The forest trail beckons wanderers for a peaceful stroll. Their sharp, piercing cries mesmerized us until they flew out of sight. Heading back toward the campground area, we spotted an eagle and hawk high overhead, sparring over something. (Lauren Danner photo) Sunlight illuminates ferns growing through mosses and other moisture-loving plants on a tree stump. Salal, sword fern, and Oregon grape thrive in this forest. Slipping on the mud-slick trail, we half-expected to see an elk materialize among the trees. It had rained overnight, and today’s sunshine warmed the ground, awakening the sharp scent of evergreens. A red-breasted sapsucker drummed into a tree overhead. We spotted a winter wren perched on an old tree stump, singing enthusiastically on this vernal equinox day. Lush banks of salal, sword fern, and Oregon grape, the holy trinity of maritime Northwest understory, lined the path. (Lauren Danner photo) Part of managing Seaquest’s forest means planting new seedlings, which are protected from browsing deer and other nibblers by these flexible mesh tubes. A recent storm left a lot of trees and branches on the ground, where they will slowly decay and become nursery logs for new seedlings. While deciduous alder trees still dominate in parts of the forest, we spotted the white tubes in open areas being managed for young evergreen trees. Long mesh tubes, used by park staff to protect new seedlings, lay piled just off the trail. Near the park’s northern boundary, a tangle of trees and branches bore witness to winter storms. (Lauren Danner photo) Managing Seaquest’s forest means some big trees are allowed to grow, while smaller trees nearby are cleared to allow more sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. A panel along the trail explains how the forest is being managed to promote a robust ecosystem and allow some trees to grow large. Sunlight reaching the forest floor encourages understory plants and new seedlings. State Parks thinned the forest in 2015 to allow some trees to grow larger. A sign at one junction explained that the trees are being managed to promote healthy growth. We followed the park’s miles-long trail network through the forest. (Lauren Danner photo) The yurt complex at Seaquest looks like a great place for a forest escape. Park staff were burning downed branches from a recent storm, imbuing the day-use area with a campfire scent. Adventure and I agreed we’d love to camp here. Just beyond is the complex of five yurts, beautifully situated in the forest. White smoke billowed into the wet trees, a campfire smell drifting nostalgically. (Lauren Danner photo)Ī recent late-winter storm had blown down numerous trees and branches, and parks staff had a brush pile burning in a far corner of the empty parking lot.
This large log leads to an interpretive panel that asks whether Seaquest is an old-growth forest. The area was logged, first by early settlers and later by commercial logging operations, and State Parks is working toward its recovery. (Lauren Danner photo)Ī large log stretches in front of an interpretive kiosk that asks the question, “Is Seaquest State Park an ‘old-growth’ forest?” While definitions abound, Merriam-Webster’s version is a good one: “a forest characterized by the presence of large old trees, numerous snags and woody debris, and a multilayered canopy and that is usually in a late stage of ecological succession.” Although the trees here are impressively tall and native plants fill the understory, this forest is only about 50-60 years old. (Lauren Danner photo) The interior of Seaquest’s hip midcentury picnic shelter. Nearby, a handsome midcentury kitchen shelter offers a stone fireplace and covered prep area. (Lauren Danner photo)ĭozens of picnic tables invite visitors to stay a while in the day-use area, shaded by evergreen trees on a spongy, mossy lawn. (Lauren Danner photo) A park map carved into a slice of tree trunk embodies Seaquest’s forest heritage. Helens, but this entrance sign reminds visitors that this park is all about the forest. Seaquest is a convenient campground to access Mt. Another tree round in the day-use area has a rustic park map chiseled into its face. A slice of tree trunk carved with the park’s name is mounted in front of the entrance station. The park provides clues to the great trees that once stood here. But it is a wooded haven for folks seeking a quiet place to relax in the low Cascade foothills. There are no magnificent stands of timber. After exploring this laid-back, forested park on the road to Mt. A camper told us the problem was complicated and work had been going on for a few weeks, but that didn’t affect his visit. When we visited Seaquest State Park on a cold Saturday in March, a main had broken and the campground had no water.
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