Exploring the Olympic Peninsula: the Hoh Rainforest
Part One - The Hoh Rainforest
Moss coats the trees in the Hoh Rainforest
The Hoh Rainforest is located Inside Olympic National Park, in the northwestern corner of Washington state. Some of the most beautiful landscapes call this beautiful peninsula home. Here is a little bit about one of my favorite spots in the park; the Hoh Rainforest.
The name Hoh, pronounced “Hoe” came from the Hoh River that carves its way from Mount Olympus, through the river and out towards the Pacific Coast. Throughout the seasons, the average rainfall exceeds 140 inches. That much rain creates a lush, green canopy of both coniferous and deciduous trees. The moss and ferns that dress up the forest floor set an almost fairy-tale like setting.
The Hoh is part of a stretch of a temperate rainforest that at one point, ran the coast up to Alaska and down through California. Because of its unique ecosystem, it has become one of the most popular spots on the Olympic Peninsula. These types of forests have slowly began to disappear. As the climate adapts and changes, places like the Hoh Rainforest have become rare gems.
A man stands and takes in the natural surroundings
I was absolutely blown away by the massive trees and ferns that littered the forest. Wandering this beautiful place has been made extremely accessible by the National Park Service. There are multiple different hiking trails, we decided to check out the Hall of Mosses loop. I would highly recomend taking this loop with children and seniors. There is very minimal terrain to navigate making it super accessible.
Overall, I think this stop is well worth the drive. Getting to the Hoh tales roughly two hours from Port Angeles and an hour from Forks. Don’t forget to take your camera, even if you just shoot images on your cell phone. This place is extremely busy during the parks busy season so depending on when you plan to go, make sure you take that into consideration. We went in February so crowds were minimal and we had most of the trail to ourselves.
Writing about this place has brought back memories of the Fanal Forest. Similar to the Hoh Rainforest in its rarity, the Fanal Forest is just about one of a kind. It calls the Portuguese Island of Madeira home and is one of two or three forests like it in Europe.
Having been able to visit both of these incredible places is a really cool thing. I think as a photographer the forest draws me in. The light is incredibly moody and creates a beautiful setting for making images. Thanks for reading about my short trip to the Hoh Rainforest. I hope this blog post inspires you to visit the Pacific Northwest! Please share this with someone who might find this beautiful place captivating.
