Hoh Rainforest Spruce Nature Trail

The Spruce Nature Trail along the Hoh River in the Olympic National Park follows a loop along the former river bank, wandering through a lush variety of plants representing different ages and stages of forest affected by the river. 

Upper forest, lower forest

And, of course, salmon in the river

Salmon emerge and live for a year in the Hoh River, before swimming down to the Pacific Ocean.  They then return to the river as three-year olds to spawn and die and their carcasses decompose and nourish the forest, supporting over 130 wildlife species.

Moving from the river back to the trees (this is a rainforest), we start down the trail, encountering Douglas Fir that are scarse in the rainforest because they cannot reproduce in shade and require a opening caused by fire or downed trees. to start.

Along the trail

Through the fallen trees

The trail continues to wander through the forest, with great sights of trees (fallen and standing) along the way.

Continuing through the forest

The trail circles back to the Hoh River and we follow the riverbank for a while, noting on a park service sign that many of these trees are centuries old.

Along the river

Back into the forest

Not to forget that this is a rainforest!

With really old, big trees

We cross small springs and creeks feeding into the river.  

Springs and creeks

And, lots of small bridges

This has been a fun exploration of the forest at the base of the Olympic Mountains.  Now, it's time to travel a short way through the park to beaches on the Pacific Ocean.

Hoh Rainforest Hall of Mosses

The Hoh Rainforest is one of the most spectacular temperate rainforests in the world.  The 50-mile (80 km) long Hoh River begins high on the Mount Olympus glaciers and descends 7,000 feet (2,135 meters) to the Pacific Ocean, fed by snowmelt and rain along the way.  With mild winters, cool summers, and around 12 feet (3.6 meters) of annual precipitation, the rainforest at the bottom of the river is dominated by giant conifers, accompanied by bigleaf maples, vine maples, and a vast collection of mosses, ferns, and plants on the forest floor, feeding the grazing elk.

We drive to the trailhead and start to explore the Hall of Mosses, an old-growth temperate rain forest.

Entering the rainforest

Along the Hoh River

Signs along the trail explain to us that most of the trees are over 200 feet (61 meters) tall and, unlike tropical rainforests, the trees are coniferous: Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and Douglas fir.  The lower levels of the forest are elk food:  maple leaves and low branches.

Explaining the forest

Be alert!

The trail wanders through the forest toward the Hall of Mosses, an intensely green area dominated (at the lower levels) by mosses and ferns.

Along the trail

We enter the Hall of Mosses and appreciate the lush colors of the moss-covered treees and landscape.  Beards of clubmoss are attached to the trees, but feed only on air and light.  The rainforest atmosphere provides plenty of moisture and wind-born nutrients to sustain and grow these plants.

Along the Hall of Mosses

The trail continues to wander through the forest, past downed trees (many cut to let the trail through) and through live and dead moss-covered trees, returning back to the river.

Continuing along the trail

Crossing the streams that feed into the Hoh River

Soon, we're back at the trailhead to explore more trails in this region of the park.