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Washington Is Home to the Only Temperate Rainforest in the Contiguous United States

One of the most surprising facts about Washington is that parts of the state contain true temperate rainforests, an ecosystem many Americans associate more with distant tropical regions.

On Washington's Olympic Peninsula, exceptionally high rainfall supports lush forests filled with enormous Sitka spruce, western hemlock, ferns, mosses, and trees draped in layers of vegetation. The Hoh Rain Forest, protected within Olympic National Park, is one of the best-known examples.

Some areas of the Olympic Peninsula receive more than 12 feet of precipitation in a year, creating an environment dramatically different from the relatively dry landscapes found on the eastern side of Washington.

Even more remarkable is how quickly the climate changes across the state. The Olympic Mountains help create a pronounced rain-shadow effect, meaning communities relatively close to these extremely wet forests can receive dramatically less rainfall.

This unusual geography allows Washington to contain everything from dense rainforest and glaciers to dry grasslands and semi-arid landscapes—all within the same state.