Hoh Rainforest:
Heading inland once again we 30 minutes to Upper Hoh Road which will bring us to the Hoh Rainforest. The large rainforest campground is our next plan, but along the way we passed Minnie Peterson campground (a small camping area of 9 sites), and Hard Rain cafe which offers food & drinks as well as cabins and a campground with full hook-ups. The road follows the Hoh river with fast flowing, shallow water.
About 12 miles along we came to a line of vehicles that were waiting in queue to enter – as visitors leave they allow more to enter (we had not expected a delay at this time of year, but it bodes well that it is worth the visit). An hour later we got to the entrance gate where our America the Beautiful recreation pass gave us free entry, then continued on another 10 miles to the end of the road where there is a campground, visitor center, and trails.
The campground had a lot of available sites, so we set up camp and went out to explore a little. Being in the National Park, dogs are not allowed on trails, so Cedar will be with friends Paul and Moe while we hike the trails. There are two short loop trails through the forest – one has placards with inspiring poetry along the trail – and a longer 18 mile trail which backpackers use to access the glaciers and backcountry camping areas. There are falls a few miles along this trail which can be hiked to and back.
In the morning we hiked the two short trails. The yearly average of rainfall is 140 inches (3.55 meters) of precipitation, most of which falls in the winter months. The result is a lush, green canopy of both coniferous and deciduous species. Bigleaf maple and vine maple host an abundance of epiphytes (plants growing upon other plants) that give the rain forest its characteristic look and ethereal quality. A plethora of mosses, ferns and plants compete for space on the forest floor; and a large herd of elk keep the understory open. Dead and downed trees decay slowly and support new life as ‘nurselogs.’ The cycle of life and death is strikingly apparent in this forest.