Tag Archives: Maple Glade Loop Trail

Forks

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The Quinalt Rainforest in Olympic National Park

This fall I stayed a couple of nights in the little town of Forks while hiking in the Quinalt and Hoh Rainforests. On my drive into town, I kept seeing signs like “Welcome Twilight Fans” but I didn’t know what Twilight was. When I checked into the hotel, the friendly woman behind the desk clued me into the wildly popular books.

I had a great time hiking in the rainforests with lovely scenes like these moss-draped trees in the Quinalt, so I decided to read the first book in the series even though I’m not exactly the target demographic — I am not now, nor have I ever been, a teenage girl.

Speaking of books, the other day I woke up early and couldn’t get back to sleep so I continued reading Fellowship of the Ring where I last left off. It was a cold morning and my electric blanket had turned itself off, so I basked in the toasty warmth of a Balrog.

Ho! Tom Bombadil! Tom Bombadillo!

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Self-portrait in the Quinalt Rainforest in Olympic National Park

Speaking of the Quinalt Rainforest, one word of caution: it might be tempting to huddle inside one of the massive trees to shield yourself from the rain, but do so at your peril. If a tree should grab hold, no mysterious nature-sprite will answer your summons, you’re on your own. Fortunately for me, for reasons unknown the tree seemed to expect someone half my size and I took advantage of its confusion to make my escape.

Don’t You (Forget About Me)

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The Quinalt Rainforest in Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park is home to several rain forests with the Hoh Rainforest being the most famous and most visited. And with good reason, the Hoh hosts two short loop trails that take you past massive Sitka spruce and western hemlock hundreds of feet tall, moss-draped maples, plus firs, cedars, alders, and cottonwood. If you’re visiting the park and have only a little time, I’d recommend the Hoh Rainforest and Hurricane Ridge as two must-visit sites, both boasting easy access and short hikes that capture the unique nature of the park.

But if you have more time, wander around the less visited parts of the park like the Quinalt Rainforest pictured here. My wife and I visited here four years ago during the summer and enjoyed this quiet rainforest, we saw only a few other hikers even while the Hoh was swamped with people.

On this visit in the fall, the Quinalt again proved a quiet respite, I stopped off for a short hike on the Maple Glade Loop Trail and the Kestner Homestead Trail. I only had a couple of hours before dark and it was raining steadily but I had a great time in the forest. It hadn’t rained at all during our summer visit so I was happy to finally get rain in the rainforest!

Most of the water levels were low at this time of the year, but it looked like some downed trees had dammed up this creek. Most of the trees aren’t as large on these short loops as the trails in the Hoh, but I like the moss-draped trees amidst the gentle creek.