I never understood what is the deal with the rain forest. When I started to plan this trip it made me crazy: what is so special about Hoh Rain forest that it’s a must see place?! I checked all photos. Okay, I thought, all this moss and ferns (or how to call all these vegetation), strange form trees covered with something green (what it is? is it safe???)… But I already saw the Fern Canyon, and fir woods in Russia and back in hometown looked almost the same – dark and green… Still, I didn’t get the deal. And I decided, whatever, let’s include this must see to the route.

Throughout the winter season, rain falls frequently in the Hoh Rain Forest, contributing to the yearly total of 140 to 170 inches (or 12 to 14 feet!) of precipitation each year.

You should understand, I spent a lot of time in the lush green forests in my home-country. The sunny and sandy pine woods with resin small on sunny days, dark and mysterious fir woods, majestic oak and birch forests with all possible warm colors during fall. I saw it with my own eyes in all states and seasons. I love them! Nothing beats a good forest (maybe a rocky ocean shore but I’m still not sure).
3 weeks after this vacation I could not explain what is that special with this rain forest. All I know it’s breaks your senses and feelings about the proper woods.
That day we saw the best north west beaches. And I knew a bit of green would not damage us 🙂 So we stopped at the parking lot of the Noh Rain Forest around the lunch. It was a week day, so the crowd was smaller but still was.
I needed 10 minutes to stop comparing, and become silence and impressed. It was green. The brightest green I saw in the forest. It had all possible form of moss. It felt like a fairy tale. A strange fairy tale with the magnetic magic. I even waited for the unusual things to start happening…
There are few trails. But we did the smallest due to the lack of time and my first disbelief. You need 30 to 40 minutes to complete Hall of Moses trail (1 mile) which will include lines to make photos and times for wow pauses. And it’s definitely a must. Otherwise, you will miss a huge part of nature impossible beauty.
On it, I will stop. Just check the photos.