Olympic National Forest
Washington
As the buffer zone between the rest of the world and Olympic National Park, the Olympic National Forest sometimes gets short shrift. But visitors will find as much amazing biodiversity here as anywhere else on the Olympic peninsula. From lush rain forests to deep canyons to high mountain ridges, there are no less than six vegetation zones within the forest, each its own self-contained ecosystem. Your plant and animal"life lists" will grow faster and longer on a visit here than almost anywhere else in the United States.
Pioneer Path
Olympic National Forest harbors five wildernesses, each accessible only by foot or horse. The Colonel Bob, Brothers, and Mount Skokomish wilderness areas are all very mountainous, with challenging trails to satisfy the cravings of experienced hikers for that elusive"most difficult" terrain. There are numerous old-growth stands on the lower slopes of the Buckhorn Wilderness, while the Wonder Mountain Wilderness is small but wild.
A word on old-growth forests: the term is used to refer to forests that have never been disturbed by human development—mainly timber harvesting. The complexity of an old-growth forest is the most striking difference between it and the second- and third-generation forests that cover most of the United States.
Old-growth forests are thick with life in a way that newer forests can't be—they just haven't had the time to develop. Little old-growth forest remains in the United States today. Much of what's left is concentrated in the Pacific Northwest and on the Olympic Peninsula in particular. Experience it before it's too late.
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