Old Growth — Inside the Hoh Rainforest

Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rain Forest sits on the western slope of the Olympic Peninsula, fed by moisture-laden air rolling off the Pacific. The forest receives between 140 and 170 inches of precipitation annually.
The canopy is dominated by Sitka spruce, western hemlock, and big-leaf maple. The forest floor is carpeted in up to 130 species of moss, which drape every horizontal surface in unbroken green. Nurse logs provide nutrients and structure for new growth across decades.
Roosevelt elk move through the valley in herds of 30 or more. The Hoh is among the quietest places in the continental United States. Western red cedar individuals here have been dated to over 1,000 years old.