DISTANCES: The hike TO Shi Shi Beach is about 2 miles through beautiful dense forest. Part of the walk is regular forest floor and small areas have well-built quality boardwalks that take you over small streams or gullies. The hike ON Shi Shi Beach is about 2 more miles to the Point of the Arches. We added about a mile onto our hike because we chose to pay a $ 10 fee and park on the property of a nearby resident(about ½ mile away) who provided space for those not wanting to park at the trailhead. Reports of vehicle vandalism kept us from wanting to chance having our car windows broken. TIDES: One needs to check on the tide tables to be able cross the streams that run from the forest to the ocean. Otherwise you may get stuck on the wrong side of the stream at high tide. The day we went in early September, I think high tide was at about noon. We started our hike around 11am, and though we had no problems, we probably could have benefited from starting later to experience the lowest of low tides(around 530pm). SHOES&MUDDYTRAIL: Based on what we’d read, we had a hard time deciding what kind of shoes to wear because we’d heard that part of the trail is very muddy. Verdict: it is. Though the day we went was forecast to be rainy, we went anyway and it was sunny and beautiful. But a large portion of the approximate 2-mile trail – maybe about the last ¼-mile – was very muddy. However, for much of it, if you look closely, there is a trail directly off to the side that is a bit higher and perfectly useable and keeps you out of the mud. I wore Keen waterproof sandals(no socks) and my husband wore regular hiking boots. Both worked fine. The benefit to mine was that they were easily removable for walking barefoot on the beach and crossing the little streams mentioned above. Also, I accidentally in deep mud once and those shoes washed off easily. FINALDESCENTTOBEACH: The final part of the trail, after the mud, is fairly steep. You just have to watch your step. Someone(s) has tied sturdy long ropes around tree trunks that are great to hang onto and work your way, hand over hand, down the trail using the ropes as a sort of handrail. It works great going down and coming up again. Shi Shi is a beautiful beach. Sadly, it is somewhat marred by debris from the Japanese tsunami, so there is quite a bit of junk washed up mostly at the top of the shoreline – rope, fishing line/hooks, boat bumpers, huge styrofoam chunks. But it is still stunning. Because of the effort it takes to get to it, it isn’t crowded, though we did go on an off-day(school back in session; not on a weekend). There were a couple of tents pitched with overnight campers; a few backpackers; and a few people like us just there for the day.
Meg S.
Place rating: 5 Enumclaw, WA
Gorgeous beach! Short and flat hike to get there and wonderful place to stay the night. It is 2 miles long so even though it is a very popular destination it does not feel too crowded.
Sarah Z.
Place rating: 5 Austin, TX
been there twice love love love it.
Jurija M.
Place rating: 5 Honolulu, HI
No ranger or crew present. Odd parking lot. Windy, long drive. Sketchy town(Neah Bay) BUT, SOWORTHIT. Prepare to ruin any shoes you are wearing in mud! A walking stick or two may be a good addition if you want to get through the trail quicker but my boyfriend and I enjoyed trudging through or making ways around it! There are a lot of overnight campers(and these campers should really pick up their bottles/cans upon departure!) Anyhow, have a good camera handy, water, snacks, a sweater, and be ready to get dirty! :)
Ninja S.
Place rating: 4 Seattle, WA
After reading hike reviews on other sites, I thought that this would be a lot cooler considering the 7 hours in the car that day. I was a bit boned that the tides were wrong when I arrived. Try not to make the same mistake that I did and refer to a tidal reference. Like this one, perhaps: I thought that it was a bit strangely maintained. No ranger or crew had been through in a while. There was some maniac putting up a large monument to a friend or something consisting of parts of a boat, a huge cross, some sailing lines and a main sheet all on a large cross. Freaky. The trails are also very muddy in parts, so you had better dress for it. When we were leaving, the Neah Bay cops were entering the trail with someone else and looked pissed. Sketchy business. Seems like there are lots of desperate people out here and quite a bit of broken auto glass where people park their cars to enter the park. I suggest planing accordingly.
