Hoh Rain Forest

If you are keen to see something of the rain forest, continue west on 101. Pass through Sappho, Beaver, and Forks to a well marked road leading you 18 miles inland to the Hoh Rain Forest. The temperate rain forest in this valley (and this is true of Quinault and Queets Valleys, too) contains some of the most spectacular examples of undisturbed Sitka spruce/western hemlock forests in the U.S., where trees easily reach heights of some 300 feet. Precipitation here ranges from 12 to 14 feet every year! Nearly every bit of space is taken up with a living plant, as you will see. The mountains to the east prevent severe weather extremes, and very often the canopy of trees, mosses, lichen, and fern is so thick that falling snow is caught in the cover and never reaches the ground at all. Several short and easy trails will guide you through the forest.