PNWSights
Two backpackers walk across a wide, open stretch of Shi Shi Beach under a clear blue sky, with long shadows on the sand. Offshore, dark sea stacks and the Point of the Arches rise above a low band of surf and sea mist.

Shi Shi Beach

Forks, WA

Shi Shi Beach is a remote wilderness beach accessed via a 4-mile trail from the Makah Reservation boundary, featuring the Point of the Arches sea stack complex at its southern end. The arches and pinnacles are among the most dramatic coastal rock formations in the Pacific Northwest. Tidepools at the base of the arches are exceptionally rich in marine life.

Photography Guide

Best Time
golden hour
Crowds
Quiet
Shot Types
widelandscapelong-exposuredetail
Best Seasons
summerfall
Practical Tips
A Makah Recreation Pass and a Wilderness Permit are both required. The trail can be extremely muddy; plan for a long day hike or overnight backpack.

Is it a good day to go?

7-day outlook

Mild, dry days with light winds are the most comfortable for a visit.

Forecast by Open-Meteo. Verdicts weigh the forecast against the conditions that suit this spot.

Author's Comments

The walk in is part of the photograph, even if it never appears in the frame. Four miles through Sitka spruce and mud that does not so much coat your boots as become them, and then the trail spills you onto a beach that runs longer than your eye can follow it. Shi Shi is at the far end. Point of the Arches is at the far end of that. I have come here twice, once in late August and once in early October, and both times I underestimated how much time the arches would take from me. They are not a single subject. They are a complex of stacks and pinnacles that rearrange themselves as you walk south along the beach, opening and closing against each other, framing sky and then water and then nothing at all. The light at golden hour comes in low from the west and rakes across the formations from the side, and for about forty minutes the rock goes from grey to amber to something I do not have a word for. Time the tide. A low tide at sunset is the photograph everyone wants and almost no one gets, because it requires the calendar and the sky to agree. When they do, the tidepools at the base of the arches mirror the color above them and the whole scene doubles itself. When they do not, you make the photograph that is available, and it is still better than most beaches will give you in a lifetime. Camp if you can. The walk back in the dark is not a walk you want to make twice in one day, and the morning light here is its own argument.

Gallery

Two backpackers walk across a wide, open stretch of Shi Shi Beach under a clear blue sky, with long shadows on the sand. Offshore, dark sea stacks and the Point of the Arches rise above a low band of surf and sea mist. Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Dark sea stacks and a rough line of rock arches rise from a wide, wet shoreline as white surf surges around the tide pools. Low sun breaks through heavy clouds, reflecting silver across the water and silhouetting a lone figure in the rocky foreground. Photo: Lee Miller _lostadventurer / Wikimedia Commons / CC0
Low waves roll onto a dark, wet beach in the foreground, while the Point of the Arches sea stacks form a jagged silhouette along the horizon. The pale blue sky and soft light give the wide coastal scene a calm, misty feel. Photo: Olympic National Park / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Low tide at golden hour reveals the Point of the Arches as dark sea stacks silhouetted against a pale pink-and-gold sky. Rippling water and scattered tidepool rocks fill the foreground, with the long exposure smoothing the surf across the beach. Photo: Luis Rodriguez Ochoa / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
A barnacle-speckled rock sits in shallow, silvery tidewater, draped with dense brown and gold seaweed fronds. Soft ripples and a hazy reflection give the close-up a calm, wet, wintery feel. Photo: Olympic National Park / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Close-up of a dark, wet shoreline rock covered in dense clusters of goose-neck barnacles, their pale shells packed tightly together. The smooth gray water behind them creates a soft, blurred backdrop that makes the textured tidepool life stand out. Photo: Olympic National Park / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Two deer trot through shallow tidewater on Shi Shi Beach, their reflections rippling in the wet sand. Low waves roll in from the left, with a forested headland and pale sky stretching across the background. Photo: Ron Clausen / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
Wide view of Shi Shi Beach at low tide, with smooth wet sand and shallow blue tidal channels leading toward dark offshore sea stacks and arches. Small waves break under a clear sky, and the remote rocky coastline stretches across the horizon. Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0
A wide view of Shi Shi Beach shows a smooth sandy foreground with a thin line of foam, blue-gray surf, and the Point of the Arches sea stacks stretching across the horizon. A dark evergreen headland anchors the left side, while low waves and soft light give the scene a calm, remote feel. Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain
Wide view of Shi Shi Beach at low tide, with shallow rippled water and thin white foam tracing the shoreline in the foreground. The Point of the Arches sea stacks and rocky islets rise in the distance under clear blue sky and soft golden light. Photo: Unknown / Wikimedia Commons / Public domain

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