Wandering Olympic National Park - The Rainforests

In this 5-part series, we explore Olympic National Park. We’ll share our travel log, the hits, the misses, the missed, and the reasons we can’t wait to go back again. PART 2 – The Rainforests.

As we mentioned in Part 1, Olympic National Park’s ecosystems are about as diverse as you’re going to get in any National Park. When I’ve heard people tell their tales of the trail from Olympic the stories that always fascinated me the most were about the rainforests. I’ve done a lot of wandering over the years yet rainforests have eluded me. I was excited to check that off the list on my recent visit.

A few rainforest facts before we wander…

There are two types of rainforests – tropical and temperate. They share some of the same characteristics such as being rich in plant and animal species, and the vegetation is dense, tall and very green. Tropical rainforests are warm and moist, while temperate rainforests are cooler and can be on the dryer side.

Tropical rainforest lie between the Tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, where they receive an incredible regular rainfall throughout the year of up to 400 inches. 57% percent of all tropical rainforests are found in Latin America with one-third of those in Brazil. Southeast Asia and the Pacific islands make up another 25 % and 18% are located in West Africa. The only tropical rainforest in the United States is on the island of Puerto Rico.

Temperate rainforests are found along some coasts in temperate zones. The largest temperate rainforests are found on the Pacific coast of North America. They stretch from Oregon to Alaska for 1,200 miles. Smaller temperate rainforests can be found on the southeast coast of Chile in South America.

Olympic’s Rainforests

Access to the rainforests, as just about everything within the park, is by US 101. This part of the route runs along the western side of the Olympic Mountains and you pass dense forests, the city of Forks (which may sound familiar if you are a Twilight fan) and runs along the coast from Ruby Beach to South Beach – we’ll cover the beaches in Part 4. The Hoh and the Quinault areas are the easiest to access, with parking lots and conveniences near the trailheads.

Hoh Rainforest

The Hoh Rainforest is one of the best remaining examples of a temperate rainforest in the United States and a visit here should be one on your list. It’s about a two-hour drive from Port Angeles and under an hour from Forks. Watch for the sign to the Upper Hoh Road, off of Highway 101. From that junction, you will travel 18 miles up to the parking area, Visitor Center and trailheads.

If you look closely at the base of these trees you can see the ‘Nursey Tree’ below.

There are two short trails that get you quickly into the rainforest experience; the Hall of Mosses Trail (.8 miles), and the Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles). As you are wandering the Spruce Nature Trail it’s easy to get the sense that around the next corner you just may encounter a Triceratops or Brachiosaurus. The mosses and ferns abound and definitely give you that Jurassic feeling. This trail touches the Hoh River, in all of its icy blue/green glacial silt beauty. There you can look off to the northwest toward Mt. Olympus and enjoy the beauty of the foothills and the Olympic Mountains beyond. Then it’s back into the forest where you’ll pass wildflowers, mushrooms, huge conifers, and small streams. Fallen trees turn into ‘Nurseries’ for future life. It is amazing to see the life that springs up from these nurseries. We visited in the late afternoon after the visitor center had closed for the day and most people were already heading back out so we were lucky to have the trails pretty much to ourselves which made the experience even better. It was so incredibly peaceful and the sounds of the forest became a quiet symphony of nature, the buzzing, the wind, the streams all performed as we took it all in.

The first 12 miles of the Upper Hoh Road outside the park is a mosaic of second growth, third growth and pastures. Logging, clearing for homesteads and market hunting of elk changed the look of this valley. Even 100 years ago, there was concern that humans were altering the landscape on a grand scale. Olympic National Park was created in 1938 to preserve “the finest example of primeval forest…and provide permanent protection for the herds of native Roosevelt elk.” Thus, the Hoh Valley from the park boundary to Mount Olympus looks much like it has for 5,000 years. Of the park’s estimated 3-4,000 elk, 400-500 live in the Hoh Valley today. In a world of diminishing resources, this forest has become valuable to people for many reasons. The beauty and tranquility found here is one of this country’s rare treasures. It is a gift of ocean, rain, river, mountains, and the wisdom of past generations, ours to cherish and care for in turn. ~ from the National Park Service Website

ROAD CONSTRUCTION: The Hoh Rain Forest will be closed at the park boundary for major road repair work beginning September 5, 2018, through October 5, 2018. There will be no public access during this time. The Hoh Campground will be open for camping through the Labor Day holiday and then closed during the road repairs. To experience temperate rainforest during this time, check out the Quinault Rain Forest.

Quinault Rainforest

Lake Quinault Lodge

Located about 1.5 hours or 73 miles south of the Hoh rainforest you’ll find another must-see example of a temperate rainforest. Once you turn onto South Shore Road you are just a short drive to the trailhead parking area, but before you head in, continue down the road a bit and take a stop at the Lake Quinault Lodge. built in 1926, this rustic building sits on prime Lake Quinault real estate. If you have time, enjoy breakfast or lunch in their dining room with great views of the lake. There’s one

World’s largest Sitka Spruce

more stop before you head to the rainforest. Continue heading up the road a bit more and you’ll see the trailhead for the world’s largest Sitka spruce. The short trail leads you to the tree with a circumference of 58 feet, 11 inches, a diameter of 18 feet, 9 inches and which stands191 feet tall. This wasn’t on our radar, but it was a little diamond in the ruff! Now that you’ve seen a bit of the area, you can head back to the rainforest trailhead. This isn’t the only rainforest trail in the area, however, it’s easily accessible and beautiful. It’s an interpretive trail so you learn about the rainforests along the way. It doesn’t take long before you can tell you’ve entered a different ecosystem. The plants and trees become denser and the air becomes a bit more humid. Quickly you feel like you are a million miles and million years away. The forest here seemed a bit moister than the Hoh and because of the orientation on a hill, it provided a completely different experience.