Budget travelers will want to check out the quirky Rain Forest Hostel (23 miles south of Forks [1] on Hwy. 101, 360/374-2270, $10 pp, $5 kids). The hostel is out in the sticks and has two dorm rooms with bunk beds, a family room, and a trailer outside for couples. It’s closed 10 a.m.–5 p.m., lights out at 11 p.m., and no booze is allowed. Guests are asked to do 15 minutes of chores in the evening or morning before departure. Those without vehicles can catch the West Jefferson Transit bus.
Bring your own bedding to the rustic roadside cabins at Hoh River Resort (15 miles south of Forks on Hwy. 101, 360/374-5566, $65 s or d), a quiet property perfect for families and others who may not feel like camping in rain forest country. Tent ($17) and RV ($25) spaces are also here.
Animal lovers will fall head over hoofs for the
Hoh Humm Ranch (20 miles south of Forks [1] on Hwy. 101, 360/374-5337, www.olypen.com/hohhumm [2], $35 s or d), where innkeepers raise a zoo’s worth of critters: llamas, strange breeds of cattle, goats, sheep, ducks, geese, rhea birds, and Asian Sika deer. Stay in one of five guest rooms with shared bathrooms at a steal of a rate.
Be sure to bring food if you plan to spend the whole day at the Hoh, as dining options are very limited. Your only option is at the park entrance, where you’ll find Hard Rain Cafe (5763 Upper Hoh Rd., 360/374-9288, 9 a.m.–7 p.m. daily), a quiet little mercantile and burger stand that’s good for lunches and quick bites on the way in or out of the park.
Links:
[1] http://www.moon.com/destinations/washington/olympic-peninsula-and-the-coast/olympic-coast-and-hoh-rain-forest/forks
[2] http://www.olypen.com/hohhumm