Rain Forest Loop

This is one of the quietest, most otherworldly walks in the entire national park system. The Rain Forest Loop winds through the Carbon River valley — the only inland temperate rainforest in the contiguous United States — where massive old-growth Sitka spruce, western red cedar, and Douglas fir are draped in thick curtains of club moss and licorice fern. The trail is short, flat, and soft underfoot, carpeted with decomposing needles and bordered by nurse logs sprouting entire gardens of new growth. Light filters through the canopy in pale green shafts, and the air feels ten degrees cooler and noticeably wetter than anywhere else on the mountain. There are no dramatic viewpoints or summit payoffs here — the forest itself is the destination. This trail is perfect for anyone who wants to feel like they wandered into the Pacific Northwest's version of a cathedral.