Hoh Rain Forest
At Hoh Rain Forest, moss-draped maples, nurse logs, river habitat, and layered canopy connects one of the finest temperate rainforests in the contiguous United States.
Artwork inspired by Morris Graves
At Hoh Rain Forest, moss-draped maples, nurse logs, river habitat, and layered canopy connects one of the finest temperate rainforests in the contiguous United States. Look for seedlings using fallen wood and old trees carrying mosses and epiphytes.
Walk slowly in short loops before committing to the river trail. Use the Hall of Mosses or Spruce loop before committing to the river trail.
- Setting
- Forks, Washington
- Park pass
- Olympic National Park entrance pass required
- Allow
- 1–4 hours
Quick guide
- Read the layers
- Move from nurse logs and understory to canopy
- Compare growth
- Look for seedlings using fallen wood
Read the Hoh forest from nurse log to canopy
- Build the forest vertically
- Start beside the Hoh River and separate gravel bar, forest floor, nurse logs, understory, Sitka spruce trunks, and canopy into distinct layers.
- Compare two generations
- Look for seedlings rooted on fallen wood and mature trees carrying mosses, lichens, and epiphytes; the contrast makes succession visible.
- Choose the short loop deliberately
- Use the Hall of Mosses for canopy and epiphytes or the Spruce Nature Trail for river-edge change before considering the longer Hoh River Trail.
- Plan for the approach queue
- Check Upper Hoh Road conditions, arrive early in peak season, and use traction-minded footwear on wet boardwalks and roots.
Good to know
Peak-season entry queues can form far from the visitor area, and boardwalks remain slick long after rain.
Notice these
- one of the finest temperate rainforests in the
- moss-draped maples
- 1–4 hours