During our two-day stay in Forks, Washington our plan was to visit several beaches early in the morning, during low tide, and then head inland for some afternoon exploring. Two of the places we visited were the Hoh Rainforest and Sol Duc Falls. We were a little disappointed in Hoh Rainforest, mainly due to an hour-long wait to get in, crowded parking and trails that were just okay. Sol Duc Falls, although still busy, was a little more visually appealing and shared many similarities with the Hoh Rainforest.
Hoh Rainforest:
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Our wait was just about an hour . . .
Knowing we more than likely wouldn't be back this way again, we decided to wait . . .
Knowing what we know now, we probably would have turned around |
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These are the two short trails we did at the rainforest . . .
Both start at the visitors center . . . Hall of Mosses was .75 mile . . . Spruce Trail was 1.25 miles |
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| We were expecting a dripping mystical forest, but instead were greeted with a 95° very, very humid day |
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| Certainly a lot of mosses! |
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| And even more mosses |
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| Allison enjoyed the many different kinds of fungi growing from the towering giants |
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We certainly were impressed with the size of these Douglas Firs . . .
Many were taller than a football field . . .
They were the highlight of the day for us! |
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| Heading along the Spruce Trail |
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The Spruce Trail runs along the Hoh River for a short distance . . .
Many people were wading and cooling off in the glacial waters . . . maybe we should have done the same! |
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What a root ball!
The sign, next to Kent, warned people not to try and climb it . . . we must admit that it could be a temptation! |
Sol Duc Falls:
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The next afternoon, we drove to Sol Duc Falls . . .
This was a much better experience for us . . . no waiting to get in, although still a lot of people! |
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Sol Duc Falls . . .
The trail was about 1.25 miles long and wandered through a nice rainforest |
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| Devil's Club |
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| Another view of the Falls and the bridge that you cross to gain access to some different views |
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| Well, we better do the tourist thing to prove we were here! |
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| Bunchberry |
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| More of those fungi that Allison likes to admire |
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Doesn't the Sol Duc River look refreshing?
Apparently it was, as there were several people swimming in this lovely pool! |
If you only have time to do either the Hoh Rainforest or Sol Duc Falls, we would suggest Sol Duc Falls. It's a long drive into the Hoh Rainforest (30 miles) and you can get a similar feel for it by hiking the trail to Sol Duc Falls. Also, after visiting the Falls you can backtrack down the road from the parking lot for a couple of miles to the hot springs. There's a nice (small) lodge there with many amenities . . . nothing was available at the Rainforest. These were both good trips to do in the afternoon, after spending our mornings at
Rialto Beach and Second Beach.
