Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rainforest (fall)

@michaelmatti

Washington

•

Queets-clearwater

This lush, viridescent rainforest trail is photogenic anytime of the year, but when you visit in the fall, you'll experience the tonal changes bursting in hues of red, orange and yellow — as well as the usual mesmerizing shades of green. Take a walk on the moss-covered path and you'll feel like you stepped into a mythical storybook.

Plan

Overview

Skill level

Moderate

Accessbility

Public Location

Hours

Anytime (Check the Olympic National Park website for road closures: https://www.nps.gov/olym/index.htm)

Fee

$30 National Park entrance fee per vehicle or free with an America the Beautiful Pass

Pack

Wide-angle lens (16mm)
Tripod
Model

How to get there

N47° 51' 56.0016"W123° 56' 01.5"

This photo was taken along the Hall of Mosses Trail in the Hoh Rainforest in Queets-clearwater, Washington. The Hall of Mosses Trail begins from the Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center in Olympic National Park. To reach the visitor center, you need to drive about 18 miles down Upper Hoh Road off of Highway 101. The turnoff to Upper Hoh Road is about 13 miles south of downtown Forks. Once parked at the visitor center (47.860272, -123.934563) you begin your hike on the back right side of the visitor center. This is partially a loop hike so you can really go either way, but this specific part of the hike is slightly closer if you go clockwise around the loop. The full loop hike is about 0.9 miles with 100 feet of elevation gain. To get this perspective, reference the GPS coordinates.