Quinault rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington state, United States

Quinault rainforest, Olympic National Park, Washington state, USA

Rainforests aren't just dots on the map. They thrive across the tropics and beyond, yet cover only about 6% of Earth's surface. Quinault, in Olympic National Park in Washington state, is a primeval temperate rainforest on the Olympic Peninsula, where Pacific moisture creates ideal conditions for dense growth. Rain and drifting fog keep the forest thriving, turning branches, trunks and even fallen logs into living surfaces.

Look closer and you'll find Sitka spruce and western hemlock towering above bigleaf maples draped in mosses and ferns, while fallen giants become 'nurse logs,' where young trees take root. The forest floor forms a living laboratory, supporting fungi, insects and amphibians through constant cycles of decay and renewal. Olympic National Park also protects mountains, a wild coastline and glacier-fed landscapes. If you're visiting, start at the Quinault Rain Forest Ranger Station and follow the short Maple Glade Trail to experience the forest at eye level.