Murali Narayanan Photography

Tucked within the lush embrace of Olympic National Park, the Hoh Rainforest comes alive in the spring with a symphony of green. The forest floor bursts with new growth, while towering conifers—cloaked in thick moss—stand sentinel under a canopy that glows with fresh foliage. For photographers, mid-May through mid-June offers soft diffused light through overcast skies, and rich contrasts between mossy trunks, vibrant undergrowth, and the occasional blooming wildflower. From the dripping ferns to the cathedral-like halls of Sitka spruce and western hemlock, every trail in the Hoh presents opportunities to capture nature’s raw beauty and quiet grandeur.

While many visitors head straight to the Hoh Visitor Center—about 18 miles from the U.S. 101 turnoff—the drive along Upper Hoh Road itself offers countless opportunities to photograph the rainforest’s stunning beauty. Rather than rushing through, we took nearly four hours to explore and capture the scenes along the way, including the many streams that weave across the road and feed into the Hoh River.

Numerous pullouts provide easy access to photograph towering Sitka spruce forests and the winding river itself, often framed by the misty silhouettes of the Olympic Mountains. These quiet stretches of road reveal the raw, unfiltered essence of the rainforest—lush, layered, and endlessly photogenic.

The Hoh Rainforest Visitor Center serves as the gateway to two of the most iconic and accessible trails in the rainforest: The Hall of Mosses Trail and the Spruce Nature Trail. Both begin just steps from the center and offer a magical immersion into the heart of this temperate rainforest. The Hall of Mosses, a short loop just under a mile, winds through a surreal landscape of ancient bigleaf maples and Sitka spruces draped in layers of vivid green moss. Every step feels like a journey through time, with dense ferns carpeting the forest floor and filtered light casting a dreamlike glow. The nearby Spruce Trail follows the Hoh River through old-growth forest, offering a broader perspective on the dynamic ecosystem, with chances to spot wildlife and shifting river channels.

In the Hoh Rainforest, mushrooms commonly grow on Sitka spruce trees, thriving in the damp, shaded conditions that define this temperate rainforest. These fungi appear in a variety of shapes and colors, often sprouting from decaying logs, fallen branches, or the trunks of aging spruces. They play a crucial ecological role by breaking down organic material and recycling nutrients back into the forest soil.

Nurse logs are a defining feature of the Hoh Rainforest’s ecosystem. These fallen, decaying trees provide a rich, moist foundation for new life to flourish—mosses, fungi, ferns, and even towering trees take root on their surface. Over time, the nurse log decomposes, leaving behind a raised line of trees that once depended on its nutrients and stability. Along the Spruce Trail, there is a line of Sitka Spruce trees once supported by a tall fallen nurse log.

Most trees are covered in a variety of moss. Below is an image of a Sitka Spruce tree covered in Cat-tail Moss also called Tree Moss. This moss is famous for its lush, draping, and almost fern-like appearance, forming thick mats on tree trunks and branches.

Spring in the Hoh Rainforest is a season of quiet wonder—where the soft drizzle awakens the forest floor, moss-draped trees glow with vibrant green, and the air hums with life. Whether it’s a misty stream, the delicate shapes of mushrooms on a nurse log, or the towering silhouettes of Sitka spruce, every turn reveals something worth capturing. A visit in mid to late May offers a serene and deeply immersive experience, perfect for photographers seeking both beauty and stillness in one of the Pacific Northwest’s most enchanting landscapes.