailhead sits on Makah tribal land. Buy the pass before you drive out; there's no guarantee of same-day purchase at the trailhead. Late August into early September is prime season on this coast - past the wettest spring months, before the fall storm pattern really kicks back in. Expect moderate to crowded conditions at the marquee spots (Point of the Arches, Cape Alava, Wedding Rocks) since this is peak vacation season for Washington. Weekday starts thin the crowds out noticeably. Fog can burn off by midday even when mornings start socked in, so don't write off a hazy sunrise as a bad-weather day. Water sources cross the route at multiple points but flow and clarity vary with rain, so plan to filter or treat everything and carry extra capacity between reliable creek crossings. Sand gets into everything - filters, zippers, tent stakes - so a quick end-of-day gear check saves headaches. Common mistakes on this stretch: hikers who plan by trail mileage instead of tide charts and get stuck waiting out a headland; parties who skip the Makah Pass and get turned around at the trailhead; and people who underestimate how slow beach travel is on cobble and soft sand compared to dirt trail. Budget more hours per mile than you would inland. For those doing the full 73-mile traverse to the Hoh River, this northern section is just the opener - the trail continues south through more headland bypasses and beach camps before reaching the Hoh River mouth. Plan your permit dates and food resupply logistics around whichever endpoint you're actually hiking to. — Compiled by the PermitSnag team from agency info, ranger updates, and public trip logs.