Rialto Beach
Sea stacks, driftwood, surf, and a tide-dependent walk toward Hole-in-the-Wall define Rialto Beach, but its normal road approach is currently closed.
Artwork inspired by Kenneth Callahan
Rialto is a high-energy Olympic coast of rounded stones, enormous driftwood, sea stacks, and powerful surf. The popular walk to Hole-in-the-Wall runs roughly 1.5 miles north, but tides—not trail mileage—control whether headlands and passages are safe to approach and whether the return remains open.
Mora Road is the only ordinary vehicle approach to Rialto Beach, and a full project closure cannot be bypassed on foot because the Quillayute River separates Rialto from First, Second, and Third beaches. Confirm road status before leaving Forks and choose a genuinely separate beach when access is closed.
- Coast
- Olympic National Park
- Hole-in-the-Wall
- About 1.5 miles north
- Visit
- 1–4 hours after access reopens
Quick guide
- Current closure
- Confirm Mora Road is open before departure
- When reopened
- Time Hole-in-the-Wall around tides, not daylight alone
Let road status and tides decide the visit
- Access
- Check the NPS road report first; do not drive to Mora expecting to walk around the active closure.
- Tide
- After reopening, consult the coastal tide table and preserve enough margin for the return around every constriction.
- Terrain
- Expect loose cobbles, driftwood, surf run-up, and no ordinary wheelchair beach route.
- Boundary
- Do not attempt to connect from First, Second, or Third Beach; the river separates those beaches from Rialto.
Good to know
Hole-in-the-Wall is not an alternate way around the road closure. After access returns, a rising tide can still trap visitors against headlands; carry the tide table and turn around before a passage becomes marginal.
Notice these
- Sea stacks and driftwood
- Hole-in-the-Wall
- Tide-controlled coastal passage