Taholah is a community located on the Olympic Peninsula at the mouth of the Quinault River on the Quinault Nation’s lands, approximately 9 miles (14 km) north of Moclips and 41 miles (66 km) north of Hoquiam, Washington. The Quinault are a southwestern Coastal Salish people indigenous to the Pacific Northwest Coast. The Quinault Reservation, established in 1855 with the signing of the Treaty of Olympia with the United States, covers 208,150 acres (84,240 ha) and includes 23 miles (37 km) of Pacific coastline. It is bordered by Olympic National Park to the northwest and encompasses the Quinault, Queets, and Raft rivers.

The Quinault River is 69 miles (111 km) long, originating deep in the Olympic Mountains. It flows southwest through the “Enchanted Valley” and is joined by the North Fork Quinault River. The main stem of the Quinault River above this confluence is sometimes referred to as the East Fork Quinault River. Below the confluence, the river marks the boundary of Olympic National Park for several miles before entering Lake Quinault. Beyond the lake, the Quinault River flows southwest, ultimately reaching the Pacific Ocean at Taholah. Since 2011, the river has experienced record low flows due to the melting of the last remnant of the Anderson Glacier.

The Quinault Nation has long relied on the Quinault River and the Pacific Ocean for subsistence. Both have been integral to their identity and survival. However, parts of Taholah are now in the floodplain of the river, and the community faces constant threats from storm surges caused by increasingly intense Pacific storms. The community is in the early stages of planning a relocation effort. Read more here and here. Explore more of Taholah  and Quinault River here: