The Hoh River Valley Is The Quietest Place In America

If you’re like most people, peace and quiet are high on your list of priorities when you’re scouting out your next nature escape. This enchanting valley in Washington is obviously beautiful, but it’s also hiding the quietest place in America.

The Hoh River Valley in Washington’s Olympic National Park is a gorgeous and utterly peaceful spot.

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In fact, it’s the quietest place in the lower 48 states.

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Gordon Hampton, a botanist and sound recordist (he captures and designs natural soundscapes for television and film), has been looking for the quietest places on Earth for decades.

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He’s combed the globe for the last remaining places where you can experience at least 15 minutes of continuous silence during daylight hours.

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Only a dozen of those exist in the United States, and none at all exist in Europe. The culprit: airplane and traffic noise.

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However, the very quietest spot in America can be found right in Hoh River Valley. Specifically, at a moss-covered log about 3.2 miles up the Hoh River Trail from the visitor’s center.

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It’s one of the last places on the planet where you can sit for almost 20 minutes and hear only the sounds of nature without the faintest trace of manmade noise pollution.

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Besides its exceptional peace and quiet, the Hoh River Valley is also filled with stunning hiking trails that are carpeted with moss and weave between curtains of rich lichen.

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The strange and wonderful environment is one of the most biodiverse in the country, making it a haven for all sorts of fascinating wildlife.

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If you want to experience one of the last truly quiet spots on Earth, head to this enchanted secluded valley. But please remember to whisper.

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You can find the Hoh River Valley here. Head to the Olympic National Park website for more information about visiting. You can read more about Gordon Hampton’s quest for silence here.