Spruce Nature Trail

The Spruce Nature Trail is an easy 1.25-mile walk from the Hoh Rain Forest parking-area information boards. A short approach joins a 1.14-mile loop through temperate rainforest, and you retrace the approach on the way back. The route follows Taft Creek and reaches the Hoh River, with old-growth giants, moss, and nurse logs along the way. Allow about 45 minutes to an hour; choose it for a compact rainforest walk with both forest and water, not a long backcountry hike.

From the information boards, follow the path about 310 feet to a junction, then turn right for Spruce. There is a short bridge around the 350-foot mark, and the Hoh River Trail branches left. The route has nine steps at about 640 feet, followed by a roughly 750-foot continuous climb. After that, it rolls up and down with gentler stretches before the loop closes. The tread is compacted gravel, but it narrows to two or three feet beyond the opening section. This is an easy hike overall, though it is not a flat, step-free stroll.

Fallen trunks become nurseries here: seedlings take root on the decaying wood. Farther along, some trees stand in rows where their old nurse log has rotted away; those straight lines are called colonnades. Big conifers, mosses, and ferns crowd the forest, in a rainforest that can receive up to 12 feet of rain in a year.

Taft Creek and the Hoh River break up the forest walk. The river's pale blue color comes from fine rock ground by glaciers upstream; the water runs from Mount Olympus toward the Pacific. Visitors often single out the riverside stretch, so leave time to pause there. The visitor center has exhibits but no food or gas, so sort those out before the drive to Hoh. Pets are not allowed on Olympic trails.