I recently returned home from a long weekend away visiting my mom and step dad, who live on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington! It was (unfortunately) only my second time visiting them in the four years they’ve lived there (I documented my first trip, too), and this time around I traveled with Korri and my brother. We didn’t have a whole lot planned—and my mom handled all of it—but my one request was a stop at Olympic National Park since I had never been.

OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK, WASHINGTON

Olympic National Park, the most visited NP in the state, makes up a large portion of the Olympic Peninsula on the northwest corner of Washington. The park covers nearly a million acres of land, and you’ll find a wide variety of ecosystems and geologic features—mountains carved by glaciers, miles of beautiful rocky coastline, and even temperate rainforests! Olympic NP is not like other parks in that it has multiple entry points and no place where they meet within the park, so you definitely need more than a day to see everything simply because of the drive time between destinations. For this trip, we only had a day so we spent our time at the Hoh Rain Forest on the western edge of the park.

Why you need to visit the Hoh Rain Forest at Olympic National Park | things to do on the Olympic Peninsula | top tips for visiting the Hoh Rain Forest | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Hoh Rain Forest in Olympic National Park

The Hoh Rain Forest (pronounced like the “ho” in “Idaho”) is a temperate rain forest located on the western (windward) side of Olympic National Park featuring lush foliage—mosses and ferns galore—thanks to its average annual rainfall of 138 inches (11 feet 6 inches)! Unfortunately, so far this year, the Hoh rainfall is well below normal. The rainfall year to date marker on their ruler is about as tall as me—and even though it’s now September, the rainfall hasn’t even hit what they receive by May on average. Hopefully they can catch up between now and the end of the year…especially since the wettest months for the region are usually November and December!

In this post, I shared my thoughts on if the Hoh Rain Forest is worth visiting, the flora and fauna you’ll see, hikes to do, what to wear to hike in the rain forest, tips for visiting, and a list of other places in Olympic National Park to visit if you’re planning a trip. Let’s dive in!

Rainfall to date at Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

IS THE HOH RAIN FOREST WORTH IT?

If you’re a national park geek like me, and you love natural beauty, breathing in fresh forest air, unique foliage, glacial blue rivers, and greenery as far as the eye can see, then yes—the Hoh Rain Forest is worth it! If you go into it thinking it’ll be like any of the other national parks, you might be disappointed. Remember that each and every national park is a national park for a reason. They’re not all going to look like Yellowstone or Arches, but that’s what makes each one unique, interesting, and meaningful! I’m certainly thrilled that I was finally able to visit at least one part of Olympic National Park, and I’m excited for my next visit to see even more.

Hoh River Trail hike in Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Why you need to visit the Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

FLORA AND FAUNA OF THE HOH RAIN FOREST

The beauty of the Hoh Rain Forest is its plethora of flora and fauna. The forests are very lush and full of critters—the most common being banana slugs! I actually saw very few bugs and no slugs or anything until we were on our way back from our hike and I made sure Korri pointed them out to me. We saw two slugs on our way back! Since the forest canopy shades the forest floor and keeps it cool and moist, you could possibly run into other critters, like snakes, snails, and rodents. I made sure to cover my ankles to protect myself from bugs and such!

The Hoh Rain Forest is home to a variety of deciduous (leafy) and conifer (pine) trees. Many of the trees you’ll pass by are GIANT red cedar trees, but you’ll also see spruce, maple, and Douglas Fir trees (a Christmas tree variety). A lot of the trees are covered in moss, which creates an eerie, storybook-like backdrop for your forest adventures! Some of the leafy trees were already starting to turn colors when we visited on Labor Day.

The Hoh River Valley was carved by glaciers, giving the river its milky blue appearance. If you decide to hike the Hoh River Trail (more below), there’s a spot with a fork in the trail. If you take it, the trail winds closer to the river and meets back up with the main trail after only a short time.

Hoh River | Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

HIKES IN THE HOH RAIN FOREST

You might look at a map of the Hoh Rain Forest and think there’s not much to do. Don’t let the map fool you! You can easily spend a day exploring the rain forest, especially if you get stuck waiting to enter the park gate (more on that below). The best part about the Hoh Rain Forest is that there’s something for anyone, no matter your activity level. It’s very family friendly!

There are two short loop hikes near the visitor center:

Hall of Mosses (0.8 miles with 50 foot elevation change)
Spruce Nature Trail (1.2 miles with 10 foot elevation change)

And one main trail that you can follow out and back in a day or more (overnight backpacking requires a permit). This is the trail we did. We were too exhausted to do the other trails after eating lunch!

Hoh River Trail (variable distance and elevation change)

In total, the trail is over 18 miles one way and ends amongst the glacial moraines deep within the park. There are plenty of turn-around spots on the way, including the Mineral Creek Falls (where we turned around, which is approximately 3 miles one way/6 miles roundtrip from the visitor center). Mineral Creek Falls isn’t mentioned on the main Hoh River Trail sign and I think it’s the same as Tom Creek because the distance is pretty much if not exactly the same, but I’m not sure because there was no signage. You’ll know the falls when you see (and hear) it—there’s a bridge over the creek and areas to stop besides the main trail.

WHAT TO WEAR TO HIKE THE HOH RAIN FOREST

In the Hoh Rain Forest, you’ll encounter rough and uneven trails with lots of tree roots, especially if you’re on the Hoh River Trail. There’s also a few areas with modest elevation changes depending on how far you go on the trail. Since it’s a rain forest, you’ll also want to be prepared for precipitation in case it’s in the forecast. We lucked out and visited on a day that there was no rain in the forecast.

Here’s what I wore to hike the Hoh River Trail in early September (sunny with temperatures in the upper 60s to low 70s):

Layers: Sports bra, tank top, and sweatshirt
Leggings
Breathable wool socks that covered my ankles
Hiking shoes with a grippy sole
Baseball cap and sunglasses
Small backpack
Face mask (kept on hand in case of crowding)

I wore a Zella longline bra and matching leggings, my new Parks Project sweatshirt (now on sale), Darn Tough wool blend lightweight hiking socks, and Merrell hiking sneakers. Everything else I wore is old and/or no longer available.

If it might rain while you’re there, be sure to pack a rain jacket or at least something packable that can go in a backpack until you need it! Shoes with grippy soles are a MUST, especially because there are wet and muddy parts of the trail, even when it’s not raining.

Don’t forget to also bring:

Water
Sunscreen (and chapstick with SPF)
Bug spray (just in case…we didn’t need it)
Binoculars
Snacks
Camera
Bandaids/first aid kit
Cooling towel (if it’s hot out)

Read next: What to wear to hike Arches National Park

Hike the Hoh River Trail to Tom Creek | Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

Fall foliage at Hoh Rain Forest, Olympic National Park | Cotton Cashmere Cat Hair

TIPS FOR VISITING THE HOH RAIN FOREST

The Hoh Rain Forest is a popular destination with a small parking lot, so be sure to arrive early (before 10 am if at all possible) to avoid having to wait at the gate for someone else to leave so that you can enter. We arrived at around 10:30 am after driving 2.5 hours and had to wait nearly an hour in line before being able to enter the park. Sometimes this wait can reach upwards of two hours! (Follow @OlympicNP on Twitter to read the latest updates on metering in the Hoh Rain Forest.)

I also recommend using a restroom ahead of time and avoiding the restrooms in the park if at all possible because they are not in the best shape and most are just outhouses. (At least, they were gross when we were there but maybe they’ll be better for you!) Obviously if you’ll be there for a few hours it’s not healthy to hold it but at least keep some hand sanitizer with you! (And a mask.)

To speed up entry and save money if you’ll be visiting at least three national parks in one year, purchase the Interagency Annual Pass ahead of your trip! It’s currently $80 (entry for one vehicle at the gate is $30 and is good for one week, so the pass pays for itself very quickly if you have multiple trips to national parks planned in one year).

WHERE ELSE TO STOP IN OLYMPIC NATIONAL PARK

If you only have a day and opt to visit the Hoh Rain Forest, you might also be able to squeeze in a trip to one of the many beaches that line the Pacific coast. We also visited Rialto Beach, which is located in the park just north of La Push (you do not drive through the town on the way to the beach), about an hour north of the Hoh and 20 minutes from Forks. This beach features beautiful rocky and sandy shores (all of the rocks are perfectly rounded and smooth) as well as giant driftwood logs lining the shore and large rock formations just offshore.

More beach options if you’d prefer to head south from the rain forest are Kalaloch and Ruby, which are about 45 minutes from Hoh. Kalaloch is a popular spot to wander around and enjoy the coast.

If you have time for a second hike and are staying on the northern edge of the park, head to Lake Crescent and walk/hike the Spruce Railroad Trail (approximately 5 miles one way) along the north shore of the lake. We considered doing this hike but instead opted for the Hoh. Unfortunately we only had one day to spend in the park. Next time! You can also partake in many water activities on Lake Crescent if that’s more your jam. Another option for hikes on the north side is Sol Duc Valley.

If you have multiple days in the park, hike along Hurricane Ridge (accessible from Port Angeles on the north side) and/or stop in to see the sights on the south and east sides!