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.

NewsRadio 560 KPQ logo
Get our free mobile app

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.

Dave Bernstein
Olympic Peninsula Goolgle Maps
loading...

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.

National Parks of Washington State

Washington State is home to 15 National Parks managed by the National Park Service. You might be surprised to know what some of these parks are!

Note: As one park site is sacred to the Nez Perce and discourages visitors, we have excluded it from the list below. Please respect all historic sites you may visit.

Gallery Credit: Jaime Skelton

10 Washington State Town Names That Don’t Sound Like Washington

Do these 10 Washington State towns sound like they belong in Washington?

Gallery Credit: Rik Mikals

 

 

 

More From NewsRadio 560 KPQ