Photos by N.S. Nokkentved/The Olympian
Rain forest visitors hike among the big trees in the Olympic National Forest near Lake Quinault. Hikes of all lengths bring visitors up close with this section of the largest strip of temperate rain forest in the world.

Ranger Daniel Hull explains the mysteries of the temperate rain forest to a group of visitors.

Fabled forests inspire awe

Olympic Peninsula's woods form a magical kingdom of old growth, torrential rains

N.S. NOKKENTVED, THE OLYMPIAN

Originally published September 4, 2001

QUINAULT -- Muted green light filters down through layers of the ancient forest canopy, and between the massive trunks of huge trees something green grows in every open spot.

Humidity wraps itself around you, and the air is sweet and musty with the scents of pine and decay. Small birds twitter unseen in the canopy, and an osprey nest adorns the dead top of an ancient fir. These woods are home to spotted owls, flying squirrels and the threatened marbled murrelet.

This is Washington's old-growth temperate rain forest. The rain gauge on the Quinault Lodge tops out at 17 feet. The average annual rainfall is 145 inches, or 12 feet.

"One year we got 190 inches," said Ranger Daniel Hull of the U.S. Forest Service's Quinault Ranger Station. By contrast, just over the Olympic Mountains to the northeast, typical annual rainfall is about 15 inches.

All that rain results in phenomenal growth, and some of biggest trees of their kinds grow here -- Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, western hemlock and red cedar.

"Douglas firs can put on 6 feet of vertical growth in one year," Hull told a group of rain-forest visitors. One 400-year-old Douglas fir along the trail topped out at 260 feet and about 8 feet in diameter.

Treat for visitors

Arlene and Sy Katz of Roslyn Heights, N.Y., recently were among a group of visitors to this old-growth rain forest -- part of the shrinking remainder of old-growth forests across the country.

"It's staggering to think there's only 8 percent left," Sy Katz said.

The largest stretch of temperate rain forest in the world is the strip of forest that runs along the Pacific Coast from Oregon, up through Washington, British Columbia and Alaska. On the Olympic Peninsula, the best examples of temperate rain forest are found in four major drainages of the Hoh, Bogachiel, Queets and Quinault rivers, said Ken Eldredge, spokesman for the Olympic National Forest.

The Katzes participated in an introductory walk on the half-mile Quinault Rain Forest Nature Trail near Lake Quinault. The two said they are inveterate park visitors and always seek out the ranger-guided tours.

"It's always more informative interacting with the ranger than reading a dry guidebook," he said. "And you also bump into interesting people," she added.

The trail connects to the longer, 4-mile Quinault Loop Trail through similar terrain.

About 50 miles to the north a similar trail takes visitors into the fabled Hoh Rain Forest. The Hall of Mosses Trail is an aptly named three-quarter-mile trail through a cathedral vault of moss-draped, big-leaf maples. Nearby is the longer version -- the one-and-one- quarter-mile Spruce Nature Trail.

For the more adventurous, longer trails take hikers and backpackers deep into the rain forest in the Olympic National Park and the Olympic National Forest.

The Quinault Rain Forest Nature Trail winds through a typical temperate rain forest with some Douglas firs up to 8 feet in diameter.

Staggering growth

Douglas firs live up to about 800 years and red cedars up to 2,000 years, Hull said. Trees weakened by age or disease most often succumb to wind. Fallen trees may lie on the forest floor for up to 500 years, providing nutrients and bare spots for other plants to take root. These so-called nurse logs also provide a storehouse of water.

"When it hits the ground it becomes a big sponge," Hull said, squeezing a stream of water from a small bit of rotting wood.

Some plants never make it to the ground. Though not parasites, they find habitat on the limbs and bark of big trees. These mosses and lichens, known as epiphytes, get nourishment from the air and rain. And on the ground, several varieties of ferns, small plants and larger shrubs cover every open spot.

All that vegetation helps hold onto the soil. After 8 inches of rain earlier in the week, the waters of Willaby Creek still ran clean -- transparent as a small child's lie.

The rain is the result of moisture-laden storm clouds that drift in from the Pacific Ocean. They lose much of that moisture as they climb the Olympics. The rainiest month is December, with an average of 40 inches, Hull said.

The temperature seldom drops below freezing and rarely rises above 80 degrees in the summer. July, August and September usually are the driest. But in winter, the rain can be like the heavy downpour that comes with a thunderstorm, cutting visibility to a few feet -- except that here it keeps on, hour after hour, Hull said.

One winter storm dropped 12 inches of rain in about 36 hours, he said.

N.S. Nokkentved covers the outdoors for The Olympian. He can be reached at 360-754-5445.

Rain forest trails

- Directions: Take Interstate 5 to Exit 104 toward Aberdeen and Ocean Beaches. In Hoquiam, turn north on U.S. Highway 101. Lake Quinault is about 90 miles from Olympia. The Hoh River Road is about 140 miles.

Short hikes

To get a taste of the temperate rain forest, head for Lake Quinault or the Hoh River. Both areas feature a series of short trails. The world's largest Sitka spruce can be found at the end of a short walk on the south shore of Lake Quinault. It's 1,000 years old, 18.5 feet in diameter and 191 feet tall.

- Lake Quinault: Quinault Rain Forest Nature Trail is about a half-mile. The Quinault Loop Trail is shy of 4 miles. Both connect with several other short trails.

- The Hoh: Hall of Mosses Trail is .75 mile, and the Spruce Nature Trail is 1.25 miles. Both start at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center at the end of the Upper Hoh Valley Road inside the Olympic National Park.

Longer hikes

For the more adventurous with a hankering to see more of the rain forest, a number of trails are available.

- Hoh River: The Hoh River Trail starts at the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center in the Olympic National Park. It passes through the rain forest and continues up to the high country of the Olympic Mountains.

- Quinault River: Several trails, including the Enchanted Valley trail, take off from the South Shore Road east of Lake Quinault, some inside the Olympic National Park and some in the Olympic National Forest.

- Bogachiel River: The trail is less crowded than the Hoh and leads ultimately into the Olympic Mountains. This trail starts in the forest, but most of it is within the Olympic National Park. The trailhead is about 5 1/2 miles east of U.S. Highway 101 and Bogachiel State Park, about 5 miles south of Forks.

- Queets River: Some say this is the best rain forest trail. But it starts out tough: hikers have to ford the Queets River at the beginning of the trail, which discourages many hikers. The trailhead is at the end of the Queets River road. Turn off Highway 101 about 17 miles west of Lake Quinault and go 13 1/2 miles to the end of the road.

Places to stay

For day hikers not interested in sleeping on the ground, several motels and bed-and-breakfast inns are available in Forks and the Aberdeen-Hoquiam areas. The area also boasts several private lodges and resorts, including Lake Quinault Lodge, Kalaloch Lodge, the Rain Forest Resort Village and the Lake Quinault Resort.

For travel and lodging information, contact the Forks Area Chamber of Commerce at 360-374-2531, or order information on the Web at www.forkswa.com/travelkit.html

For information

- Olympic National Park: 360-565-3100.

- Olympic National Forest: 360-956-2300 or 360-288-2525.

The Olympian Copyright 2001

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