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The Hoh Rain Forest is one of the most magical areas of Olympic National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Washington. One of the largest temperate rain forests in the United States, it receives between 140 and 170 inches of rain annually.
Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center
After passing through the entrance gates, we parked at the Hoh Rain Forest visitor center and took a quick look around. Outside, the UNESCO plaque was displayed on a wall near the entrance. Inside, the exhibits weren’t as thorough as we expected so it didn’t take very long before we hit the trails.
Mini Trail
The first of the three short trails at the Hoh Rain Forest is the paved mini trail. It’s ¼ mile long and is good for children and people with disabilities, as well as those with limited time. It’s connected to the other trails and right outside the visitor center, so we were able to see everything on the mini trail by doing the longer trails.
Hall of Mosses Trail
We started with the Hall of Mosses Trail, which is a ¾ mile long loop trail through old spruce and maple trees covered in moss. When you’re on the trail for the first time, it’s an otherworldly feeling. The rain dripping softly mixed with the sound of the wind and periods of silence will make you feel like you’re on another planet.
Spruce Nature Trail
Next, we did the Spruce Nature Trail, which is a 1 ¼ mile long loop under some of the tallest Sitka spruce trees on the planet, and alongside other thick rain forest vegetation.
About halfway through the trail, we came to the Hoh River. The source of the grayish blue water is the Hoh Glacier high on Mount Olympus. Across the river, the fog covered the trees to produce an eerie scene.
Continuing along the trail, we walked past uprooted trees and learned how seedlings feed off nutrients from the dead trees in order to survive.
The last part of the trail is partially along a creek and then through more of the thick rain forest.
Hoh River Trail
The Hoh Rain Forest is the start of the 17.4 mile long Hoh River Trail, which leads to Glacier Meadows at the foot of Mount Olympus. It’s something I would like to do with more time.
Sv. Nikolai Memorial
On our way out of the rain forest, we made a couple of quick stops outside the park boundaries. The first stop was at a memorial to the Sv. Nikolai, a Russian-American Company ship that ran aground on the Olympic Peninsula in November 1808. Interpretive panels tell the details of the story. There are picnic tables next to it.
In order to survive, the crew had to raid Native American villages for food while others became slaves of the Makah people. The Makah agreed to free them next time a ship passed through the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which occurred at Neah Bay in the spring of 1810. 22 crew members were aboard the ship, and 7 died before the others were rescued.
Hard Rain Cafe
Near the memorial is the Hard Rain Cafe and Mercantile, a small restaurant and gift shop. Unfortunately, we couldn’t eat anything because they didn’t have the ingredients at the time. They do have a campground and RV park as well as a cabin for rent, making it a good alternative to camping within the national park.
