Friday, July 26, 2024

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.



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