The beautiful Washington coast at it's best is waiting for the beach comber on Rialto Beach. Rialto beach is the gateway to amazing beach hiking to the north for explorers looking for pristine beaches, off shore sea stacks, great Pacific Ocean vistas and a unique hiking experience. Access to Rialto Beach is very easy for most visitors. The parking lot is located within a few yards of the beach and provides restroom facilities and an informational kiosk.
Rialto Beach looking north
Basalt rock beds on Rialto Beach
Rocks: The beach comber will find Rialto beach covered with rock beds of gray basalt and various other quartz and jasper specimens. The primary focus of my visit was to hunt for agates and other unique specimens of "orbicular jasper." It's been my experience to find orbicular jasper almost as prevalent as agates on Damon Point beach at Ocean Shores. Rialto Beach, however, presented very few agates but an abundance of orbicular jasper.
Orbicular Jasper: Jasper presents as a bright red rock that stands out on the gray expanse of basalt. Orbicular Jasper, however, is even more pronounced with it's red orbs on a black background coloration. Add the wet surf environment and the Orbicular Jasper really stands out on the beach! After about an hour and a half of searching for agates I had a bulging pocket full of orbicular jasper.
Orbicular Jasper: Jasper presents as a bright red rock that stands out on the gray expanse of basalt. Orbicular Jasper, however, is even more pronounced with it's red orbs on a black background coloration. Add the wet surf environment and the Orbicular Jasper really stands out on the beach! After about an hour and a half of searching for agates I had a bulging pocket full of orbicular jasper.
 Orbicular Jasper on Rialto Beach |  Orbicular Jasper with large orbs from Rialto Beach |
Orbicular Jasper collection from Rialto Beach
Agates: I only found three small agates as I was hiking back down the beach toward the parking lot. The agates were found close to the surf in fine grained beach gravel. Other agate specimens may also be found in rock beds but diligent searching will be necessary. I spent several hours scanning the rocks beds as I made my way north up the beach with no success in finding agates. The three small agate specimens were surprise finds as I walked down close to the surfs edge.
 agates from Rialto Beach |  first agate found on Rialto Beach |
Sea Stacks: One of the most amazing aspects of Rialto Beach and even further north are the "Sea Stacks" positioned immediately off the beach or off shore. These eroded promontories are the remnants of mainland cliffs and bluffs that have separated from the mainland due to erosion over the years. They stand as sentinels against the wind and weather as they slowly disintegrate from the pounding of the surf, weather and wind.
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Directions to Rialto Beach: Rialto Beach is located approximately 14 miles west of the town of Forks, WA.
Directions from downtown Forks: Follow Olympic Highway, 101 1.5 miles north of Forks. Turn left (west) onto State Route WA-110/La Push Road. After 7.8 miles, turn right onto WA-110/Mora Road. Rialto Beach is located at the end of the road.
Hiking Information: National Park Service web site- https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/rialto-beach.htm#CP_JUMP_151345
Maps: National Park Service web site- https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/maps.htm
Directions from downtown Forks: Follow Olympic Highway, 101 1.5 miles north of Forks. Turn left (west) onto State Route WA-110/La Push Road. After 7.8 miles, turn right onto WA-110/Mora Road. Rialto Beach is located at the end of the road.
Hiking Information: National Park Service web site- https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/rialto-beach.htm#CP_JUMP_151345
Maps: National Park Service web site- https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/maps.htm
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