Hiking Hoh River-Five Mile Island

The most famous rainforest in Washington (yes, the state is THAT awesome that it has more than one rainforest), is the Hoh Rainforest located in Olympic National Park. This wasn't my first time at the rainforest but I was beyond excited to do some serious hiking in this spectacular place! I was prepared to be rained on for the 11 miles of the trail because after all it is a rainforest, and receives annually 150 inches of rain a year; compared to the 40 inches of rain that Seattle receives annually. However, we were greeted with almost clear skies and an abundance of sunshine. There's a visitor center and the rangers said that this was the nicest day that they had seen in months, and that yesterday was by far the worst day....timing is truly everything! Let the hiking begin!

All trails begin at the visitor center and if you have your handy dandy Olympic Peninsula Mountaineer Hiking Book then you already know some of the wonders that you will be encountering on the Hoh River trail. Since we were hiking in the spring (considered off-season in this area), the snow from the mountains had melted and added to the volume and intensity of water contributing to the waterfalls on this trail. Unless you have visited this area, pictures cannot begin to describe the vast greenness and grandeur of the trees and the forest grounds. Licorice ferns and club mosses cling to overhanging tree branches; some add so much weight to the branches that they break off and become a permanent fixture to the forest floor. Some of the Cedar trees are older than the great cathedrals of Europe. When you reach your destination (Five Mile Island) you can marvel at the surrounding area including Bogachiel Peak. Five Mile Island is formed by river channels and we were the only ones there so it was beyond peaceful and a perfect spot to have lunch and refuel for the trek back.

Throughout the trail you will be greeted with unobstructed views of the river and Mount Tom. The trail is relatively maintained, and while we were out hiking, the Washington Trail Association was out preparing the trail for the crowds of people that travel to the Hoh Rainforest during the summer months. There were a couple of places that one could get their feet wet by fording creeks and river, but these areas may now be fixed. We witnessed the large herd of elk right on the trail but our presence spooked the majority of them. I am obsessed with bridges and this trail was filled with so many different types of bridges. Also, it had unexpected, massive waterfalls that were not mentioned in the hiking book; gotta love nature's surprises!

The Hall of Mosses Trail and the Spruce Trail are perfect hikes if you just want a taste of the Hoh Rainforest, but if you are able to devote enough time to accomplish the Hoh River Trail I highly recommend it. I took over 300 pictures during this hike; here's just a glimpse of what I witnessed that day.

Boardwalk bridge over stream

Bridge over small waterfall

Same bridge over small waterfall from different viewpoint

Stairs leading up to the bridge

Moss-covered forest

Rainforest and the trail terrain

Moss-covered branch on ground

Sunbeams through moss-covered trees

When taking this picture, it was so bright that the trees showed up as silhouettes and it added a "spooky" effect in my opinion

The trees were SO tall that it is really impossible to showcase their height

Small waterfall on trail

Another small waterfall on the trail

Small waterfall with moss-covered rocks

Waterfall on trail; in the background it is hard to see how tall the waterfall extended up

Aquamarine color of the river

Walking man covered in moss

The trail was really really really muddy in some areas, so stepping stones were appreciated

There are two elks in this picture

Gravel bars

Five-Mile Island

Panoramic view of Five-Mile Island and Bogachiel Peak

Staring upon Bogachiel Peak; at Five-Mile island there were some remnants of other's campfire

Bogachiel Peak at Five-Mile Island