La Push Beach

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La Push Beach
First Beach, Washington coast. Olympic National Park.jpg
First Beach, La Push, Washington coast, Olympic National Park
Coordinates: Coordinates: 47°54′29″N124°38′23″W / 47.90806°N 124.63972°W / 47.90806; -124.63972
Country United States of America
State Washington
Population
 (2002)
  Total11,285

La Push Beach [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] is a series of three beaches near the community of La Push, Washington, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The beach's most prominent natural vegetation the Sitka, spruce, and evergreen trees that populate the shore.

Contents

Beaches

First Beach

First Beach. 1stbchlapush.jpg
First Beach.

First Beach ( 47°54′14″N124°38′00″W / 47.9039614°N 124.6332702°W / 47.9039614; -124.6332702 (First Beach) [9] ), the northernmost beach, is 14 miles (23 km) from the town of Forks, Washington. It is the only beach of La Push that can be accessed with a vehicle. The crescent shape beach brings in driftwood that slows down the waves and makes it dangerous to stand in the water. Within walking distance are a few homes of members of the Quileute Indian Tribe which is where the beach is located, the Quileute Indian Reservation.

The Oceanside Resort has a range of lodges for all budgets along First Beach. The tourist attractions most popular are surfing and fishing in the spring, hiking in the summer, and storm watching in the winter and fall.

Second Beach

Second Beach Second Beach Olympic June 2018 008.jpg
Second Beach
Second Beach La Push Beach2.jpg
Second Beach

Trails to Second Beach ( 47°53′02″N124°36′56″W / 47.8839°N 124.6155°W / 47.8839; -124.6155 (Second Beach) [10] ) start at the Quileute Indian Reservation, and span 1 mile (1.6 km) before reaching the coast. Second Beach is the longest and flattest of the three beaches and is the most populated. Though within a mile of First and Third Beach in each direction, north and south, the other beaches are inaccessible because of protruding headlands and steep bluffs. 0.5 miles (0.80 km) offshore is an archipelago. Sea stacks are mixed throughout the small islands and are known as the Quileute Needle. They are part of a wildlife preserve called Quillayute Needles National Wildlife Refuge. The wildlife protects coastal creatures including seabirds, oystercatchers, and gulls.

Third Beach

Third Beach Third Beach, Washington coast.jpg
Third Beach

Third Beach ( 47°52′34″N124°34′56″W / 47.8761°N 124.5823°W / 47.8761; -124.5823 (Third Beach) [10] ), the southernmost beach, is a 1.6-mile (2.6 km) hike from the road with views of Strawberry Bay. The hike is mostly level but can sometimes be slippery and somewhat dangerous due to the harsh coast weather. Third Beach is one of the Olympic Peninsula beaches which tend to consist of sea stacks and driftwood. In the isolated non-developed cove at Taylor Point, there is a waterfall that falls directly onto the beach where tide pools are also featured on the north end. It is located on Olympic National Park's Pacific Ocean coastline, reached by a trail through the forest from near the Quileute Indian Reservation town of La Push.

Being the Third Beach down La Push' coastline, it is the most secluded. However, there are multiple camp sites that put campers within 5 minutes' walk of the ocean where Teahwhit Head blocks the way to Second Beach. There is also a boiler in the swamp [ clarification needed ] by the 1.5 miles (2.4 km) trail to the beach from an abortive oil exploration in 1902.

See also

Related Research Articles

Forks, Washington City in Washington, United States

Forks, also previously known as the unincorporated town of Quillayute, is a city in southwest Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 3,558 at the 2010 census. At a 2018 estimate from the Office of Financial Management, the population was 3,862. It is named after the forks in the nearby Quillayute, Bogachiel, Calawah, and Sol Duc rivers.

Moclips, Washington Census-designated place in Washington, United States

Moclips is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 207 at the 2010 census. It is located near the mouth of the Moclips River.

Olympic National Park National park in Washington state, United States

Olympic National Park is a United States national park located in the State of Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula. The park has four regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west-side temperate rainforest, and the forests of the drier east side. Within the park there are three distinct ecosystems, including subalpine forest and wildflower meadow, temperate forest, and the rugged Pacific coast.

Quileute Federally-recognized Native American tribe in the northwestern United States

The Quileute, also known as the Quillayute, are a Native American people in western Washington state in the United States, currently numbering approximately 2,000. They are a federally recognized tribe: the Quileute Tribe of the Quileute Reservation.

Quinault people Native American peoples

The Quinault are a group of Native American peoples from western Washington in the United States. They are a Southwestern Coast Salish people and are enrolled in the federally recognized Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation.

The Hoh or Chalá·at are a Native American tribe in western Washington state in the United States. The tribe lives on the Pacific Coast of Washington on the Olympic Peninsula. The Hoh moved onto the Hoh Indian Reservation, 47°44′31″N124°25′17″W at the mouth of the Hoh River, on the Pacific Coast of Jefferson County, after the signing of the Quinault Treaty on July 1, 1855. The reservation has a land area of 1.929 square kilometres and a 2000 census resident population of 102 persons, 81 of whom were Native Americans. It lies about halfway between its nearest outside communities of Forks, to its north, and Queets, to its south. The river is central to their culture. The main resources they used included cedar trees, salmon, and the nearby vegetation. They also traded and bartered with other tribes closer to Eastern Washington, near the Plateaus and Great Plains.

Hoh River River in the United States

The Hoh River is a river of the Pacific Northwest, located on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. About 56 miles (90 km) long, the Hoh River originates at the Hoh Glacier on Mount Olympus and flows west through the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, then through the foothills in a broad valley, emptying into the Pacific Ocean at the Hoh Indian Reservation. The final portion of the Hoh River's course marks the boundary between the coastal segment of Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, the Hoh Indian Reservation.

Bogachiel River

The Bogachiel River is a river of the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates near Bogachiel Peak, flows west through the mountains of Olympic National Park. After emerging from the park it joins the Sol Duc River, forming the Quillayute River, which empties into the Pacific Ocean near La Push, Washington.

Quillayute River

The Quillayute River is a river situated on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. It empties to the Pacific Ocean at La Push, Washington. The Quillayute River is formed by the confluence of the Bogachiel River, Calawah River and the Sol Duc River. The Dickey River joins the Quillayute just above the river's mouth on the Pacific Ocean.

Kalaloch, Washington Unincorporated community in Washington, United States

Kalaloch is an unincorporated resort area entirely within Olympic National Park in western Jefferson County, Washington, United States. Kalaloch accommodations are on a 50-foot (15 m) bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, west of U.S. Route 101 on the Olympic Peninsula, north of the reservation of the Quinault Indian Nation.

La Push, Washington Unincorporated community in Washington, United States

La Push is a small unincorporated community situated at the mouth of the Quillayute River in Clallam County, Washington, United States. La Push is the largest community within the Quileute Indian Reservation, which is home to the federally recognized Quileute tribe. La Push is known for its whale-watching and natural environment. The community has historically been located on the coast, however sea level rise led the community to begin managed retreat to higher grounds in 2017.

Queets, Washington Census-designated place in Washington, United States

Queets is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Grays Harbor and Jefferson counties, Washington, United States. The population was 174 at the 2010 census. The primary residents of the community are Native Americans of the Quinault Indian Nation.

James Island (La Push, Washington)

James Island is at the mouth of the Quillayute River near La Push, Washington. Local historians say it is named for Francis Wilcox James, a lighthouse keeper and friend of the Quileute Indians there, though the Origin of Washington Geographic Names attributes the name to Jimmie Howeshatta, a Quileute chief.

State Route 110 (SR 110) is a 11.10-mile-long (17.86 km) state highway serving Olympic National Park and the Quileute Indian Reservation within Clallam County, located in the U.S. state of Washington. The highway travels west from U.S. Route 101 (US 101) in Forks as La Push Road along the Quileute and Sol Duc rivers to the boundary of Olympic National Park east of La Push. La Push Road was originally added to the state highway system in 1937 as Secondary State Highway 9B (SSH 9B), but was removed in 1955. SR 110 was later established on the route in 1991 after a previous highway with the same designation was removed. A spur route extending west to Mora was originally added with SSH 9B and re-added with SR 110 in 1991.

Dickey River

The Dickey River is a stream on the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It has three main forks, the East Fork, West Fork, and Middle Fork Dickey Rivers. The main stem is formed by the confluence of the East and West Forks. The river and its forks rise in the northwestern part of the Olympic Peninsula and flow generally south and west to join the Quillayute River near its mouth on the Pacific Ocean.

Quileute Indian Reservation

The Quileute Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation for the Quileute people located on the southwestern Olympic Peninsula in Clallam County, Washington, United States. The reservation is at the mouth of the Quillayute River on the Pacific coast.

Quinault Indian Nation Ethnic group

The Quinault Indian Nation, formerly known as the Quinault Tribe of the Quinault Reservation, is a federally recognized tribe of Quinault, Queets, Quileute, Hoh, Chehalis, Chinook, and Cowlitz peoples. They are a Southwestern Coast Salish people of indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Their tribe is located in Washington state on the Pacific coast of the Olympic Peninsula. These peoples are also represented in other tribes in Washington and Oregon.

Quileute Canyon is a submarine canyon, off of Washington state, United States.

Quillehuyte County, Washington

Quillehuyte County was a Washington Territory county from January 29, 1868, to 1869. It and Ferguson County are the only two counties of the territory that dissolved, although the Washington Territorial Legislature attempted to dissolve Skamania County in January 1865, but was overruled by the United States Congress. Additionally, some Washington counties have been renamed since their formation; Sawamish County was renamed to Mason in 1864 for example.

Washington Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Complex is an administrative grouping of six National Wildlife Refuges in Washington, managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. It includes:

References

  1. "Third Beach Trail | La Push Washington Hikes". Trails.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  2. "La Push Travel Guide and Directory". Surfline.Com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  3. "Lapush Washington". Forks-web.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  4. "La Push, Washington on the ocean beaches of the Pacific Coast of Washington State". Northwestplaces.com. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  5. "Second Beach — Washington Trails Association". Wta.org. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  6. "Third Beach La Push Olympic Peninsula Olympic National Park". Celebratebig.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  7. "La Push". Pussens.jwilliammiller.com. Archived from the original on 2012-04-02. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  8. "Welcome | Forks Washington Chamber of Commerce". Forkswa.com. 2010-03-22. Retrieved 2011-10-11.
  9. "First Beach". Geographic Names Information System . United States Geological Survey . Retrieved 2015-04-02.
  10. 1 2 "Olympic National Park Map" (PDF). US National Park Service. Retrieved 2015-04-02.
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