Listen To Some Uninterrupted Nature
Olympic National Park, WA
This National Park is the “Listener’s Yosemite,” according to nature recordist and audio ecologist Gordon Hempton. It’s also the nation’s only peaceful rainforest.
If you visit the Hoh Rain Forest on its west side, you’ll be in the presence of one of the least noise-polluted areas in the lower 48 states, with no roads intersecting the park and only a few planes passing overhead.
This pretty much makes any spot in the ancient mossy forest a delight for the senses, especially Hempton’s dedicated spot for peaceful preservation, One Square Inch. It’s about a 2-hour, gently inclined hike from the Hoh Rain Forest Visitor Center.
Have been through most of the western US Parks, and loved them all. The trip to some of the parks can be depressing given living conditions of natives. Haven’t been to the parks in Maine, still on my list, but have been through most of the western parks in winter and summer. Can’t be beaten. Plan to go again.