Originally Posted by
John H
It was not a difficult hike. You do need to plan around the tides. The tide level needs to be below 3.0 to get through the narrow sections so you typically have one six hour window a day to hike. It could be afternoon or morning or in the dark. I had to wait until about noon to hike. The shuttle driver gave me a tide graph with the 3.0 line marked so I could see my window. You can push the 3.0 a little but I would not do that with the family along.
I think a 4th grader is fine.
The shuttle driver talked me out of taking my dog. There were a couple of beach areas that were small boulders that would have been tough but doable for a dog. Otherwise it is coarse sand or gravel or trail above the beach. Almost half the hike is on dirt above the beach. If your dog hikes a lot I think he will be fine.
There are good day hikes into the hills so take you time because there are things to do while you wait for the tide to drop. I hiked four days. I made an effort to stretch it out and not hurry. It is a long drive so slow down and enjoy the place.