Laura Mellone

Like most of the Pacific Northwest area, the Olympic Peninsula has fairly temperate and pleasant weather year round. La Push has a series of three beautiful beaches to explore Second Beach –A sandy beach a few miles from the town of La Push. *Recommendation- enjoy dinner at First Beach and then camp at Second Beach Rialto beach is the third of the La Push beaches. If you’re planning on staying in the Neah Bay/Clallam Bay area for more than one day, then I suggest setting aside time to get to and enjoy the Shi Shi Beach Trail.

Here are three stellar areas you can set up for a nice meal: –The Bahia Hotel beach on Gleason Road: this area features both a sandy beach and grassy area and has views looking towards the Paradise Point Resort, and has a public restroom. There isn’t any shade here, so if you’re sunburn prone like me be sure to bring your own umbrella (Fun fact- n’t picnic at the resort, there is plenty of space surrounding it that is perfect for a San Diego picnic. From this area you’ll have views of the bay and fiesta island (which on the weekends features lots of jet skiers, aka fun people watching!)

Salvation Mountain has become a trendy destination for road trippers and San Diegans to take photos of. Salvation Mountain is not actually a mountain, it’s a man made, colorful monument located in the middle of the desert. The ‘mountain’ was created by Leonard Knight who built it with natural materials and then painted over it with vibrant colors, bible verses & christian phrases. While it may not be the most exciting place to visit in the world, it is a sight to see the bright colors against the beige desert backdrop.