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While it was sunny at Point No Point, it was still a bit cloudy when
we arrived at the trailhead just a few kilometers north. There's a day
use parking fee at the large gravel lot, $5 if I recall.
The trail to Mystic Beach is also the start (or end) of the Juan de Fuca
Marine Trail, the lesser-known cousin of the West Coast Trail, which starts
just north of the Juan de Fuca trail. We were only heading out for a day
hike, but you can head out on the trail for an overnighter, or a multi-day
backpacking trip.
The trail immediately enters a lush forest filled with ferns. At times it
is reminiscent of the Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park. The trail
is moderately hard to follow in places if you don't know what to look for.
The simplest thing to do is look for the color green. If you don't see it,
then that's where the trail is. Everywhere else, there's green tree leaves,
fern leaves, and moss growing.
Forest slug
The trail starts out on a gradual descent; in fact, there is actually a bit
of uphill in the first kilometer. There are tree roots everywhere along
the trail. Mud can be a problem depending on the recent weather. It was
a bit muddy in places when we went, but nothing we couldn't walk around or
just walk through.
Hiking down the forested trail
Nearing the first kilometer sign, we crossed a metal suspension bridge high
over Peter Wolfe Creek. It's probably pretty safe with several people on it,
but it bounces a lot less if you cross it one person at a time. So if
anyone in your group is scared of heights (like I am), you might consider
that.
Crossing the bridge over Pete Wolfe Creek
After crossing the bridge, we reached the 1 kilometer sign. The trail then
starts to descend more steeply. Near the bottom, the trail is so steep that
it consists of a series of staircases. One of the first staircases is
carved right out of a giant fallen tree. The tree is actually longer than
the staircase, and is an impressive sight.
After the log staircase, there's a lot more steps, some of which seem to
have been designed for people with very long legs. I was glad to have my
trekking poles here, especially since this section was very muddy.
We encountered a lot of people on the trail, and there were even more people
at Mystic Beach when we reached it around 1pm. We could see several tents
set up on the beach near the forest we'd just emerged from. People milled
about all along the large beach. To the right are rocks and some small
alcoves. To the left are some other alcoves, as well as a small waterfall.
The waterfall isn't very impressive -- more like water sprinkling over the
edge than a waterfall. I found the alcoves there more interesting -- they
are filled with moss or algae growing like stalactites on the tops of the
alcoves, most of which are only about 5 to 8 feet high.
Reaching for the alcove ceiling
Mossy alcove
Mossy alcove
Moss
Water drops on moss
The sun finally came out, and we enjoyed it while we rested at the beach
for about an hour. Eventually we packed up and headed back up the trail
the same way we'd come down. For some reason, the trip back up seemed
much easier; in fact, it took us less time to get back up than to come down.
Part of that may be that you have to take care coming down because of all
the roots all over the trail. Whatever the reason, in no time at all, we
were back at the parking lot, which was now full.
Log staircase
Ferns and forest
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