Oregon or ONP Coast
 

i will be visiting OLP and Oregon in October and can’t decide which beaches to visit. I was going to set aside 4 days to visit ONP and about 7 days to visit Oregon. I would like to devote a day or two to beach hiking. Which ones should I choose when there are so many.

In Olympic NP there are several beaches with varying levels of accessibility (long hikes in and/or tide issues) around La Push on the north coast. Google Rialto Beach for example.

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...1fe42de827.jpg

Or First Beach -

https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...55acd98db6.jpg

Farther south on the coast near Kalaloch is Ruby Beach. It's more accessible hence might have more people around, but in October it's unlikely you'll have much company.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...64021b47d8.jpg

The Oregon beaches, on the other hand, tend to be a bit more open and accessible, and less "wliderness" than those in ONP, although it's hard to generalize. Ecola State Park, just outside Cannon Beach, is very popular, e.g.

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...34e623d89d.jpg

Farther south, places like Cape Kiwanda or Cape Meares are very scenic but there are cliffs that can restrict access to the beaches (or no beach at all) and farther south yet there are some terrific beaches around Newport and Yachats, but you might not have enough time to get that far south.

ONP has some great hiking around the beaches! Besides the ones listed above, take a look at the Ozette triangle hike. This is one of my personal favorites and has been for years. It is a triangle so you can start at either the Cape Alava trail or Sand Point. They split at a junction just after you cross the bridge near the ranger station. Anyway, either way you go there are many boardwalks (not nearly as easy as this sounds, but not difficult) but then you get down to the beach and that has amazing views! Plus there are petroglyphs on the large rocks along the beach. You have to time this hike with the tides or you will be scrambling to get to high ground. This is a 9 mile hike and does take most of the day and is pretty remote, but well worth it!!! If I had only one hike on the beach around ONP, this would be it. Just a heads up as you mention your visit to ONP is in October, are you aware of the Hoh closure? It is is scheduled to reopen on 10/05, but that of course if the work goes according to plan. Not knowing when your trip is, I just mention this in case you need to plan around this:)

The OR coast is much more limited in that regard as most of the hikes are pretty short and mostly strolls, IME. The trail at Ecola State Park has a closure, so be sure to check the most current status of that if that interests you. The Saddle Mountain hike, which is about 13 miles east of Seaside has great views, but you want to be sure it is a clear day. There are some good hikes further down past Newport around Yachats as well. Not a hike, but Seal Rock is really interesting and a fun place to walk around to explore. That is just south of Newport.

I can't speak to Olympic National Park--I haven't been. But if you want actual hikes along the Oregon Coast--as opposed to walking along the surf for miles-- also consider the Cape Lookout hike. Good views. About 5 miles roundtrip.

https://www.outdoorproject.com/adven...t-hiking-trail