A short, flat walk off South Shore Road leads to the tree recognized as the world's largest Sitka spruce: roughly one hundred ninety-one feet tall, nearly fifty-nine feet around, and close to a thousand years old. It anchors the Quinault Valley's cluster of champion 'rainforest giants.' The trail is easy and family-friendly, about a third of a mile round trip. Verify the exact path on-site; signs at the pullout point the way.
Follow that short, flat path off the road and into the trees, the ground soft and springy underfoot, deep with centuries of fallen needles and moss. In a few minutes the forest opens, and there it is — a living thing that stops people cold, rising out of the green before you've quite braced for it. The largest Sitka spruce on Earth. Stand right at its foot. Now tip your head all the way back and try to find the top — most folks can't, not in one look. This is one of those rare trees where the photograph never works, because the camera can't hold both you and the crown. Get close enough to touch the bark, feel how the trunk curves away from you in every direction, and just be small here for a minute. Boone's got the measure of this giant — how old, how tall, and what it took to grow it. Take your time, and listen.
Photo: Kimon Berlin (KimonBerlin) · CC BY-SA 2.0
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