Thursday, May 7, 2015

Old Growth Forest in Oswald West State park

If you want easy access to a primordial forest, this is it.  Right on Hwy 101, it's an easy walk on well maintained paths through the big trees and amazing bio-mass that is a temperate rain forest.  And at the end of the trail, you get a beach and more ocean views!

Let's take a walk.

 Since you can't very easily see the tops, you can tell the kind of tree by the bark.  These Sitka spruce have scaly bark. 
 Cal you tell it gets wet here?
 We were following the McAllister Creek Trail. 


 This huge spruce will soon be a host to other life, as it is now dead, as you can see from its crown. 

 Just like these dead-wood hosts. 


 Peek-a-boo.  This tree originally grew on a nurse log.  The log rotted away and left this living sculpture. 




There are choices. 








Of course we had to walk on the beach too. 

 And then we selected another trail to take us back through the forest. 


 Someone had fun.  When trees fall naturally, the trails have to be cleared, so you see cut ends of logs. 




 I do love big trees!
I hope you enjoyed the walk!

13 comments:

  1. GORGEOUS photos! I half expected little gnomes to peek out from behind or under that moss covered massive tree. Lovely work...what a beautiful day. :)

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  2. The walk was worth it for the view of the Pacific:)

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  3. I did enjoy this walk! I especially enjoyed seeing the trees after the nurse logs have rotted away. So fascinating!

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  4. Another exquisite walk. Love the big old trees and the beach!

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  5. Wow! Now that was a super wonderful walk. I love old growth forests, and the beach is spectacular. Your pictures transported me right there with you, Linda. Thank you for the treat. :-)

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  6. I LOVE this trail from the Oswald West parking area! The big trees are amazing. Makes me realize I'm due for a visit. :)

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  7. With all these trails you could stay there all day. Great photos and I like the ones where you put yourselves in the photo to show the size of the tree.

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  8. I very much enjoyed the walk! You know, I have very similar pictures that were taken on New Zealand's south island.

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  9. Oh yes! I enjoyed the walk very much. Thank you. I especially loved that peek-a-boo tree.

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  10. Such a full and rich walking day. These northwest woods are stunning and smell so good!

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  11. That walk was simply beautiful! It is hard to imagine walking through the forest like that and coming out on the beach.

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