Olympic
National Park
QUINAULT RAIN FOREST
The Quinault Valley contains an excellent example of a temperate rain forest
community. Mild temperatures, summer fog, abundant rainfall and a long growing
season help make this forest one of the most fertile in the world. The loop
road up the Quinault Valley and around Quinault Lake allows the visitor to view
an interesting cross section of this temperate rain forest from their vehicle
(large RVs and trailers are not advised). Approximately thirty one miles around,
the trip can be completed in about an hour and a half. Extensions of the loop
road above the bridge on both sides of the river invite continued exploration.
A naturalist's paradise, the rain forest is nature's varied garden of myriad
representatives of the plant kingdom. Growing organisms occur everywhere.
Where mineral soil is bared, it is quickly occupied by spore, seed or hungry
rootlet. Even rocks, when undisturbed, support botanical life.
Most impressive of the rain forest growth are the trees, some of the largest
of their kind growing in this valley. Festooned with mosses, lichens and ferns,
one host tree can offer hours of plant study. Some of the fallen trees, now
nurturing many new plants, have earned themselves the title of "nurse log".
The ferns which typify the temperate rain forest so aptly, are not the same
as those in the equatorial rain forest where there are no defined seasons. Many
of the Pacific Northwest ferns are deciduous, dying back in the fall to emerge
again with spring.
Saprophytic and parasitic plants abound in this environment. There is as
much dead or dying material in this vast garden as there is living, providing a
perfect couch for saprophytes, most notably mushrooms. Of the thousands of
kinds occurring in the rain forest, some are still unidentified, unnamed and
unclassified.
The rain forest community also includes animals. Eagles in the trees, swans
on the lake and blue herons in the lowlands are some of the larger birds to be
seen. Smaller birds are hosted by the trees along the river and high in the
forest canopy. The flowing waters provide a playground for ouzels, kingfishers,
ducks and geese. The river and side channels are home to spawning salmon, otter
and mink.
Deer and elk are often close by or seen crossing the road. An attentive
person may observe many other mammals which reveal themselves at times.
Squirrel, chipmunk, pack rat, mole, mouse and shrew are some of the more
familiar smaller ones, but an occasional raccoon, coyote, cougar or bear may
make an appearance. With patience, the intent seeker may be rewarded with the
sight of a beaver in the pool behind his expertly built dam.
A few hours or days are not enough time to take in this magnificent forest.
To learn about it all is impossible. The visitor may want to return to this
unforgettable rain forest.