When you think of a rainforest, you probably imagine a steamy jungle in a tropical area near the equator filled with exotic wildlife. Or, closer to home, you may remember the famous Hoh Rainforest along Washington's Pacific coast.
The Hoh is a typical temperate rainforest, located in a cooler climate and nestled in a rain-trapping environment between the ocean and a mountain range (the Olympics). Very few rainforests are found inland, so most folks don't realize that Mount Rainier National Park has a rainforest on its northwest side - the Carbon River Rainforest.
This rare, inland temperate rainforest is the result of abundant rainfall and mild temperatures in the Carbon River Valley. The old-growth forest is thick with huge, moss-laden Sitka spruce, Douglas-fir, and western red cedar trees. Beneath the tree canopies is a thick understory of native shrubs and plants growing in soft, spongy soil.
Multi Answers
The posted coordinates are the signed trailhead for the 0.25-mile Rainforest Loop Trail. To gather the answers for this multi-cache, you must walk the loop and read the interpretive signs. (You'll probably have to walk each half of the loop separately, as the bridge is out in the middle.)
The titles below are the names of the signs you need to find. As you stroll the trail and puncheon treads, feel the moist air and breathe the earthy smell in the cool, damp shade of this unique rainforest.
A Different Kind of Rainforest
Rainforests can receive anywhere from 60 to A00 inches of rain per year.
Douglas-firs can live up to B,000 years and are among the world's tallest trees.
Usual Forecast: Rainy Conditions
The Carbon River Rainforest receives about 70 to C0 inches of rain per year.
A single Douglas-fir can store as much as D,000 gallons of water to get through the dry season.
Above It All: The Upper Canopy
Marbled murrelets travel from Mount Rainier to Puget Sound to fish for their chicks, making the E0-mile round-trip flight each day.
Beneath It All: The Understory
Devil's club can grow up to F feet tall in the low light under the dense trees.
Water Lovers
The Pacific giant salamander is the largest terrestrial salamander in North America, growing up to GH inches long.
The Final
N 46° 59.C(F-B)A W 121° 5D.G(E-A)(B+H)
The final location is outside the national park. To reach it, you'll need to cross the one-lane bridge across the Carbon River and travel a short distance up the unpaved forest road. While there are some potholes, any car can make this trip. There is pullout parking near the cache site.
You can check your answer here:
Use of the Rainforest Loop Trail was approved by Matthew Chulup, Special Use Permit Coordinator, Mount Rainier National Park.
2016 was the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service, and to celebrate, Visit Rainier and WSGA hosted the Visit Rainier Centennial GeoTour - 100 caches placed in and around Mount Rainier National Park. The geocaches highlighted the rich history, scenic wonders, quaint communities, and hidden gems of the Rainier region. Participants received geocoin and pathtag prizes for finding all the caches.
