Ancient Groves Trail, Secondary Trailhead

The Ancient Groves Trail. Photo by D. Sullivan/NPS.

Quick Facts

Amenities

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Trailhead

At just 0.6 miles (1 km), this lovely loop trail is a bit of peace just off the Sol Duc Hot Springs Road. Within moments, you are immersed in the deep green of classic Olympic Old Growth. The Olympic Peninsula lowlands, with their mild climate, deep soils and generous rainfall, grow giant trees. These old survivors record centuries of history in their massive trunks. When scientists use the term old growth, they are usually referring to Douglas-fir/western hemlock forests with trees older than 200 years, abundant downed wood on the ground, a multi-layered canopy of small plants, shrubs and trees, and standing dead trees called snags. Many different species of wildlife depend on intact old growth forest. As little as 5% of the original lowland forest is left, making protected places like Olympic National Park even more vital.