Blog

12 Sep 2026

Tallest tree in Washington State and the Cascades.

I had identified this tree around the start of the year using the Wasco_A_2015 dataset. For most of the time since, I thought it was between 327' and 342' tall. A couple of weeks before I headed out to this grove, I re-downloaded the data and found that the Riffe_Lake_Wali_2022 dataset also covered a sliver of this area, including this tree. The 2022 data only caught half of the tree, but that was enough to reveal that it was leaning from a slope rather than standing on the flat ground beneath the crown. It missed the top, but it still showed that the true LiDAR estimate was 315', not 332' (my previous best guess). The discrepancy came from the 2015 dataset being sparse below the canopy, which had forced me to guess where the stem was. This meant that if it were verified at over 316', it would be the tallest on record, but not the tallest prospect in my studies. Perhaps I wouldn't have planned this trip if I had found that out earlier.

My dad had invited an old friend of mine to join just a few days before we went, and he agreed. Hopefully this leads to more explorations in the future, despite his primary focus on birds (which I am also very interested in, but not to the extent of a hobby). Once we got on the road on the 12th, I (as always) had my head on a swivel looking for roadside gems. Since I had driven that part of I-5 many times, I didn't see anything new. That changed once we were on US Highway 12. I had driven that stretch before, but not in this direction since picking the hobby back up. When I saw a tree that looked like, I kid you not, a butt and back (image 1), I thought that would be my most surprising find on the road. I could not have been more wrong. When I first laid eyes on the next one, I thought it was one of those cell towers disguised as trees. After two seconds of confirming, I shouted "OH MY GOD" with reckless abandon of social norms. In the middle of an open field, in clear view of the highway, was the largest tree I have ever seen from a car (image 2). Using LiDAR, I have since estimated it at 35'–43' in circumference and 169' tall. It sits on a 1–2 acre parcel owned by someone who does not live in the area. It seems this one tree was spared by the owner and/or their ancestors. I cannot fully convey how unbelievable this tree is.

When we reached the final road, we found the gate closed. Older Google Street View imagery showed no gate at all, but this was not entirely surprising. It meant we had to hike 3 mi and 750 ft up to reach the approach. Knowing what might await us there, I felt apprehensive. The 3 miles would be through a previously clear-cut forest with no views for most of the way. I could have done it much quicker if it weren't for my companions, but I wouldn't have gotten there to begin with if it weren't for them. Since I had no choice but to reach this tree, we went ahead anyway. It took over an hour to reach the approach, mostly because of the steep final stretch of road, but we made it.

My friend hadn't done much exercise recently, so he didn't even consider descending into the pit of despair that I, again, had given myself no choice but to cross. The replanted trees had grown to over 30 ft, something not shown in the 2015 data. Also missing from the 2015 data were the trees that had been felled inside the replanted area. This meant we had to push through the low branches of young trees, climb over piles of cut logs, and navigate two steep slopes to reach the grove. It was only 0.17 mi as the crow flies, but we were indeed not the crow. It took an hour to get through. My dad had to give up 75% of the way there because of his pace and the endless full-body obstacles: pushing, hoisting, balancing, or sliding with every step while getting poked and whipped by dead branches, all, again, on a steep, loose slope. Knowing we'd have to do it all again on the way out was punishing.

Going into the grove alone made me feel like I was in a time crunch, so I made a plan: measure the 315' with my rangefinder, check whether anything else was worth measuring, and get back into the thicket. After crossing a steep-sided creek, I made it to the 315'. My first reading was around 310', so I went to measure the circumference and find exactly where the top and bottom of the stem's base were. The circumference came out to 26.8' CBH, and I noted the height difference between the top and bottom of the base so I'd know what to add once I hit that upper point with the rangefinder. Just beyond the 315', I found the other 310'+ tree in the area and measured its CBH at 21.1', but I didn't shoot its height. I then headed back uphill and walked up a log far enough to see what I believed at the time was the top of the tree. After taking way too long (since I had no tripod), I hit both the top of the tree and the top of the stem's base (the spot I had measured from). Adding the height from the top of the base to the bottom (since growth below the point of germination is still height) gave me 317'. That's one foot taller than the tallest tree on record in the state, so after several minutes of LRF measurements I called it quits and recorded a video for a composite (image 3). I have since found, using LiDAR, that I likely hadn't hit the true top of the tree.

None of that time was spent resting; the log I was balancing on was extremely steep, so I was pushing myself nonstop. Once I had the measurement noted on my GPS, I walked right off the log. Thankfully, branches and foliage growing on it caught me, but that fall would have been BAD. My 12-year streak of zero falls almost ended, and possibly my lifetime record of zero broken bones along with it. I headed back into the thicket way too fast, landing myself in a few annoying and precarious situations. Once I made it back, out of breath, I found my dad, and we spent another hour getting to the road and another getting to the car.

The final stop was Quartz Creek Big Trees, a forgotten trail down Forest Road 26. I love this spot. The trail is narrow, the boardwalks are worn down, the creek flows nearby, and the trees are massive and numerous. I measured 6 trees there, the largest being 31.5' CBH and 278' tall (image 4). LiDAR put the tallest tree in the grove at 300', but I expected it had lost some height since 2015 because of its dead spire top. I measured it with my Nikon at 291' tall and 29.4' CBH. Not too shabby! Those two are the 7th and 9th largest trees I have measured so far (in AF points), and the 42nd and 47th largest Douglas Firs on record (the 317' tree is the 50th).

Overall, I achieved what I set out to do.