Hoh Rain Forest is one of the natural wonders of Washington state
HOH RAIN FOREST, OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK
To enter the rainforest is to trade the civilization you know for a world that’s larger, lusher and infinitely strange and complex.
In the Hoh Rain Forest, one of the world’s wettest places, you’ll find trees hundreds of feet tall exploding in brilliant tinges of green. Shrouds of moss hang from branches like emerald cloaks. Wildlife abound, from marbled murrelet and northern spotted owls to otter, deer and Roosevelt elk.
In the offseason, precipitation catches on mats of lichen and moss — and the forest literally drips fog. Muffled by heavy flora, fog and isolation, the Hoh holds another distinction: It contains one of the
quietest places on Earth.
Found on the western side of Olympic National Park in Washington state, the rainforest features a trail that follows the Hoh River. By foot, you slice
through miles and miles of rainforest, and, for ambitious backcountry campers, up to the resplendent Blue Glacier.
One day in July, I found myself standing on the banks of the river, trying to find words to describe this wonder.
I peered at tumbling currents of aquamarine
water on their way to the Pacific Ocean, beneath a cloudless, flawless summer sky. Between those two bands of blue stood a thicket of pines on the opposite riverbank. The vista looked like a new flag — evergreen sandwiched in blue — a fresh declaration of natural wonder.
And that’s really the problem with writing about the Hoh Rain Forest. Use whichever expansive qualifiers you want, and they’ll be both spot-on and utterly inadequate. Epic, awesome, magnificent, unreal: OK, tourist.
There’s another epicawesome-incredible facet to the Hoh that is much
more utilitarian. The Hoh offers everyone, regardless of skill level or ambition, a shot at experiencing its unbelievable wonders.
Whether you’re a veteran backcountry camper in for a four-day trek, someone who wants a milelong hike to admire the rainforest, or seeking the in
between — a long day hike — you stand to gain an unforgettable experience.
I make an annual trip to the trails along the Hoh River, which shares its name with the Native American tribe whose creation story and identity are inextricably linked to the waters there.