Second Beach Trail

This is one of the shortest walks on the Olympic coast that delivers a genuinely world-class payoff. The trail drops through a dense corridor of Sitka spruce and salal before spitting you out onto a wide, driftwood-strewn beach framed by towering sea stacks — the kind of jagged rock formations that make the Pacific Northwest coast look like another planet. At low tide, the tidepools near the base of the stacks come alive with purple sea stars, green anemones, and tiny sculpin darting between rocks. The trail itself is mostly packed dirt with a few root steps and one short section with a rope-assisted drop near the beach access, so it's not quite as effortless as the distance suggests. This is the trail for anyone who wants dramatic coastal scenery without committing to a full day of hiking — perfect for families, photographers, and anyone who thinks a beach should come with sea stacks.