The tree canopy above your head bends the light into a peridot green hue. The mist and raindrops that surround you sparkle like fallen jewels. The trail feels springy underfoot, and there is so much moss all around that it softens the picture like a lens blur. In Washington’s Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rain Forest, visitors may see elk, beavers, and even elves and fairies among the trees.
The Hoh is a temperate rainforest that thrives in the frigid Pacific Northwest, receiving up to 14 feet of annual rainfall. What amount of rain is that? The Amazon Jungle only receives 6-10 feet of rainfall. Hilo, Hawaii, receives only 130 inches of rain, which is less than one-tenth of the amount seen in Hoh.
For a more specific comparison, Seattle, which truly deserves the label “Rain City,” receives only 39 inches per year. You don’t have to wait for a sunny day to visit this location; simply put on your raincoat and go. Short, groomed pathways and a pleasant campground await but don’t forget your tent’s rain fly. This campground is typically fully booked, so try using a service to secure a cancellation.
The Hall of Mosses at Hoh Rain Forest
The Hall of Mosses is a 0.8-mile route that will give you a sense of this otherworldly setting. Moss drapes everything in sight, much like cobwebs in a spooky home on Halloween. It hangs in wafting curtains from the branches of big leaf maple trees, climbs the tall trunks of hemlock and Sitka spruce, blankets rocks, and fallen logs, and covers everything in sight — except the bright green leaves and fern fronds — in a spongy, fleecy layer of green ranging from olive to electric.
It takes a moment for your eyes to acclimate to the chaotic patterns as you make out the shapes. Is it truly a tree? Its trunk is as green with moss as any lawn, with ferns sprouting all the way up as it disappears beneath the canopy.
Hoh Rain Forest is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve, and its status has led to increased tourism. Even on the rainiest days, you won’t be alone here because it’s one of the most popular destinations on the vast Olympic Peninsula. Visitors like to walk through the forest with hushed awe since the mosses act as sound absorbers, and this forest has been studied as one of the quietest locations on Earth. The silence is both haunting and enchanting.
The Hoh River Trail Takes You From Rainforest to Glacier
Weather permitting, a stroll along the Hoh River Trail might take you away from the people and deeper into that magnificent land of emerald calm. The trip to Five Mile Island, a backcountry camping, is 10.5 miles long, yet the elevation change is only 300 feet. Keep an eye out for Roosevelt Elk, which can be found in the forest in large numbers.
This trail is well-developed, yet due to the nature of the forest, it is constantly increasing. Even when it isn’t raining, only a few steps down the overgrown areas of this fern-lined trail will get your shoes soggy. A robust poncho is ideal for rainy days, and carrying a fluffy towel in your car is also a smart idea.
The trek to Glacier Meadows is 17.4 miles (one way), with a flat forest walk leading to a steep ascent into alpine meadows and expansive views of the Olympic Mountain Range.
If you have a long weekend, this is a wonderful hiking trip that culminates in a lung-searing ascent above the tree line to the jagged, windswept Blue Glacier for the ultimate experience in contrasts. Whatever your route, you won’t get the tropical vibe that a rainforest trip in Costa Rica would provide, so plan a warming pit stop at Sol Duc Hot Springs on your way back to Seattle.
