Where to find some of the best big trees in Western WA

The Evergreen State has some impressive foliage. Per the U.S. Forest Service, Washington has 22.5 million forested acres of land, containing 9.4 billion trees. That’s a whole lot of hemlock, cedar, spruce and Douglas fir.

Across Western Washington, there are several areas with trees that are unique and gobsmackingly enormous. Some are the biggest of their kind in the entire world. Where can you find these leviathans? Make a road trip out to one of these areas.

The Quinault Rainforest

If you seek massive trees in Washington state, your top destination may be the Quinault Rainforest.

Located on the Olympic Peninsula, this idyllic valley gets 17 feet of rain on average per year and is home to a diverse collection of record-breaking behemoths. The world’s largest Sitka spruce is a few steps from the shores of Lake Quinault. You can also see the world’s largest western cedar, the world’s largest mountain hemlock and five out of the 10 largest Douglas fir trees in the world.

Take the Quinault Rainforest Loop Drive to get the most out of your tree-gazing experience. It’s a 31-mile circuit around the area, filled with thundering waterfalls and amazing views of Mount Olympus. Many of the largest trees on the map are just a short hike off the road.

River giants in the Cascades

The Cascade Range is home to its own collection of forested giants. While the Grove of the Patriarchs remains closed in Mount Rainier National Park for now because of damage to a suspension bridge over the Ohanapecosh River, the Carbon River Rain Forest Loop Trail on the north side of the park will get you up close to a bewildering array of huge, moss-covered old-growth Sitkas.

Similarly, the North Fork Sauk River in Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest near Darrington is teeming with gargantuan western red cedars and Douglas firs, offering some of the best tree-viewing treks in Washington.

Giant trees in the city

Seattle itself contains some notably gigantic trees. (I’m not just talking about the 80-foot sequoia at the corner of Fourth Avenue and Olive Street.) Seward Park is the prime spot for old-growth trees within city limits, featuring a variety of trees that are more than 250 years old. The city offers a handy Tree Walk map to help you navigate the trails that crisscross the 300-acre park.

In West Seattle, find some of the oldest cedars in the area at Schmitz Preserve Park. In North Seattle, Carkeek Park contains a pair of western hemlocks that tower over Venema Creek, and of course there’s always the Washington Park Arboretum, which never fails to dazzle, including with the world’s largest western crabapple.

The American chestnut

At the dawn of the 20th century, the American chestnut tree was the dominant tree in the Eastern deciduous ecosystem. Then a parasitic fungal blight struck and wiped out almost every single one. Over several decades, somewhere between 3 billion and 4 billion chestnut trees were afflicted and died off.

As early as 1846, a 22-year-old homesteader named Jesse Ferguson planted a pair of American chestnuts on his land near present-day Tumwater. They are still going strong today and have grown into two of the oldest and largest remaining examples of their increasingly endangered species. Though Ferguson’s homestead is long gone, the trees remain as towering centerpieces within Mills & Mills Funeral Home & Memorial Park. It’s open to the public, but it goes without saying that you should be respectful should you choose to visit the American chestnuts.