One of Olympic National Park’s most famous sights is also one of its most remote. Fourteen miles south of Forks is the turnoff to the world-famous Hoh Rain Forest, located at the end of the paved 19 mile Upper Hoh Road. The road follows the Hoh river through a beautiful valley with a mix of second-growth stands and DNR clear-cuts. Once you enter the park, old-growth stands dominate.

The Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center (360/374-6925, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. daily July–Aug., 9 a.m.–4 p.m. daily the rest of the year) offers interpretive exhibits and summertime guided walks and campfire programs. Stop by for brochures, information, books, and educational exhibits on the life of the forest and the climate.

It rains a lot here; 140 inches of rain per year keep this forest perpetually green and damp under towering conifers over 200 feet tall and up to 10 feet wide. The driest months are July and August.

Two short interpretive trails lead through the lush spikemoss-draped forests behind the visitors center. Lacy ferns carpet the forest floor, and some even survive in the tops of the bigleaf and vine maples. A paved wheelchair-accessible mini-trail is directly behind the center, and the Hall of Mosses Trail offers an easy 0.75-mile loop.