savvynomadadventures

Hoh Rainforest-Olympic National Park

Hoh Rainforest is truly in a league of its own. According to the National Park Service, it is one of the only remaining temperate rainforests in the United States and with average rainfall of 140-170 inches, it’s also one of the wettest places! However, we were blessed with sunshine, crystal blue skies and warm weather the day we visited which is a bona fide anomaly. The luminous weather afforded us a unique perspective into this enchanted world of moss covered everything.

The 2 hour scenic drive was a breeze then BOOM! We are in the middle of the mountains in grid lock traffic. Nothing about this seems right. What’s going on?

Oh…it’s Labor Day Weekend and we are visiting a National Park during a pandemic and it is sunny outside. Duh.

It felt a bit like Disneyland. One car in, one car out. We waited an hour and a half to enter the area but it was WORTH the wait! They know what they are doing. Crowd control. It still felt private and not overcrowded. We parked the car, dropped some acid (I kid I kid but that’s what it felt like) and entered a lush and dreamy magical wonderland containing shades of green I never even knew existed.  

Imagine Hansel and Gretel meet Dr. Suess meets Labyrinth meets Tim Burton meets Dark Crystal…that’s the Hoh Rainforest.

We were greeted by beards of moss covering every tree limb, stone and decaying log. I can only describe it as a cornucopia of technicolor delight. The air was an intoxicating scent of sweet Earth and Heaven. I wish I could bottle that smell and take it home with me. So fresh and alive. We decided to hike 2 trails while we were here: The Hall of Mosses Trail and the Spruce Nature Trail.

Both were a delightful treat with little surprises everywhere. The Spruce Nature Trail opened up to a rolling river bed with epic views of the Olympic Forest.

What a Delight!

Oh Hoh, we love you so!