The temperate rain forest is dominated by Sitka spruce. Except where it penetrates valleys such as the Hoh, Sitka spruce grows along a narrow coastal strip from northern California to Alaska. High rainfall, fog, and ocean-moderated temperatures create optimum growing conditions for these monarchs. This is one of the largest Sitka spruce trees in the United States, with a height of over 270 feet, a diameter at breast height of over 12½ feet, and an age of 500 to 550 years. At dawn and dusk, elk cross the road.