Source: SFGate
“Rebecca Patterson thought that Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rain Forest would be the perfect place to elope. The self-described ‘moss and lichen aficionado’ was fond of waterfall hikes close to her home on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, but she wanted to explore someplace new and special while getting married. She had read about how the Hoh Rain Forest lies along a glacier-fed river of the same name and is nestled in the western lowlands of Mount Olympus. Dotted with grazing elk and gliding banana slugs beneath its old-growth canopy, this iconic destination is home to the quietest stretches of forest in the entire country thanks to its protected remoteness and the noise-softening, mossy wilderness. It seemed an ideal place to share wedding vows with a loved one. But when Patterson consulted social media for hiking suggestions in the area, she got bad news: All access to Hoh Rain Forest has been restricted indefinitely.” (03/03/25)