Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach in Olympic National Park is one of my favorite places on earth.
a new trip to paradise
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Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park includes long stretches of coastline. Its wonderfully refreshing to backpack and camp along the forests edge, on the beach.
Depending upon how far you hike from the car you can find some real solitude out there.
The spot I’ve visited most often is Point of the Arches. It lies along the northern-most section of ONP, just south of Neah Bay. Its now a very popular spot and sees many visitors. These images are from a trip 2 years ago, in January. A window of warm sunny weather was forecast, and I spent two glorious days there with sumptuous light. On this particular sunset the colors were so bright and vivid and the orange glow from the rocks and sand so intense, it was more tricky than one would think to edit these and do the place justice.
North End of Shi Shi Beach, Olympic National Park
Its almost a 2-mile hike through the forest and mud until you get to the stairs and descend to the beach. Point of the Arches is another 2 miles walk, along the ocean.
Once the sun started to set the shadows and lines were amazing.
As the colors got richer it was impossible to capture enough images.
Every shot looked magnificent, better then the last, and the landscape is so utterly magical…
There you have it! Prints are available here. Info on Photography Tours here!
Shi Shi Beach and Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park
Point of the Arches
Here are a few pics from the sunrise this Sunday morning, Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach.
Ruby Beach
Ruby Beach, in Olympic National Park is one of the most visited spots along the Olympic Coast. Seastacks dot the shore. The expanse of ocean call to you as you make your way along the stones.
There are several wonderful beaches here, First Beach with its mammoth driftwood, Shi Shi Beach with its wide expanse and solitude, Point of the Arches with its majesty and life.
Yes, there is a lot to see at the coast in Washington!
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- Early Morning at the Coupeville Ferry
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- Pacific Ocean
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- Ruby Beach
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- Ruby Beach
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- Second Beach
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- First Beach, Olympic Coast
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- Point of the Arches, Olympic Wilderness
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- Shi Shi Beach
Point of the Arches – Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park in Northwestern Washington State contains several distinctly different wonderlands.
The rain forest
, glaciated peaks
Mount Olympus, Olympic Wilderness
and the Pacific coast.
The Olympic beaches are some of the wildest most rugged beaches in the lower 48. I have visited and slept on these beaches many times. There is something truly magical about the ocean.
Last week I spied a window of nice weather forecast for the coast and headed over. I was not disappointed!
Evening light
Lines in the sand
Sunset through the Arch
Arch aglow
Point of the Arches
Evening Light
Point of the Arches Sunrise
Point of the Arches Sunrise
Washington State Ferry Ride: Sunrise
I recently embarked on a trip from my home in Sedro Woolley to my favorite coastal hike and camping spot at Point of the Arches, in Olympic National Park. It’s a long way, maybe 9 hours from start to camp site, and one of the beautiful legs of the sojourn is a ferry ride from Coupeville to Port Townsend. I booked my spot on the Ferry and arrived just as the sunrise was happening.
Washington State Ferry Sunrise
Ferry Drive-in
Inside the ferry
On the Ferry Deck
Washington State Ferry Sunrise
Washington State Ferry Sunrise Crown
Washington State Ferry Sunrise: Looking Out
Washington State Ferry – Coupeville
Washington State Ferry Sunrise light
I knew it was going to be a great trip when the images from the ferry ride were enough to make the entire trip worth while!
Images of the coast to come, but here is just one to whet the appetite!
Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park
Astrophotography Images – Recent Efforts
Capturing nighttime images along the coast is a challenge, so much moisture in the air cuts down star visibility. However this image from Shi Shi Beach came out okay. The glow on the horizon is the small town of Neah Bay. And there are several campfires along the shore. 
Zion National Park is famous for its night skies, this image is taken on the bridge along the main park road, looking down the Virgin River. Orion really shines in this shot!
The Baker River is a wild river, its northern end far away from any signs of civilization. The streaks in the sky are satellites.
This last image is from Palouse Falls State Park, in eastern Washington. The campfire in the canyon illuminated the walls with a wonderful orange glow…
Point of the Arches and Shi Shi Beach
Seastacks and seagulls.
Arch and starfish.
Boy on the beach.
Reds and blues.
Gulls in the morning light.
Starfish.
Sunset.
Camp fires along Shi Shi Beach.
Arches under starlight.
Sunrise, the morning after.
RAW Image Manipulation
Between mundane tasks like work and exercise I try to entertain myself by studying PS books and navigating the mental fog to apply new techniques for image manipulation.
My most recent “new” technique are the brushes in Camera RAW.
Here is an image in its untouched state: 
And here is the finished version.
After opening the image in Camera RAW and hitting “auto” for the exposure setting almost all the additional changes were made with the brushes, altering saturation, clarity, contrast and exposure on various sections, one at a time.
Its a new way to bring out colors and textures. The image is taken at Point of the Arches, Olympic National Park.
North Western Images - photos by Andy Porter 