Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches, Cape Flattery — Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025

Bottom Line:

Surf (and surfers!), towering trees, endless sand, sea stacks, reflections, seals and eagles... the beauty of Shi Shi and Point of Arches beach hiking in the winter! I had forgotten how beautiful this beach is. We had planned to do Ozette Triangle, but the low tide was not quite low enough to navigate all the headlands by beach, so we decided on Shi Shi instead, where even at all but the highest of tides (e.g. King) the beach is navigable. The approach was very muddy, but fine with waterproof hiking boots. It was a day of making fresh footprints in the smooth sand. Bliss.

Stats:

• Distance: 8 miles (combined)
• Vertical: 850 ft
• Duration: ~ 4 hours
• Road/Parking: For Shi Shi, parked at the Fish Hatchery trailhead where there is room for about 10 cars. Makeh Recreation Pass required (available at the minimart in Neah Bay, and good for a year). There was a Makah gate checking for recreation passes on the road out to Cape Flattery. The Cape parking lot is large - room for dozens of cars. While not as busy as the summer, it was much busier than Shi Shi. As always, the drive along the Strait to Neah Bay was beautiful - always reminds me of the Road to Hana in Maui.
• Weather: Partly cloudy, warm (50Fs, but felt warmer in the sun), light wind, robust surf, lovely sky which made it easier to take pictures into the sun, which is inevitable in the winter with the sun so low on the horizon.
• Trail: The access trail is ~2 miles, starts with elevated boardwalks (slippery), and ends in a (very) muddy road-to-trail conversion to the boundary of Olympic National Park. There are side trails to avoid some of the deepest mud bogs, although we took one extended detour that ended up being quite the bushwack, and was probably not really worth the mud avoided (although a good workout!) Some down trees, a couple tricky to get over for shorter hikers. Shi Shi was quiet and the tide as little high for the tide pools, but the surf and headlands were spectacular! Seals and eagles. The beach near the surf line was hard and flat - easy for walking. Dogs are not permitted in the park. We hiked out before sunset and drove over to Cape Flattery for a quick hike (~1-1/2 miles RT) down to the point. The horizon was cloudy, but the sky an interesting grey/purple as the sun set. The Cape was very busy... quite the difference from Shi Shi.
• Takeaway: A WA treasure... so incredibly beautiful, and I think feels more so in the winter when quiet and peaceful. The beach was pristine, with one group picking up the little trash they could find. This is a good spot for winter camping, and a number of folks were heading in as we hiked out. Worth exploring to the right as you enter the beach, where one can climb the headland (with a rope assist to the very top), and find a secluded bay on the opposite side.

Higher resolution pics are available at the Instagram link below, as well as embedded in the video. The video highlights the beautiful surf and wave action.

More Information on this Trip Report

• https://www.instagram.com/wta_alpinewanderer/