Hiked On: September 2, 2007
Weather Conditions: Approximately 60°F-65°F, cloudy skies
Elevation: Unknown
Distance from Seattle: Just over 100 miles, including a ferry trip
Pictures: Here
National Park Service: Olympic National Park
After we finished our hike at Hurricane Ridge, we headed over to the Hoh Rainforest to check out the visitor center and do a quick hike.
The Hoh Visitor Center was pretty packed, and we decided to do the Spruce Trail. It was less of a hike and more of a gentle walk. It was a 1.25 mile loop that took you through different portions of the Hoh Rainforest and along the Hoh River. The river is apparently pretty dynamic where it flows, and a lot of our hike went through old parts of where the river actually flowed.
The trail dropped us along the riverbed, and we sat there for a bit taking in the sounds of a fast flowing river and admiring the rocks that abounded in the area when the rain started. We headed back into the dense rainforest, and not a drop of rain hit us thanks to the thick canopy overhead.
The sights were amazing. As I mentioned in a previous post, I can’t believe that making a 3-hour drive can get you from a desert-like climate to a temperate rainforest. Amazing.
Total distance: 1.25 miles, total elevation gain: 0′ (loop hike).