Walking through an old-growth forest feels like stepping into nature’s cathedral. These ancient woodlands, with their towering giants and moss-draped branches, offer a glimpse into what America looked like centuries ago. Unlike typical hiking adventures that require serious stamina and gear, these remarkable forests welcome visitors on gentle trails that anyone can navigate.
Here is a list of 20 old-growth forests across America where you can experience these living monuments without breaking a sweat. Each destination offers easy access to trees that have been standing since before Columbus set sail.
Hall of Mosses Trail, Washington
Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rainforest contains some of the most spectacular old-growth forests in the temperate world, receiving 12–14 feet of rainfall annually. The Hall of Mosses trail is an easy 0.8-mile loop that winds through 300-foot-tall Sitka spruces draped in emerald moss.
The ethereal atmosphere here makes you feel like you’ve wandered into a fairy tale, with massive trees creating natural tunnels overhead.
Lady Bird Johnson Grove, California
This 1.5-mile trail in Redwood National Park passes through beautiful groves of old-growth redwoods, Douglas-firs, and tanoaks. The grove was dedicated to the former First Lady in 1969 for her conservation work and offers one of the most accessible ways to see towering coastal redwoods.
Springtime brings vibrant rhododendrons and azaleas, while fall showcases stunning maple leaves.
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Stout Memorial Grove, California
Located in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, this easy hike, under a mile long, offers incredible access to ancient coast redwoods. The grove sits along the pristine Smith River and features some of the most impressive redwood specimens you’ll find anywhere.
It’s the perfect spot for families wanting to experience these natural skyscrapers without a challenging hike.
Marymere Falls Trail, Washington
This short hike in Olympic National Park takes you through wonderful Pacific Northwest scenery, including towering trees and old-growth forest, before reaching the 90-foot Marymere Falls. The trail features a trek of less than a mile through an ancient forest with a boardwalk that wraps around the falls for multiple viewing opportunities.
The gentle elevation makes this perfect for anyone wanting to combine waterfall views with ancient forest exploration.
Big Tree Wayside, California
Part of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, this spot features one of the largest old-growth coast redwoods, thought to be around 1,500 years old and over 350 feet high. The tree is easily accessible with parking and a short, wheelchair-accessible trail, making it perfect for all visitors.
This massive ancient giant puts human history into perspective when you realize it was already centuries old when Vikings first reached North America.
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Albright Grove, Tennessee
Located in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Albright Grove represents an excellent example of old-growth cove hardwood forest with huge eastern hemlocks and tulip poplars. While it requires almost a three-mile hike to reach the grove, the 0.7-mile loop through the ancient trees is worth every step.
The massive tulip poplars here can reach diameters of eight feet, creating an impressive canopy overhead.
Heart’s Content Recreation Area, Pennsylvania
Nestled within a small 120-acre area of Allegheny National Forest, this location features some of the largest old-growth trees in North America along an easily accessible one-mile trail. The area includes 60-plus eastern white pines soaring over 150 feet, including the 181-foot Longfellow Pine, the tallest tree in the East north of the Great Smoky Mountains.
This remnant of Pennsylvania’s original “Black Forest” was protected with great foresight in the late 1920s.
Hoh River Trail, Washington
One of the greatest hikes in Olympic National Park, this trail passes through outstanding Sitka spruce, Douglas fir, and western red cedar groves next to a glacially fed river. While the full trail extends 35 miles, the first few miles offer easy walking through some of the most spectacular old-growth temperate rainforest in America.
Some of the ancient trees here are hundreds of years old and reach gigantic proportions.
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Muir Woods Main Trail, California
This 2-mile loop trail in Muir Woods National Monument, less than 17 miles from San Francisco, showcases one of the most visited old-growth coastal redwood forests in the world. The trail is mostly flat and offers an easy walk through towering redwoods that have been standing for over a thousand years.
It’s incredible to think these giants were already mature when the Roman Empire was at its peak.
Cathedral Tree Trail, California
Located in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, this trail serves as an extension of the Foothill Trail and provides an easy stroll through impressive giant trees. The trail winds through Atlas Grove, home to Iluvatar (the largest tree in the park) and Atlas, another giant coast redwood, with many trees named after Greek gods.
This collection of massive trees growing close together beautifully demonstrates how redwood forests appeared before extensive logging.
Dry River Trail, New Hampshire
Located in Crawford Notch State Park, this trail offers an easy 0.7-mile walk to a magnificent old-growth forest featuring yellow birch, sugar maple, and white ash trees exceeding nine feet in circumference. The nearly 100-acre forest also contains sizeable American beech, red oak, and hemlock trees in a spectacular mountain setting.
This hidden gem provides one of New England’s most accessible old-growth experiences.
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Burnwood Trail, West Virginia
At New River Gorge National Park, visitors can experience old-growth forest dating back to the 17th century on this easy trail with a self-guided tour. The ancient forest survived the region’s industrial boom, when most surrounding areas were cleared for mining and timber.
Walking among these centuries-old trees feels like discovering a secret that time forgot.
Spruce Nature Trail, Washington
Located near the Hoh Rainforest visitor center, this trail provides stunning samples of moss-laden scenes typical of temperate rainforest. The easy loop showcases the incredible diversity of plant life that thrives in the Pacific Northwest’s ancient forests.
Massive Sitka spruces draped in moss create an otherworldly atmosphere that photographers and nature lovers find irresistible.
Bull Creek Flats Trail, California
Part of Humboldt Redwoods State Park, this absolute classic redwood hike spans approximately 10 miles round-trip and is an easy day-long walk that alternates between ground-level and hillside views. The trail passes through the Big Tree area, where dense stands of large redwoods grow near and fire-scarred trees with huge burls rise in beautiful open areas.
Even walking just the first mile or two provides incredible views of these ancient giants.
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Simpson-Reed Trail, California
This easy, family-friendly loop is under a mile long and follows the vibrant Smith River in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Unlike other park trails, it showcases lush scenery, with ancient redwoods creating a canopy over the river’s edge.
While winter brings muddy conditions, summer offers nicer weather for this popular and easily accessible hike.
Snyder Brook Scenic Area, New Hampshire
This 36-acre old-growth forest was purchased by the Appalachian Mountain Club in 1895 to protect waterfalls and adjacent forests from logging, making it an early example of forest preservation. Visitors can experience giant trees alongside a cascading stream and compare old-growth forest with adjacent second-growth forest.
The easy trail from the Appalachia Trailhead provides access to this remarkable piece of New England’s natural heritage.
Big Pines Natural Area, New Hampshire
Located at Hemenway State Forest in Tamworth, this area features one of the most spectacular white pine stands in New England. Several large white pines, including one specimen 58 inches in diameter and 140 feet tall, are accessible via an easy quarter-mile walk along the West Branch Warner River.
Some of these magnificent pines even have lightning rods installed to protect them from storm damage.
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James Irvine Trail, California
Considered the best overall hike in the parks and possibly the best redwoods hike in the world, this Prairie Creek trail runs through incredible old-growth redwoods. Even if you don’t complete the entire 10-mile hike, walking just a mile or two provides stunning views of giant redwoods covering the hillsides.
The trail offers perspectives from different levels, letting you look up at towering trees and across valleys for elevated views.
Sheldrick Forest Preserve, New Hampshire
This 227-acre old-growth forest in Wilton contains hemlock trees over 200 years old, mountain laurel, and an interesting glacial feature called an esker. Managed by The Nature Conservancy, the preserve offers over three miles of trails for exploring this ancient New England woodland.
The combination of old hemlocks and unique geological features makes this a fascinating destination for nature enthusiasts.
Chesterfield Gorge, New Hampshire
The 13-acre Chesterfield Gorge features 200-year-old hemlocks, some 36 inches in diameter and up to 100 feet tall. An easy 0.7-mile trail winds through the shady forest along picturesque Wilde Brook.
This small but spectacular old-growth area demonstrates how ancient forests can thrive in New England’s rocky gorges, where early loggers couldn’t easily access the trees.
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Living Bridges to Tomorrow
These ancient forests represent more than just old trees—they’re living libraries containing centuries of ecological wisdom. While old-growth forests once covered vast areas across America, less than one percent now remains, making each surviving grove precious beyond measure.
Each trail you walk connects you to a time when these forests stretched endlessly across the continent, supporting indigenous communities and countless species for millennia. Today, these protected groves serve as both sanctuaries for biodiversity and classrooms where scientists study how forests function, adapt, and thrive over centuries.
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