Never mind measuring rain by the inch, Forks gets dumped on by the foot—10 feet per year on average. Perpetual rainfall makes it ideal for embracing the moodiness of Washington winter among rainforest trails, misty beaches, and forests encased in fog. 

To step into the Forks Timber Museum is to travel back to an early-twentieth-century version of the tiny town, when logging was the only big business. The industry is still a major moneymaker, but the museum’s displays of a logger bunkhouse, tavern, and long-gone movie theater are glimpses into the town’s timber heyday.

Leaders of the Quileute Nation, which operates the Quileute Oceanside Resort cabins in coastal La Push, 15 miles west, are partway through a comprehensive plan to move essential resources out of the tsunami zone onto higher, safer ground. The Tribe has already relocated the school; next on the list is the senior center and housing.

Forks still capitalizes hard on Twilight, the vampire novels and movies set (but not filmed) here. A hotel sign promises “Edward Cullen didn’t sleep here,” the pharmacy window advertises Bella’s First Aid Station, and a vampire threat meter at Three Rivers Resort Restaurant always points to “danger.” Fans still flock to nab photos with Bella’s truck, the treaty line, and dozens of movie costumes on display at the museum-like Forever Twilight in Forks Collection.

Olympic National Park makes for an adventurous neighbor, boasting miles of nearby coastline ready for tidepooling, hiking, surfing, and beachfront camping. The easy three-mile trail to Third Beach south of La Push winds through coastal forests before dropping onto a driftwood-covered cove flanked by a waterfall and the behemoth rocks of Giants Graveyard rising in the distance. 

Nostalgia reigns supreme in the one-stoplight town nearly devoid of big-box stores. Set back from the main drag, Sunset Lanes bowling alley stands as a colorful beacon, just look for the pyramids of retired bowling balls guarding the parking lot. The alley serves strikes, old-school charm, and rainy-day indoor entertainment complete with a snack bar.

Forks owes its name to the Calawah, Bogachiel, and Sol Duc Rivers that all—you guessed it—fork near the town. Their waters teem with winter steelhead throughout the colder months; several local outfitters guide custom angling trips to reel in a trophy catch.

Bright red roadside stand D&K BBQ isn’t quite the size of a standard restaurant, but the ribs and brisket have full-size flavor. Launched by a Forks local who spent a decade in Texas, it is perfectly situated for a picnic at adjacent Tillicum Park.