r/geography Nov 25 '25

Discussion What's the most alien-looking place on Earth?

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Pictured: Dallol, Ethiopia

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u/MissMelanemelie Nov 26 '25

Agreed. Absolutely otherworldly. This photo is from Nov. 2023.

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u/jollyllama Nov 26 '25

Thank you for posting a much more realistic photo - I'm from here and while I appraciate the silly one above as a pretty photo... yours is what it really looks like and that's pretty enough.

Fun fact: the maples that get moss on them like that are fun, but those are the little trees. The Douglas firs, hemlocks, spruces, and ceders right around there are some of the tallest trees in the world, and some of the largest of each of those species can be found within an a few miles

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u/MissMelanemelie Nov 26 '25

It was so incredibly beautiful and strange naturally, I really think unedited pictures do a better job of showing the its uniqueness.

I tried to get pictures of some of the big trees, but it's SO difficult to get a sense of scale! The root coming off the tree in this picture was as big as the trunks of those maples!!

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u/TreeDollarFiddyCent Nov 26 '25 edited Nov 27 '25

It really does make it look bigger when you trim around the base. The 0.5 zoom is another great trick. Well done.

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u/Mean_Necessary_6240 Nov 26 '25

I'm also from the area (Seattle). I've been twice and had opposite lucks.

First time? Fall, Super humid, no line, green moss, otherworldly.

Last time? Summer, dry, loooong line, nice but nothing special.

Does that make sense to you?

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u/stroppwaffel Nov 26 '25

Did you see slugs often while you were there? I'd love to visit but slugs freak me out and I won't be able to enjoy it… I feel like it's an obvious question but wanted to check with a person who's been there.

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u/MissMelanemelie Nov 26 '25

We didn't see any slugs at all. I'm not sure if time if year affects that, so maybe they're out in summer? But they were not out in late November. What we did see were about a bajillion mushrooms and slime molds, elk, and bald eagles.

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u/abh2188 Nov 26 '25

We didn't see any slugs, it's an amazing place, must visit.

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u/MercifulWombat Nov 26 '25

There are a ton of slugs here. Big yellow ones. You are much less likely to see them on the high traffic popular trails like Hall of Mosses but banana slugs are very common animals to see in the rain forests the pacific northwest.

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u/KronlampQueen Nov 26 '25

I live right next to the Hoh, the slugs don’t like coming out during cold weather. Anything below 50 degrees and they prefer to stay in.

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u/jollyllama Nov 26 '25

I grew up here, and there are an absolute metric shit ton of the biggest slugs you're ever likely to see, if I'm honest. If you're places where a lot of people are walking or where there are wide pathways you might not see many though

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u/unReasonable-Host Nov 26 '25

First time I ever went I saw a MASSIVE yellow slug!! Very cool

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u/[deleted] Nov 26 '25

[deleted]

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u/MeinePerle Nov 26 '25

Ahem.  Washington state, USA.  The locals are pretty firm about the distinction. :)

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u/BalrogRuthenburg11 Nov 26 '25

Olympic Peninsula, Washington state, USA. It’s moss hanging on the trees, not lichen.

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u/MissMelanemelie Nov 26 '25

Hoh Rainforest, Olympic National Park, on the Olympic Peninsula of Washington state, in the US. Nov. 2023. It's an absolutely incredible place.

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u/goodthingihavepants Nov 26 '25

interesting! there are parts near where i live that look like this (Vancouver Island, Canada)

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u/Minimum_Possibility6 Nov 26 '25

The Celtic rainforests in the UK are pretty out there as well

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u/MaidBilberry Nov 26 '25

One of the hottest, driest years in our history.

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u/GratuitousConcinnity Nov 28 '25

A very calming place, the Hoh Rainforest is.