Lake Quinault Rainforest
Directions: From Hoquiam, travel north on US 101 for 38 miles turning right (at milepost 126) onto South Shore Road (1 mile before Amanda Park). Proceed for 1.3 miles to the Rainforest Nature Trail Loop trailhead.
Ownership: Olympic National Forest
Trail Distance: 10 miles of trails
Difficulty: easy to moderate
Fees/Permits: Northwest Forest Pass or Interagency Pass required
Notes: Kid-friendly, dogs allowed on leash; restrooms, water and camping available; trail along Lake Quinault subject to flooding during the winter.
The Lake Quinault area receives more than 130 inches of rain a year. The large lake is fed by the Quinault River and is surrounded by temperate rainforest. Near the Lake Quinault Lodge and Ranger Station on the lake’s southern shoreline is an easily accessibly 10-mile network of trails. Follow the Quinault National Recreation Trails to waterfalls, cedar bogs, giant primeval trees, lakeshore and crystal-clear creeks. Watch for birds in the primeval temperate rainforest as well as on the open waters of the large lake.
In the forest look for Hammond’s flycatchers, warbling vireos, black-throated gray warblers, Pacific slope flycatchers, varied thrushes, Swainson’s thrushes, chestnut-backed chickadees, winter wrens, hairy woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, and pileated woodpeckers. Along the lakeshore watch for bald eagles, gray jays, Steller’s jays, black-headed grosbeaks, western tanagers, and orange-crowned warblers. On the lake look for ospreys, marbled murrelets, common loons, common mergansers, and hooded mergansers. During winter, trumpeter swans can be spotted on the lake.
