Rialto Beach and Hurricane Ridge, Olympic NP, WA

Checked out of Bogachiel State Park early to drive to Rialto Beach, 30 mins away, just to dip my hands in the Pacific Ocean. It was a foggy drizzly morning. Parked at the top of the beach, near the restrooms. The beach below was an amazing sight, there were pieces of drift logs all over but not as extensive as Ruby Beach. As I walked down the pathway to the beach, I saw some people picking and tasting orange berries from the bushes along the path. Picked a few to try, they were tart, a bit like raspberries. I found out later that these are sea buckhorn berries, which are nutritious and used for juice and jams. The beach area was quite big, there were a lot of pretty colorful stones.

On the way back to Port Angeles, I took more photos of the beautiful scenery and vegetation.

Stopped back at the ONP Visitor Center, wanted to take the shuttle up to Hurricane Ridge ($1 fare) but there was not enough time to go up, walk around, then take the last shuttle down. Decided to drive up instead. Talk about a heart stopping experience!!! The paved road was in good condition but steep, with a lot of switchbacks. The photo below showed the fog at the midway pull-out/shuttle stop. From there, the fog got worse; I could barely see the road. I slowed to a crawl and turned on my hazard lights, hoping there were no vehicles coming the other way into my path. Fortunately there were very few drivers foolhardy enough to try to drive up to Hurricane Ridge on a cloudy foggy day at 3:30 in the evening.

The summit was about 18 miles from the Visitor Center and the drive felt really long. At last, we emerged from the clouds. Stopped at a pull-out, could see the thick clouds I had to drive through below. It was clear ahead to the summit!

Amazing views at the top! I parked the RV at the designated parking lot, then hiked three trails: the Hurricane Hill, Circque Rim, and Big Meadow Loop. Saw deer, took a lot of photos. Unfortunately, the clouds came in again and everything went foggy, so it was time to get back down. The drive down was about as harrowing as going up, visibility was challenging. If I ever return to Hurricane Ridge, I'll take the shuttle.

What a relief to be back at the base. I turned into the Heart 'O the Hills Campground at the bottom of the road and managed to find a campsite (first come first served, non-electric). It was then I discovered that my RV doors would not lock, again! Fortunately, the campground was very quiet and I felt safe spending the night there. Will have to call another Dodge Ram dealership to check out the locks.