Hall of Mosses

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The Hall of Mosses trail winds through one of the finest remaining examples of temperate rainforest in the United States. This ancient forest in Olympic National Park receives over 140 inches of rain annually, creating a ethereal world where Sitka spruces and bigleaf maples are draped in thick carpets of spike moss and lettuce lichens. For thousands of years, the Hoh Tribe has called this region home, developing a culture intimately connected to the forest and the rivers that flow through it. The trees here, some over 500 years old, support more biomass per acre than tropical rainforests. This delicate ecosystem acts as a crucial carbon sink and provides habitat for Roosevelt elk, black bears, and the endangered northern spotted owl. Today, the Hall of Mosses stands as a living reminder of the vast temperate rainforests that once stretched along the entire Pacific Coast, with less than 5% of the original old-growth remaining. Climate change threatens to alter the rainfall patterns that sustain this magical ecosystem, making its protection more critical than ever.