Ohanapecosh Area, Mount Rainier National Park, WA

Located in the southeastern corner of Mount Rainier National Park is the Ohanapecosh Area. It is a low elevation site full of old-growth forests that date to more than 1000 years old. The trees are big and magnificent and the Ohanapecosh River is a cascading torrent of water that literally seems to give the Cascade Mountains their name.

Ohanapecosh River

The Grove of the Patriarchs is a 1 mile loop trail that takes you across the Ohanapecosh River to a bottomland forest of towering Western red-cedars and Douglas firs, many over 200 feet tall and some dating more than 1000 years old. 

The first thing you do to get to this grove is to walk across the suspension bridge over the river

Then it is off to the boardwalk for the loop through the big trees. The boardwalk is there to protect the roots of the giants from being compacted and erosion from toppling them.

Here Linda and Hilina are standing in front of two 1000 year old Douglas firs

Being so ancient means broken tops, rotted cores, and striped branches. Yet, they continue to live on.

Here is a giant Western red cedar

From there, it was off to the 2.5 mile loop to Silver Falls

Ohanapecosh River through the gorge