We got lucky when planning our 8 year anniversary this year. We were able to combine it with our 2nd set of engagement photos, for a perfect romantic weekend together. Thanksgiving landed on a Thursday, allowing us a long weekend to go on this road trip to Forks/Rialto Beach area. We got a small cabin at 3 Rivers Resort. Which is far from a resort- it includes a warm heater, a disappointing bed, and a diner, with some additional gas station amenities. While waiting for a chicken burger and a loaded milkshake, I looked at a life-size cardboard cutouts of Bella, Edward, and Jacob. There’s a giant sign in front of the complex that says “No Vampires Allowed”. Not much of Twilight was filmed in Forks, but it was all based on the area. The werewolves are based on the Quileute tribe that are native to the land.

Unfortunately I waited too long to book, and missed out on a nice cabin by the water at Quilete Ocean Resort https://quileuteoceanside.com/

Next time I hope I can stay by there and enjoy the view and the access to the beach. Still Rialto was maybe a 10 minute drive from where we stayed, and about 45 minutes to Ruby Beach.

Ruby Beach is gorgeous. The Sea Stacks and the water are a sight. We got lucky on a day that was not raining and not windy, and the sun came out briefly for our photos.

Getting my photo taken always feel strange, but this process was surprisingly enjoyable. The whole 2 hours felt like 2 minutes because most of it was look into each others eyes, and kissing. My photographer is my friends fiancé’s and thankfully she came along too, making the process as easy as possible. We eventually finished and decided to head over to the Hoh Rainforest- Hall of Moss trail.

The Hoh Rainforest is definitely beautiful and green. You have to pay about $30 to get into the park but its definitely worth it. I can imagine parking being a problem in the summer months, but we got lucky in late November.

The Hall of Moss trail is incredibly short and also very easy- it generally seems it could be over crowded or over hyped if not timed well. I love how much online information there is to use. I always bring a Discover Pass with me just incase.

National Park Service + Alternative hikes from the Hall of Moss Trail

https://www.nps.gov/olym/planyourvisit/visiting-the-hoh.htm

https://www.wildcoastphoto.com/blog/hoh-rainforest-alternatives?srsltid=AfmBOortt8BcXpOLf_lZLOwj2uFC-felfMQLifJ6Mg1J2-jY32Y3GTHc

Address for the Visitor Center Parking lot

18113 Upper Hoh Rd Forks, WA 98331

We finished strong with Rialto Beach on our last day

The power of the waves are intimidating. You get out to the shoreline and I feel like you have to just watch, and appreciate the beauty. Its strong, powerful waves that were surprisingly high. The videos of the beach were my favorite from the whole trip. I also couldnt help but poach some rocks. If you like skipping rocks, go to Rialto for the most perfect flat and round rocks you can find. The rocks are smooth due to the force of the water over time, and you can see the rocks slowly become sand. The progression of erosion is visible and very clear.

I had walked towards the larger rocks for a better photo of the waves- but ended up walking into a spot in the rocks that was someone’s toilet. There was diarrhea all over the rocks, and even poop high up like someone had perched, or shat horizontally, and there was bits of toilet paper left over. I started to gag as I quickly exited the area.. My guess is someone had an emergency and didn’t have time to get to the bathrooms. At least that’s what I hope..