Hall of Mosses Trail

Olympic National Park is a pretty spectacular place, but one of the coolest hikes in the park is actually one of the shortest. The Hall of Mosses Trail is one of a few trails that traverse the park's Hoh Rainforest, and at only .8 miles, it's pretty easy. But, just because it's short doesn't mean it isn't impressive! Hikers are entirely surrounded by lush greenery-- moss covers the ground, the tree trunks, and even drips from the branches. It's easy to imagine that you're in another time or place (seriously, it's so overgrown that it feels like civilization is miles, or even centuries away) and not in the middle of the Pacific Northwest.  You'll see more than a few fallen trees along the Hall of Mosses trail-- but don't worry! The mosses didn't kill the trees; it was the rich soil that did them in. When the soil in a forest provides lots of water and nutrients for a tree, its roots don't have to grow down as deep to find them. Shallow roots means a less sturdy tree, and a less sturdy tree means that it doesn't take more than a strong windstorm to blow it over. The other trail through the Hoh Rainforest is the slightly longer, but still easy Spruce Tree Trail, which is 1.2 miles. This hike offers views of the stunningly blue Hoh River-- it's fed by glacial melt, which contains pure water and ground up glacial rock, giving it a distinctive opaque blue that contrasts perfectly with the green forest. It might seem weird to imagine a rainforest so close to a glacier, but Hoh is a temperate rainforest, not a tropical one. Besides, the Pacific Northwest is a pretty unique place! The Hoh Rain Forest is all that remains of a massive forest that once stretched from California to Alaska. It still receives about 140 to 170 inches of water a year, so bring along a rain jacket just in case! The Hoh Rainforest also has a Campground which you should take full advantage of, because honestly, nothing sounds more relaxing than camping out in one of the country's most verdant forests. - Roadtrippers