Olympic’s Rialto Beach Scheduled to Reopen for Holiday Weekend

Fantastic news from Olympic National Park! Access to Rialto Beach in the LaPush region of Olympic is scheduled to reopen, just in time for the 4th of July holiday weekend! Closed since mid-May, the road leading to one of America’s most visited wilderness beach regions can once again be visited by beach lovers, after finally being repaired for storm damage. It has been nearly two months and we are excited to head on out to Hole in the Wall!

According to a press release issued by Olympic National Park, the final phase of critical storm damage repairs on Mora Road, which ends at Rialto Beach, is finishing up this week. Park officials have told us that they anticipate the road to reopen to the public for the upcoming holiday weekend.

“We understand the public’s desire to visit Rialto Beach, especially for the upcoming holiday weekend. The road work is crucial for continued long-term access to Rialto Beach and we look forward to visitors enjoying the area once again.”

~ Acting Superintendent Lee Taylor

For those unaware, Mora Road was reduced to one lane after a winter storm in 2015-2016 caused a major wash-out to the only route to the beach. The road slumped, slowly slipping, which promoted geotechnical engineers to determine that the road could not support vehicle loads safely. For the past six weeks, crews have been repairing the section of pavement, reinforcing the road and proactively stabilizing adjacent sections along the river side of the Mora Road, which were showing signs of instability. This preemptive work was done to help protect against future issues, as storms will connote to batter this region each winter. Now completed, the project has restored the flood-damaged road to two lanes and addressed additional slope instabilities.

Considered to be one of the classic, beach day hikes in Olympic National Park the trek down Rialto Beach to Hole in the Wall is easy, beautiful and a perfect representation of the ruggedness of the Washington Coast. With sea stacks, tide pools, and a chance to see seals, otters and even a whale, the four mile round trip hike is ideal for everyone. There is a small creek crossing along the beach, but wet feet are well worth it once you see the gorgeousness of Hole in the Wall.

Once you explore the beauty of Rialto beach, remember that there are six more stunning coastal destination around Olympic National Park, all worthy of your time and exploration!