— — a long curve of sand running out to a row of arches.
“Shi Shi runs roughly two miles of pale sand between forested headlands on the far northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula. At its south end stands Point of the Arches, a line of sea stacks pierced by surf, exposed at low tide and slowly worn through by the Pacific. The walk in crosses the Makah Reservation for the first stretch, then drops into Olympic National Park wilderness. Fog comes and goes through the day, and the long evenings, when they clear, stay light well past nine in midsummer. from the studio
Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.
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Shi Shi Beach lies on the Olympic coast, south of Neah Bay and Cape Flattery on the Makah Reservation in the far northwest corner of the contiguous United States. The trailhead is on Makah land; the beach itself is wilderness within Olympic National Park. The walk in is roughly two miles through coastal forest before a steep descent of sandy bluff onto the beach, then about another two miles south along the sand to Point of the Arches. The whole coast is part of the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, designated in 1994.
Point of the Arches is the formation that defines the south end of the beach: a chain of basalt sea stacks running out into the Pacific, several pierced by wave-cut arches. The rock is volcanic, older than the surrounding coast, and the line has been steadily worn back by surf for tens of thousands of years. At low tide it becomes possible to walk out among the inner stacks across exposed shelves of tide pool. The formation is a National Natural Landmark, recognised in 1971 for its geological and ecological value.
Reaching Shi Shi requires a Makah Recreation Pass, purchased in Neah Bay, plus an Olympic National Park wilderness permit and a bear canister for any overnight stay. The trail begins off Hobuck Road and is often deep mud for long stretches; rubber boots are common practice. Parking is on Makah land near the trailhead, with a small per-vehicle fee. Most walkers go in for an overnight on the sand and out the next afternoon. Tides matter: a low tide is required to walk among the arches without scrambling around the headland.