Beach 1

Start by finding the signpost and head into the woods beyond the heavily vegetated roadside. Once inside the forest, a kiosk comes into sight, where a small junction marks the Spruce Burl nature loop on the right. It is well worth the extra few minutes it takes to complete the loop.

The striking formations of the burls beckon the hiker into a landscape of unique character. Foggy weather heightens their mystique, creating a solemn atmosphere. Sunsets are especially beautiful here, as the whole forest glows orange and comes alive.

The forest is almost entirely spruce with an exemplary understory of beadruby, salal, skunk cabbage and sword fern. The path is crushed rock and earth, making a pleasant, serpentine line through the veritable garden. The ocean is soon seen framed between parallel trunks of spruce.

Just after the bluff edge, the way joins the main beach trail again, just a stone’s throw away from the kiosk. Now the trail comes to the brink of the bluff and descends through a lush and scenic ravine. Stairs zig-zag down the slope before the trail crosses a small creek on a nice wooden bridge.

Here, the trail becomes a choice of routes that may reward exploring, as the beach is usually blocked by a pile of drift logs that can be hazardous. Caution should be taken to find the path of least resistance to the other side, where the pebbly beach slopes steeply down to the tide flats.

At high tide, the waves crash right into the base of the logs, but at low tide, the beach is transformed into an expansive, sandy wonderland offering miles of glorious walking in either direction. South Beach campground is not far to the south, and Beach 2, followed by Kalaloch, are to the north.