Hike Among the World’s Oldest Trees In These 5 Spectacular Forests

Leave a forest alone for a few hundred years, and the results are pretty amazing. In healthy, mature woods, roots intertwine to support their neighbors, trees exchange nutrients, and plants even communicate through electrochemical signals. One of the most spectacular results that’s visible to the human eye? Individual trees grow to massive proportions and give us giant old-growth forests.

The most iconic examples of these forests are the immense redwoods and sequoias found on the U.S.’s west coast. And while it’s certainly amazing that there are trees massive enough to drive a car through them, the famous groves of redwoods are—let’s face it—incredibly popular and a bit played out. To enjoy the grandeur of the giants in quiet solitude, you’ll have to go further afield. Luckily, old growth can be found across the country in places both known and unknown, and these groves are a sight to behold even when they aren’t breaking any world records.

Here in the U.S., old-growth forests are those that survived the heyday of clearcut logging, which reached its peak in the 1800s and early 1900s. Today, these rare, pristine forests provide a glimpse into what the country might have looked like if the timber industry hadn’t run rampant after European settlement. Most old-growth is defined by towering trees with monstrous trunks and limbs that reach to the sky. But that’s not always the case—the true definition of an old-growth forest is simply one that’s been allowed to regenerate for hundreds of years without the interference of humans. In other words, these are forests that exist as nature intended. In California, that does mean gargantuan redwoods and sequoias. In Texas, though, that might look like blackjack pines, which rarely eclipse 50 feet in height and thrive in the poor, low-nutrient soils and drought-like conditions found there.

No matter the forest, setting out in search of old-growth is a great excuse to take a hike. Here are five ancient forests that are worth the trip.

Forest Cathedral Natural Area, Pennsylvania

Eastern White Pines

When you think of giant trees, your mind probably doesn’t transport you to the east coast. But just two hours north of Pittsburgh, Cook Forest State Park is home to stands of stately pines and hardwoods that seem like they belong out west or in the pages of a fairy tale.

The park’s Forest Cathedral Natural Area includes old-growth of several species, including eastern hemlock, white oak, and red maple, but it’s the eastern white pines that scrape the sky and steal the show. White pines grow across the northeast, but here, they stretch up to 6 feet across and reach heights of 150 feet, making Forest Cathedral home to one of the most impressive old-growth forests east of the Mississippi.

The trails here are soft and strewn with moss and pine litter. At just 448 acres, the area’s not large, but trail forks and junctions abound, so bring a map. Take in the best examples of old-growth on the 2.5-mile figure-eight loop that connects the Longfellow Trail, Tom’s Run Trail, and Birch Trail. Longer options are available for backpackers, too. The Longfellow Trail serves as one portion of two long-distance trails: the 134-mile Baker Trail and 4,800-mile North Country Trail.

Great Basin National Park, Nevada

Bristlecone Pines

Old-growth doesn’t always equal trees of towering proportions. As evidence, consider the bristlecone pine trees found in Great Basin National Park in eastern Nevada. Commonly believed to be the oldest trees in the world, the ancient, twisted bristlecones in the park are less than 40 feet tall—and thousands of years old.

Bristlecone pines do grow at lower elevations, but they thrive in alpine environments, where the harsh conditions are key to the trees’ longevity. Cold temperatures impede growth, which gives bristlecones their twisted, incredibly dense and disease-resistant wood. There are also no other tree species around to compete for sunlight, and the rocky terrain means the trees are safe from wildfires.

At one point, Great Basin National Park contained the oldest living tree on record, a specimen nicknamed Prometheus that was estimated at 4,900 years old. Since then, Prometheus has sadly been cut down (there are plenty of rumors as to precisely why the Forest Service approved the tree’s removal in 1964), and a bristlecone pine found in California’s White Mountains has been dated at more than 5,000 years old. According to the National Park Service, there could be even older trees in both Great Basin National Park and the White Mountains, because not every tree has been dated.

There are three groves of bristlecone pines in the park, but the easiest to access (and the grove where Prometheus once stood) lives on the northern flank of Nevada’s second tallest mountain, the 13,065-foot Wheeler Peak. Access the Wheeler Peak grove from the trailhead at Wheeler Peak Campground; the shortest route to the grove is a 3.6-mile out-and-back trip on the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail and Glacier Trail. Extend your trip by taking the long way around the Alpine Lakes Loop Trail (heading east rather than south at the fork) which adds 2 miles of hiking and leads you past two alpine lakes before reaching the junction with Glacier Trail. The bristlecone grove is about halfway up the Glacier Trail—continue south on the trail for about a mile to reach its terminus, with views of a glacier sitting just below the summit of Wheeler Peak.

North Fork Sauk Trail, Washington

Western Red Cedar, Western Hemlock, Douglas-Fir

When it comes to old-growth forests in the United States, the West Coast is unparalleled, both in acreage, fame, and size of the trees. From central California all the way to Alaska, the Pacific Seaboard is home to coastal temperate rainforests—one of the rarest ecosystems on Earth—where giants hide in plain sight.

Nearly everyone is familiar with the most famous old-growth reserves in the region (Redwood National Park says hello) but there are countless less-trafficked options to visit, especially in the steep, secluded valleys of Washington’s Cascade Range. A perfect place to start is the North Fork Sauk Trail, where the Glacier Peak Wilderness Area protects some of the most stunning examples of old-growth western red cedar, douglas fir, and western hemlock in the entire world. Sure, they might not be redwoods, but the trees here can easily reach heights of 200 feet and diameters of nearly 10 feet.

Most of the giant trees are found just a few miles from the trailhead, so a quick out-and-back dayhike is a flexible option. But it’s also stunning country, and there’s a 27.7-mile lollypop loop that adds in long stretches of alpine travel and views of Glacier Peak (Washington’s fourth highest peak and one of the most active volcanoes in the Cascades) via the Pacific Crest Trail and Pilot Ridge Trail.

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, North Carolina

Tulip Poplars

By and large, when we talk about old growth, the trees in question are conifers like firs, pines, and the famous sequoias. One exception to this is found in a rather humble, wooded valley in western North Carolina, where visitors can find stands of giant tulip poplars in the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.

The trees here aren’t exactly behemoths, reaching about 100 feet tall and some 6 feet in diameter, but the grove houses some of the largest hardwood trees on the east coast. Because the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest is one of the largest examples of virgin forest on the east coast, land managers go to great lengths to preserve its character. For example, when the forest service decided to remove a number of dead hemlock trees for public safety in 2010, the trees were taken out with dynamite rather than chainsaws, so as to imitate natural windfall and not leave cut stumps on the ground.

Visitors can explore the area on a 2-mile figure-eight loop. The grove also serves as an excellent point to embark on longer backpacking trips into the Joyce Kilmer-Slickrock Wilderness and the rest of the Nantahala National Forest.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore, Michigan

White Cedars

A tiny island on the edge of Lake Michigan might seem an unlikely place to discover old-growth trees, but that’s exactly where you’ll find the Valley of the Giants, an old-growth cedar grove surrounded by sand dunes on Michigan’s South Manitou Island.

It’s not clear why loggers have spared the cedars in the Valley of Giants, but there are a few theories. According to the NPS, one guess is that the proximity to the dunes meant that windblown sand coated the tree bark, dulled saw blades, and made logging the area more trouble than it was worth. Today, the grove on South Manitou Island contains some of the most ancient white cedars in the country at 300-500 years old.

In addition to the old growth, the 5,200-acre island has plenty of other sights to see, including two shipwrecks, a lake, and a lighthouse. The island is small enough that you could conceivably see all of these sights in one trip. It’s about an 11-mile hike to circumnavigate the entire island (the entire trail system totals 20 miles) and a campground at the northern end makes an overnight trip an option. The shortest route to the Valley of the Giants, meanwhile, is a 6-mile out-and-back hike from the visitors center. The island is accessible via ferry, and requires reservations from Manitou Island Transit.