Lake Quinault and the rain forest
We backtracked 50 miles to check out this temperate rain forest. With an average rainfall of 12′ per year there are many “worlds largest” trees in the area. The Rain Forest Nature Trail Loop starts with a lovely cascade, then follows the winding Willaby creek which we crossed over several times. The massive trees dripping in mosses, the ferns, wildflowers, and cascades meant a lot of looking up, down, and all around – as well as many photo stops. The trail is well kept, and it was cool and humid which really added to the experience. We passed by a cedar bog, and finally Cascade Falls just before the trails end at the small village of Quinault. From there is a loop back to the parking via a beach walk.
The village is home to the Quinault Ranger station, a small gift shop and grocer, post office, adventure tour operators, and various other amenities. It is a starting point for many venturing into the more remote areas of the National Park and offers a campground to put up for a night before or after a long trek. We had a picnic at the campground, then finished the loop.
The beach trail provides access to the lake where you could cool off on hot days. Just above this is the beautifully groomed lawn of the Lake Quinault Lodge with sweeping views of the lake, and a restaurant if you fancy a bite. Continuing onward the trail follows the shoreline and ends at Willaby Campground where the cascades flow into the lake and the trail goes under the highway back to the parking lot.
Another ‘must see’ item – a couple miles past Quinault village – the worlds largest Sitka Spruce (1000 years old). 58’11” circumference, 191′ tall. It is impressive !
Beaches
On the way back to Kalaloch we stopped at South Beach (now open for camping), to scout it out for future. It is a small campground, very open to the elements with sweeping views of the ocean. It would be a fantastic place to watch storms. A mile north of South Beach is Beach 1. The parking is two small pullouts on either side of the road. There is a trail leading down to the beach, however, we didn’t venture that far. The highlight and unique feature of this beach is the forest above. The Sitka Spruce in this one small area were at one time infected with what some surmise was an airborne disease or pest causing most of the trees to form healing Spruce burls. The forest has an other-worldly look to it and is fascinating to walk through.
Upon leaving the next day and continuing our way North, we just had to check out some beaches because it is rumoured that each has it’s own charms.
Beach 4: A bit of a scramble here to get onto the beach but worth it. Although a short drive from Kalaloch, the beach is totally different. Here the sand is dark with small pebbles and a lot of tide pools to explore. The “unique” feature of this beach are ‘turbites’. Really cool to see as we had learned about them in a geology class we took. They are tilted layers of rock caused by sediment settling after a massive underwater landslide, with heavier debris settling on the bottom and finer particles on top. These turbites are between 16 to 24 MILLION years old! WOW! At low tide the large rocks offer up many tide pools so we scrambled up and over to check out the offerings. Off in the distance fishermen were hoping for the catch of the day.
Next up, Ruby Beach: From the large parking lot you’ll walk along a short path downhill to get to the beach. Once the trail spits you out onto the rocky shore, you’ll have to scramble over several piles of driftwood to get on the actual beach. Ruby beach has black pebbles lining its shores. There are pine-tree topped sea stacks, and a picturesque lighthouse towering over a series of rocky outcroppings jutting out of the ocean.
