Don"t let this sunny picture fool you. The Hoh, a temperate rainforest on the western side of Olympic National Park in Washington state, sees between 12 and 14 feet of rain each year, making it one of the wettest places in the continental US. But all that moisture creates a lush, even mystical environment. The forest features a mix of conifers and deciduous trees draped heavily with moss, like the arching big leaf maple in our homepage image. A stroll through the forest will also reveal the massive Sitka spruce and western hemlock trees that may reach more than 300 feet up into the dense canopy. Below, the woods teem with ferns, lichen, and other vegetation. It"s an enchanted forest right out of a fairy tale.
Welcome to the Hoh
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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A crane for good luck in today’s big game
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Islands of the Salish Sea
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Prague, Czech Republic
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Mute swans
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Snow on the temple
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Green fields of grain
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Road-trip worthy attraction in the heartland
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Badlands National Park turns 44
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Merry Christmas!
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Frog Month
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We did not invent this, honest
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High above the reef
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The Alhambra in Granada, Spain
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Under Parisian skies
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It’s Canada’s national day
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Après-ski in the Dolomites
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Friendship Day in the City of Brotherly Love
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Celebrating a Paris landmark
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Wayag Islands in the Raja Ampat Islands of Indonesia
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Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act marks 42 years
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Everyone s watching the Perseids
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Gemsbok in Namibian sand dunes
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1934 Labor Day parade, Gastonia, North Carolina
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Moving as one
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A whale of a hug
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Chaco Culture National Historical Park, New Mexico
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Grab onto the handlebars, kid
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Point Reyes National Seashore
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A perfect day to fly your flag
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Edinburgh Art Festival