
Shhh! The Quietest Spot in the U.S. is Here in Washington
There is a place that is considered to have the least amount of noise pollution in the country according to the One Square Inch of Silence project.
Gordon Hempton is an Acoustic Ecologist and creator of the Silence project. Acoustic ecology is described as the study of soundcapes and the relationships between humans, animals and nature.
It's right here in the Pacific Northwest in the heart of the Hoh Rain Forest on the Olympic Peninsula.

The location is 3.2 miles from the Visitor’s Center above Mt. Tom Creek Meadows on the Hoh River Trail. To reach the designated "One Square Inch of Silence", you'll have to make a two-hour hike from the Visitor's Center parking lot. The precise location is designated by a small red stone that has been placed on a log, marking the spot.
Here are the directions from the official One Square Inch of Silence Website
What makes the location so quiet? That part of the Olympic Peninsula is fairly pristine. There are no highways, navigable rivers or utility rights-of-way nearby and major cross-country flight paths are well east of the spot.
As quiet as it is, there are still acoustic intrusions, according to Hempton who claims the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is still routing some civilian and military aircraft over the site “It makes no attempt anywhere to avoid a national park or wilderness area,” Hempton said. “That’s why we’re pushing for legislation to put noise pollution on the FAA priority list and create a no-fly zone.”
Hempton says he was able to convince major airlines to reroute their raining flight paths to avoid flyovers in the area.
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