Beach 3 is East of La Push, Washington on Hwy 110. (Not to be confused with Beach 3 near Kalaloch.) Signs lead to the parking lot. This beach is part of the Olympic National Park and a National Park pass is required. There is parking for 20+ cars at the trailhead and a privy is available.

Beach 3 is a little different from some of the other beaches in this area as the trail leading to the beach is forested for about 1.5 miles. I really enjoyed the tree shaded trail. It was gravel with forest debris, surrounded by large cedar and fir trees. Though wet in some places, it was not very muddy this time of year (June). The trail elevation changes limitedly for the first mile. There are times where trees are crossing the trail above you or you need to step over some planks to avoid a previously muddy spot, but very accessible.

Slugs, wildflowers, and fungi abound. After about a mile, you descend steeply, over rocks and roots for about a .5 mile to the beach. Once on the beach, I headed south to see a waterfall (.5 miles). Nothing too spectacular, but you can take a ladder back up into the woods, supposedly to the top of the waterfall if you want more adventure. I couldn’t get too close to the waterfall due to the tide levels, so I enjoyed the lightly peopled beach for a bit and then headed back up. People were camping north of the trailhead on the beach. I did not catch this beach at low tide, so I didn’t see much marine lift. Lots of large rocks on and off the beach made for great scenery. Also, lots of large driftwood.

Like lots of the WA coast beaches, you can find your way back to the trailhead by looking for the circular red/black sign. Hoof it back up the steep ascent for about a .5 miles and you’ll follow the trail back to the parking lot. 2 miles total, one way, from the parking lot to the waterfall.

Our group of 5 did this as a leisurely 2-night backpack from Oil City trailhead to Third Beach trailhead (staging a car at either end). We camped at Mosquito Creek and Toleak Point. Our pace allowed for long breaks to explore low tide, take photos, and paint. 

Oil City to Mosquito Creek:
The trail out to the beach is a little exposed and crumbly in places. Not yet an obstacle, but there are a few spots that feel just a few storms away from collapse. We rounded the point at Diamond Rock at around a 1.5 foot tide with no issue. Filtered water about .5 miles before the Mosquito Creek camp - this is the last creek marked on Gaia before the camp area and was a good choice. Mosquito Creek camp has room for probably a dozen tents and there is a toilet. Others had encountered a somewhat aggressive deer near camp, so stay alert and keep food stowed.

Mosquito Creek to Toleak Point:
Mosquito Creek is easy to wade through, but took a little extra effort to get through with dry boots. Look for a whale skull near the creek. At first pass, we missed the Goodman Creek trail because we were distracted by the neat cave formation. Goodman Creek itself is only a couple of inches deep, but most of our party removed our boots. If you are in need of water, Falls Creek is a better choice (upstream near the falls themselves. The Toleak water source is easily identified just south of the point and was running relatively swift and clear. This water source is where we encountered the most bugs of our trip. Toleak Camp has a toilet.

Toleak Point to Third Beach Trailhead:
Toleak Point had some of our best wildlife sightings - it would be a shame to miss low tide there. We dawdled in the morning to enjoy the seals, eagles, and oystercatchers, along with the typical tidal pool critters. No pinch points on the last section. One noteworthy thing is the body of what I believe was a grey whale at the base of the first headland. We were grateful for a breeze keeping any odor at bay. Reminder that at Taylor Point, you can usually walk around the first mini-headland. I'm grateful for my hiking buddy who pointed that out before I started up the first visible rope. The Taylor Point Trail was also where we started to see a lot of improved ropes and ladders. In the final stretch ascending out of Third Beach we were delighted to see some shiny new stairs going in - I remembered how slick and eroded this trail was a few years ago and am excited about this improvement. 

Summary: We hiked to Taylor Point from the Third Beach trailhead. The trail is in great shape down to Third Beach; it’s a mild grade through pretty forest until dropping a few switchbacks to the beach. 

Third Beach doesn’t have many sea stacks up close, but it’s still a beautiful spot. Once down at the beach we hiked another half mile until reaching the overland route to Taylor Point. There are several ladders to climb here and each has rope. All the ladders were in good shape and we felt safe. Take it slow going down. I wouldn’t recommend this section if it’s wet. We got some peekaboo views of the coast from Taylor Point, but there’s no major viewpoint. We decided not to drop down to the next beach but it looked very scenic. 

Make sure to save energy for the uphill from Third Beach back to the trailhead! Also worth noting that the parking lot at the trailhead was completely full by the time we arrived at 10:30am. There’s an overflow lot a half mile down the road that we parked at.

Stats:

• 7 miles round trip
• 1,030 ft gain
• 4hrs total elapsed time

We were here during a heat wave, so I assume this place was busier than usual, but it still was pretty quiet. We almost didn't go here, but we had some extra time and ended up liking this beach the beast of all of them. I would highly recommend this hidden gem if you are up for a little bit of an adventure. 

Road/parking: Paved all the way, with a decent size parking lot with bathrooms. This is one of the quieter beaches but the parking can fill up. 

Trail to the beach: Easy stroll through the wood with minimal elevation change. Once you hit the beach you will have your choice of a log bridge over the creek or crossing through the shallow water. From here you can see some sea stacks in the distance and a nice sand beach with drift wood and some swings below the bluffs. 

Trail over Taylor Point: Close to the end of the beach you will see a rope ladder of sorts hanging from the cliffs. This is where the real adventure begins! The ladders were quite solid, but are not for everyone. If you are not a ladder person, go a little further down the beach and sometimes you can see a waterfall coming down from the cliffs.

Once you go up this ladder, there is another, and another, and another. Some of them felt a little awkward because they start at a super shallow angle, so they are pretty much flat on the ground. The angle changes quickly, and soon you are grateful for their assistance. There was just one rung that was spaced a bit far for me, making for a bit of a stretch, but the rest were pretty even. There were a couple day hikers up here and a few backpackers climbing with heavy packs, otherwise just us and a couple pesky bugs. There were a couple of National Park workers building a new set of stairs. 

After a couple ups and downs you will come down on the far side of Taylor Point, to a secluded little cove. With a sea stack towering over you and its improbable trees clinging to the rock and more stacks hovering behind it, this place feels like its own little magical oasis. If the tide it low you can do some tide pooling here. 

If you wish to go further you have two options. You can simply walk around the point if the tide is out, or you can go up an over it using the ropes for assistance. No ladders this time. We went up and over. It was a little slick, but not too bad, you just had to accept that the rocks under your feet were going to move and be ready for it. It would have been pretty dangerous without the ropes, but with them it was fun. There are some pictures in the video. 

On the other side we were rewarded with more sea stacks and a long flat sandy beach. From here the trail stretches on for miles, all the way to Oil City if you get backpacking permits. We enjoyed the beach for a little bit and turned back. 

Stats: 6.6 miles, 1,260 ft elevations gain, 3 hours with stops. 

We oldy folks just hiked down to the beach and back. Most of the way the forest isn't that attractive, having been logged not that long ago. (The forest on the way to Second Beach is much older and knarlier.) Only near the beach old growth forest with big tree appears.

March seems to be a great time to hike here: few (less than 6) cars at the trailhead. In summer parking had been impossible.

The trail has a fair number of mud holes which are no big deal. The access to the beach through the log jam also proved to be easy. The last stretch of the trail down to the beach is in concerning conditions, however. Gravity and erosion are working to make it disappear. For trail conditions, bring poles.