Olympic Peninsula & Washington Coast - Washington, Oregon and the Pacific Northwest - page 270

A number of short hiking trails begin just below Lake Quinault Lodge; pick up a free
map from the USFS office. The shortest of these is the Quinault Rain Forest Nature
Trail , a half-mile walk through 500-year-old Douglas firs. This short trail adjoins the
3-mile Quinault Loop Trail , which meanders through the rainforest before circling back
to the lake. The Quinault region is renowned for its huge trees. Close to the village is a
191ft Sitka spruce tree (purported to be up to 1000 years old), and nearby are the world's
largest red cedar, Douglas fir and mountain hemlock trees.
Beyond the lake, both N Shore Rd and S Shore Rd continue up the Quinault River Val-
ley before merging at a bridge just past Bunch Falls. From here, more adventurous hikers
can sally forth into backcountry. The area's sparkling highlight is the photogenic En-
chanted Valley Trail , which climbs up to a large meadow (a former glacial lake bed) tra-
versed by streams and springs, and resplendent with wildflowers and thickets of alders.
To the north rise sheer cliff faces and peaks craning 2000ft from the valley floor; during
spring snowmelt, the 3-mile precipice is drizzled by thousands of small waterfalls.
To hike the Enchanted Valley Trail, start at the Graves Creek Ranger Station at the end
of S Shore Rd; note the hike is 13 miles each way. Long-distance hikers can continue
from this trail up to Anderson Pass (19 miles from Graves Creek) and link up with the
West Fork Dosewallips Trail to complete a popular transpark trek.
The classic Seattle Press Expedition hike passes through the North Fork Quinault
River valley to join the lengthy Elwha River trail system further north.
Hoh Rain Forest HIKING
The most famous section of the Olympic rainforest, the Hoh River area offers a variety
of hikes and an interpretive center. If you have room for only one stop on the western
side, this should be it. The paved Upper Hoh Rd winds 19 miles from US 101 to the vis-
itor center, passing a giant Sitka spruce tree along the way. This lord of the forest is
270ft high and over 500 years old.
At the end of Hoh River Rd, the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center ( 360-374-6925;
campsites $12; 9am-6pm Jul & Aug, to 4:30pm Sep-Jun) offers displays on the ecology of
the rainforest and the plants and animals that inhabit it, as well as a bookstore. Rangers
lead free guided walks twice a day during summer.
Leading out from the visitor center are several excellent day hikes into virgin rain-
forest. The most popular is the Hall of Moss Trail , an easy 0.75-mile loop through the
kind of weird, ethereal scenery that even Tolkien couldn't have invented. Epiphytic club
moss, ferns and lichens completely overwhelm the massive trunks of maples and Sitka
spruces. The 1.25-mile Spruce Nature Trail is another short interpretive loop leading out