The Olympic Rainforest

It’s magical. Wizards live here – maybe sasquatch, too – or is that just an apparition, the shape of a moss-covered stump mimicking a man – worn by the true spirit of the forest? There are definitely giants.

Some of the giants are trees. Tall, ancient, forest kings – spruce, cedar, hemlock and fir. I scarcely notice the conifers, though. What strikes me are the maples.

They’re not the prettiest trees. Although there are some giants, they’re not nearly as big as the biggest evergreens. Their leaves are scraggly, too. Bigleaf Maple leaves don’t age gracefully.

Some tree species change color as if they’re just embracing a new fashion trend for the season, donning brilliant colors while the leaves stay bright and supple, orange, gold or red even as they hit the ground. Not the Bigleaf Maple. Some leaves are lovely and golden, but most of their leaves are turning brown and raggedy while still attached to the branch. Very few still have color as they fall.

But they’re the styliest trees around,the fashionistas of the forest – just check out their threads!

Massive maples flaunt fleece, draped in velvet fringed robes, shimmering curtains of moss. and fern accents. There are more things growing on their trunks than on the forest floor!

How can it possibly be so green?It’s the rain. Olympic’s rain forest gets 12 to 14 feet of rain a year.

Compare that to the Colorado Rockies’ 12 to 14 inches! It’s not always torrential deluges, either. it’s more subtle.

You don’t feel it at first, this soft mist, but the air is completely saturated. In 2 minutes flat you’re completely drenched, and you didn’t even realize it was really raining. If a wisp of breeze finds its way through the trees, you’ll feel the fresh spray you might feel when standing at the base of a waterfall in the Rockies or Sierras. It’s wet here.

Everything is so green, so fecund, so alive.Every centimeter of every surface is covered, bursting with life, growing. It’s not just the plants. The rivers run with salmon. The forest supports a lot of wildlife, but you may not see it through the trees.

You’ll see coons and deer and bunnies. There are flying squirrels.There are some great mega fauna that you might catch a glimpse of if you’re fortunate. Bears, cougars. LOTS of cougars. And Roosevelt Elk, a super-sized subspecies, bigger than the elk in the Rockies. Here be giants, as I said before.

One afternoon I went to the Hoh rain forest. I stopped by a trail to the river. I thought I might take it – it wasn’t a very long trail – but looking at the time, I decided to do it later so I could get to the Visitor Center while it was open.

I ended up on another trail that day, but came back the next day to the river trail. There was a new sign posted, one that hadn’t been there the day before.

Seems like I had missed a major wildlife event by blowing off that hike the day before. I really, really want to see a cougar. But 5 at once on a kill? That would be a bit intense! This is one hike I decided would have to wait for another visit. Bring your bear spray when hiking in the Olympics, even short hikes.

There are many ways to access the Olympic rain forest. Just north of Hoquiam is the Quinault Rain Forest. There’s a loop drive around the lake that will take you to some beautiful, easily accessible waterfalls.  The road on the north side is a bit sketchy, though…one lane gravel on the side of a ridge with a steep drop to the lake. There are not enough pullovers and too many blind curves. Leads to a scary situation when that big Ram Charger coming the other way refuses to back up. Stick to the southern road for safer driving and more waterfalls. Travel deeper into the woods for camping or backpacking.

The largest Sitka Spruce in the country is on that loop, although not on NPS land. It’s a big tree, but I wasn’t that impressed. I had seen too many other spruce just a little farther north in the park that were very nearly as big, and growing in groves of monster trees. The old growth forest protected by the park was much more impressive than this one spruce standing all alone.

Take the Hoh Road just south of Forks to see some of the best rain forest in the park. There’s a Visitor Center and campground. If you have a Washington State Discover pass, you can camp for free just a few miles away. There is river access, day hiking, and access to some of the best backpacking trails Olympic has to offer.

Also near Forks is the Bogachiel Road. It leads to a trail that follows the Bogachiel River. The road to the trailhead is on Forest Service land, so be aware that there could be active lumbering operations in progress on this approach.

Another way into the rain forest is the Sol Duc Hot Springs Road between Forks and Port Angeles. This is a dark, primeval forest. There’s camping and lodging associated with the developed hot spring here. You can get a discount on the hot springs if you just go in the evening. There’s a warm pool and a cool (swimming) pool. The cool pool was too cool when I visited. You can hike to a great waterfall right from the campground, and also access Olympic’s backcountry trail system from here.

There are a lot of other access points to the rain forest, including patches of rain forest on Olympic’s coastal beach strip. Oh yeah, the beaches. They’re fabulous, too, but that’s another (upcoming) post.

The Olympic rain forest is an enchanted woods. Put it on your bucket list. Get lost in the moss. You won’t regret it.