Forks, WA

Forks is a small city in Clallam County, Washington, tucked into the northwest corner of the Olympic Peninsula. With a population of roughly 3,500 residents, it has a quiet, working-class character rooted in timber and shaped by its long relationship with the surrounding temperate rainforest. The town is best known as the western gateway to Olympic National Park and, more recently, as the setting that inspired Stephenie Meyer's Twilight novels, which has brought a steady stream of literary tourism to the area. Forks sits about 60 miles west of Port Angeles along US-101, and is roughly 100 miles from Seattle when combined with the ferry crossing across Puget Sound.

Olympic National Park is the marquee draw of the region, and Forks serves as one of the primary access points for the park's coastal and rainforest sections. The park encompasses nearly a million acres of glaciated mountains, old-growth forest, and wild Pacific shoreline, with several distinct entry points within an hour's drive of town. Visitors often use Forks as a base for exploring the less-crowded western side of the park. Olympic National Park

Just south of town, the Hoh Rain Forest is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the United States and a designated World Heritage Site within the park. Its moss-draped bigleaf maples and towering Sitka spruces receive around 140 inches of rain per year, and short loop trails such as the Hall of Mosses make the ecosystem accessible to casual visitors. The Hoh Visitor Center is approximately an hour's drive south of Forks. Hoh Rain Forest

The Pacific coast is another major attraction, with Rialto Beach located within Olympic National Park just west of town, typically reached in a 20- to 25-minute drive. The beach is known for its offshore sea stacks, abundant driftwood, and views toward James Island, and it offers one of the more accessible stretches of wilderness shoreline in the lower 48. A short drive beyond Rialto, the small community of La Push lies within the Quileute Indian Reservation and features additional beaches, including First Beach, which has long been popular with surfers, photographers, and fans of the Twilight series.

The combination of small-town character, dramatic Pacific Northwest scenery, and proximity to several of the country's most distinctive natural areas makes Forks a compelling base for short-term rentals. Travelers who stay here are rewarded with quiet nights, foggy mornings, and easy access to rainforests, mountains, and the rugged Washington coast, along with a slower pace that stands in contrast to the busier gateway towns further east on the peninsula.