Shi Shi Beach Camping in Olympic National Park

If you are someone looking for a beginner friendly backpacking trail or simply looking to kickstart your backcountry adventure of the season, then look no further. Shi Shi beach trail in Olympic National Park offers a wholesome experience of wilderness camping with unbeatable views. The good part is that it takes far less effort compared to most other backcountry camping trips and can be hiked any time of year (almost – you may want to avoid the rains).

The trail to Shi Shi beach is rated moderate and the difficulty can be managed depending on how far along on the beach you choose to camp. Read further to find out about our recommendations of good campsites.

How to get to Shi Shi Beach

Shi Shi Beach trailhead is close to 80 miles from Port Angeles and takes about two hours of drive time. Port Angeles is the biggest town in the Olympic Peninsula and a gateway to Olympic National Park. You could ride the iconic Washington State Ferry to get to Port Angeles. Despite numerous ferry options, the quickest way to get to Port Angeles from Seattle is by driving. If you choose to take the ferry, check this link out for different route options.

Where to Camp at Shi Shi Beach – Camping Permits

Wilderness Permits are required to camp at Shi Shi Beach throughout the year. There are a limited number of camping permits distributed every season. You will need to obtain the following two permits before camping at the beach.

Olympic National Park Wilderness Permit (Shi Shi Beach Reservations) – This needs to be obtained in advance. Permits for summer (May 15th through Oct 15th) open on April 15th, 7am PST. Permits for winter (Oct 16th through April 14th) become available on September 15th, 7am PST. Check for permit availability at recreation.gov. Choose “North Coast“ as the starting area for Shi Shi Beach Permits. Click here for further information on wilderness backpacking reservations.

Makah Recreation Pass – Since the trailhead along with a part of the trail lies on the land belonging to the Makah tribe, this pass is required. It costs $20 per vehicle and can be purchased in-person at any of the locations mentioned here before heading to the trailhead.

Shi Shi Beach Backpacking – Our Experience

We had a 1-night permit to camp at Shi Shi Beach on May 27th. We started from Port Angeles around 9am and reached the trailhead by 11am. It took us an additional ~30 minutes to actually start the hike since we had to drop our car off at the overnight parking lot half a mile away. We offloaded our backpacks at the trailhead. One of us stayed with the backpacks while the other drove to the private parking lot and walked back to the trailhead. We did this to avoid walking back carrying our backpacks.

The first section of the hike is through a lush forest cover and mostly flat. While the first mile and a half has wooden boardwalks and bridges, the rest of the trail is extremely marshy and muddy. We recommend wearing waterproof hiking boots with good grip. This was our second backpacking trip to Shi Shi beach & the first time we visited this place is worthy of a 9gag post.

After crossing several muddy puddles and having on and off views of the ocean, we arrived at the edge of a cliff. From here the trail is steep with switchbacks descending down to the beach. You lose elevation while hiking in, which helps when the backpack is relatively heavy loaded with food and water.

After reaching the beach, we made a left and started walking towards Point of the Arches – the highlight of this trail. Along the way we noticed several established campsites on the beach and some on the forest land just behind the beach. We continued hiking hoping to find a spot closer to the Point of the Arches, which is also the end of the trail. After walking along the shore for over 2 miles, we found our spot on the beach that was close enough to the towering sea stacks.

We reached our campsite around noon, setup camp, cooked ourselves a meal then went around to explore the area. During low tide it is possible to explore sea caves, get closer to sea stacks and admire their reflections in the numerous tide pools. However, it is important to be mindful about the tide and not go anywhere near sea stacks, inside sea caves or beyond Point of the Arches during high tide as it then becomes difficult to return.

We came back to our tent with some driftwood for campfire around sunset. There is plenty of driftwood on the beach that can be used for campfire. It could get tricky to start a fire if it has been raining, causing driftwood to get damp. We highly recommend carrying a fire starter in such situations.

We cooked ourselves a good hot meal that we ate by the campfire. It seemed like the perfect way to end a moody, overcast evening. What’s worth a mention is the sound sleep that followed listening to waves crashing on the beach.

The next morning we were packed up and ready to leave by 9am. The light did not change much as the dense cloudy conditions continued. However, the tides were low which allowed us to explore Point of the Arches better.

We were back at the trailhead by 1pm just in time for lunch. We walked to the overnight parking lot, picked up the car and headed straight for some delicious Pizza at Linda’s Woodfired Kitchen in Neah Bay.