The Queets River Trail leads deep into the most remote and primitive rainforest in Olympic National Park. This truly wild valley is home to large and active elk, bear and mountain lion populations.

Olympic rainforests produce the greatest volume of organic matter on the planet

Olympic National Park is home to the largest unmanaged herd of Roosevelt elk in the Pacific NW

President Truman added the Queets to Olympic National Park in 1953 to preserve the entire valley from source to sea

Black bears average 18 years in the wild, and can reach 600 lbs

Red Alder may grow 3' per year for their first 20 years, and live 100 years before succession takes place

Edible salmonberry and huckleberry fill the Queets rainforest by late June

Bears are frequently encountered, but with so much food, they show little interest in people

The rainforest creates its own green house effect, which helps regulate temperate throughout the year

The Queets River Trail is distinguished by larger than average big leaf maple, and the absence of cedar

Rain quickly floods the Queets River Trail - hikers must plan for all conditions

A rare stretch of well-defined trail in the Queets Rainforest

The Queets River Trail crosses several wide streams on the final run to Bob Creek

The Queets River Trail varies from open bottomlands to disorienting forests

Roosevelt elk are the largest elk species in North America, and are distinguished by their dark color

Five species of Pacific salmon, including steelhead, spawn in the Queets River

Long stretches of open, grassy bottomlands distinguish the Queets from other rainforests