Olympic National Park Tide Pools (Beach 4 & Hole in the Wall) · tide pools
Olympic National Park Tide Pools (Beach 4 & Hole in the Wall)
Olympic National Park's wild Pacific coast is one of the best tide-pooling stretches in the country, and it pairs perfectly with an RV night oceanside at Kalaloch. The Park Service names Kalaloch's Beach 4 and Mora's Hole in the Wall as the most popular pools, with Second, Third and Ruby beaches also rewarding. Time it for a minus tide and you'll find giant green anemones, sea stars and barnacle-crusted rock. Regular 3-foot low tides don't expose enough, so the calendar matters as much as the map.
Best low-tide window
Summer brings the lowest minus tides; aim for a tide lower than 1 foot (below 0 is best) and arrive at least 30 minutes before the lowest tide
What you'll see
Giant green anemones · Sea stars · Nudibranchs · Barnacles, crabs and chitons
Where
Pacific coast of Olympic National Park, WA — Kalaloch's Beach 4 and Mora's Hole in the Wall on Rialto Beach
Nearest RV base
Kalaloch Campground (170 sites, oceanside near Beach 4), RVs up to 21 ft with a few sites to 35 ft; flush toilets, potable water and a dump station but NO electric/sewer hookups (only Sol Duc Hot Springs RV Park and Log Cabin Resort offer hookups in the area)
Explore it safely
You MUST check the daily Destruction Island tide chart and go only at low tide — the park says aim for a tide lower than 1 foot and arrive at least 30 minutes before the lowest point; tide times change every day. Algae and seaweed make rocks extremely slippery, so wear sturdy shoes you don't mind getting wet and never leap rock to rock (keep one foot down). Watch for the returning tide and sneaker waves, keep children close, never take or pry off animals, and follow leave-no-trace — you are a guest in these animals' home.
Check conditions + tide charts with the source: NPS — Tidepool Activities, Olympic National Park .