Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park, Washington
© T.M. Schultze/TANDEM Stills + Motion
Shades of sunset
Olympic National Park, established in 1938, offers an escape into unspoiled wilderness. It covers nearly 1,440 square miles on Washington's Olympic Peninsula. With a labyrinth of ecosystems that range from glacier-capped mountains to temperate rainforests, the park is a home for wildlife and an International Biosphere Reserve. Within it lies Shi Shi Beach, a serene stretch where the Pacific laps against sea stacks and sandy shores, as seen in today's image.
From here, you can follow one of the park's many trails and trek along the coast to see the beach's sea arch at Point of the Arches, an outcrop that has over 30 sea stacks, columns of rock rising from the beach. Within the park, visitors can get a closer look at Mount Olympus, spot over 300 bird species like red-breasted nuthatches, winter wrens, and spotted owls. They can also take a refreshing swim in Lake Crescent. The coastal wilderness area north of Cape Alava, including Shi Shi Beach, has been home to the Makah Tribe of the Pacific Northwest Coast for over 2,000 years. Visitors can gain an insight into their culture at the nearby Makah Reservation.