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Schroder
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PostSat Mar 23, 2019 9:21 am 
The first mile of the Sauk River trail and while your up that road don't miss Engles Grove. Troublesome Creek, South Whidbey State Park, Deception Pass State Park.

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FiresideChats
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PostSat Mar 23, 2019 8:10 pm 
tmatlack wrote:
osted: Sat Mar 23, 2019 2:39 am tmatlack wrote: https://www.amazon.com/Forest-Giants-Pacific-Coast-Robert/dp/0295981407 VanPelt was/is the Big Tree registrar for WA and his book covers big! trees up and down the coast, including several in WA.
That looks like a great resource, thanks.

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FiresideChats
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PostSat Mar 23, 2019 8:12 pm 
The Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars, over on the Idaho border, was a pleasant surprise for me some years back. And a lot more than cedars.

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Navy salad
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PostSun Mar 24, 2019 11:27 am 
And of course, there's the Grove of the Patriarchs at Mount Rainier -- short, easy hike with amazing huge trees.

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filbert
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PostSun Mar 24, 2019 12:33 pm 
Sorry about your knee. It might be somewhat more than what you feel like doing - but there's an amazing area of large old growth trees en route to Bedal. IIRC look for a boot path off FR 4060 (Mountain Loop HW).

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MyFootHurts
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PostSun Mar 24, 2019 5:57 pm 
Federation Forest has some nice ones. There's a USFS campground a few more miles up the road (Dalles CG) with a short nature trail and some really big trees.

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joker
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 9:33 am 
The lower stretch of the trail to Surprise and Glacier Lakes (near Stevens Pass) has some fine old forest (the upper stretch does too but IIRC the pitch is more moderate in the early going).

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Kim Brown
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 10:20 am 
joker wrote:
The lower stretch of the trail to Surprise and Glacier Lakes (near Stevens Pass) has some fine old forest
You are so right! Unfortunately I’m usually in a hurry on my way out, and don’t stop to appreciate it more. It is worth a visit it in its own right. But for all those steps leading up to it. Ouch; might not be fun for the knees (or are the steps above it? I can’t remember. A quintessential old growth forest is N Fk Sky and Quartz Creek, both at the N Fk Skykomish trail head. Perhaps the trees aren’t consistently huge, but old growth forest doesn’t require biggest trees. This is virgin forest; ancient. Beautiful. The road is washed out at Road #65, so it’s currently a several miles roadwalk – but keep an eye out for the road repair; perhaps this summer. When it reopens, these 2 trails are sweet, sweet, sweet. West Cady has big trees too (same trail head), but may not be as kind on the knees as the others (but do walk to the bridge crossing, 10 minutes in). N Fk Sky remains 1.5 miles on a closed road, so that’s not the nicest beginning, but trust me – it’s worth it to motor through that section - within seconds of stepping onto the original trail, it’s noticeably cooler and smells green and the sharp odor of the Alaskan Yellow-cedar will soon entice you farther in - you’re in among the best old growth forest around.

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lookout bob
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 10:50 am 
Surprised that no one has thrown Rockport State Park into this mix. While the trees there are not giants, they are pretty darn big (PDB) and deserve an awesome slow walk through the former campground there. Easy walking and loops can make it as long as you want or until your neck gets a crick from looking up so much.... cool.gif

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Kim Brown
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 10:51 am 
And Downey Creek, of course.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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treeswarper
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PostMon Mar 25, 2019 11:22 am 
Well, since the required size of trees seems to be shrinking, this is a knee friendly hike in the GPNF--Krause Ridge. An even friendlier to knees hike with some big trees (but not tooooo big) would be Woods Creek (crick) Watchable Wildlife Trail. The latter has different loops so you can do different lengths. Woods Cr. does require a forest pass but there are wide spots nearby to park that don't. The upper part of the Krause Ridge trail has some large blowdowns that required a contractor with proper skills and equipment to cut the trail through. You can try to count rings if you need a rest.
A big Doug fir.
A big Doug fir.
Another look at the tree.
Another look at the tree.
A large cedar.
A large cedar.

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hikermike
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PostTue Mar 26, 2019 11:53 pm 
Part of the Thunder Creek trail in NCNP. A favorite is the Milk Creek Trail in GPNW if the bridge has been rebuilt. S. Fork of the Quinault is not as crowded as it's bigger sister and some large trees in the first mile. The trail to Red/White Pass in the GPNW also has huge trees in the first miles. Trail to Dish Pan Gap has big trees and mushrooms. There is a side trail that heads to the right SE off that that leads thru a marsh on a puncheon trail with trees.

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Kim Brown
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PostWed Mar 27, 2019 10:38 am 
hikermike wrote:
A favorite is the Milk Creek Trail in GPNW if the bridge has been rebuilt. . The trail to Red/White Pass in the GPNW also has huge trees in the first miles. Trail to Dish Pan Gap has big trees and mushrooms. There is a side trail that heads to the right SE off that that leads thru a marsh on a puncheon trail with trees.
No bridge yet That's the N Fk Sauk trail; so beautiful! N Fk Skykomish Trail - absolutely stunning. Road washed out currently. And the side trail is the Pass Creek trail; I agree about that sublime marshy meadow, and beyond.

"..living on the east side of the Sierra world be ideal - except for harsher winters and the chance of apocalyptic fires burning the whole area." Bosterson, NWHiker's marketing expert
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kiliki
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PostWed Mar 27, 2019 1:45 pm 
It's short, and you'd want to go on a weekday, but the Kestner Homestead loop near Lake Quinault is jaw dropping in spring. Of course, in that area there are lots of big trees and great forest trails. There's something about this one (or maybe it was that I was there on a weekday last May at the height of it's lushness) that transcends the fact that it's essentially a nature trail, and this is closer than other rainforest areas on the OP like the Hoh.

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ThursdayHiker
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PostFri Mar 29, 2019 8:15 pm 
Trail of the Giants at Pack Forest can be accessed by knee friendly gravel roads. I was there yesterday https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2019-03-28.7213115660

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