Old Growth Forest: Hartwick Pines State Park
I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but this somehow became the summer of trees for @mrsbozz and I. We kicked things off in early June when we headed to Manistee, MI and saw the largest giant sequoia East of the Rocky Mountains. Then just this past weekend we camped for the weekend at Hartwick Pines State Park just north of Grayling, MI.
The park is actually pretty massive and the old growth trail that we walked this past Saturday morning is just a small portion of the entire park. However, it was well worth it and I will be including this as a #wednesdaywalk post sponsored by @tattoodjay. I'm also pinning it on @worldmappin in case anyone else wants to visit. It looks like another Hive user from Michigan (@nobutsd1974) did a post on it back in 2021, but I am going to still share my photos because trust me, a lot has changed.
There is a visitor center for the park, but they were in the process of renovating that area, so that whole section of the park was closed down. Luckily, you can still access the trails from the day-use area and the logging museum. We drove from our campsite back to where the day-use area was (yes, it was that far), and got ready to start our hike. Thankfully, the old growth trail is fully paved, so we didn't have to deal with all the roots and rocks like we had when we went hiking in the upper peninsula a few weekends ago.
I wasn't really sure what to expect because I haven't visited this part of the park since I was a little kid and I couldn't really remember a lot of stuff from my previous trips. There were bits and pieces I remembered, but nothing really cohesive. The pine trees here are massive as you might expect given the name of the park.
Sadly, there was a massive late winter storm earlier this year that dumped a whole bunch of ice on a large portion of the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. Hartwick Pines was not immune to the destruction as you will see in the following photos. It actually looked like a bit of a warzone.
These trees grow so tall that the canopy often blocks much of the sunlight from reaching the lower part of the tree. It's a process that is called "self pruning" according to Google. What happened earlier this year is the ice started to accumulate on the upper branches of the tree. The weight of the ice caused many of the trees to bend over at certain spots lower on the trunk. Some of them made it through and others snapped like a twig as you can see from the photos.
This damage happened at parks and properties all across the northern part of the state. There were some communities that were without power for weeks an the clean up efforts are actually still ongoing close to six months later.
A short distance down the trail and up a hill from the day-use area is the Chapel in the Pines. This is one of the few things I remember from my visit as a kid. I thought they left this open, but the doors were closed when we visited. I tried to channel a bit of @slobberchops and open one of the doors to take a look around, but it made a loud noise when I started to move it and @mrsbozz got nervous so I stopped.
You can rent the chapel out for things like weddings and stuff, but it only seats about 18 people and they have a lot of restrictions on what you can and can't do in the chapel.
Instead, we continued along the trail towards the logging museum. The logging museum is actually over by the visitors center, so we were kind of going backwards on the trail if you want to be technical about it. They have signs like you see above as well as numbered points of interest along the trail. I'll be covering the logging museum in a future post.
It's crazy to think that the majority of my home state used to look like this forest back in the day. As much as I love modern conveniences, it would have been cool to explore Michigan back when it was pristine. We still have a lot of protected areas, but not like when the entire state was covered in forest.
The aftermath of the ice storm continued to be evident as we made our way along the rest of the walk. Eventually, we made our way to where "The Monarch" once stood.
The Monarch was once the tallest tree in Hartwick Pines State Park clocking in at 155 feet tall. In 1992 the tree lost the top 35 feet after a storm and unfortunately, it died four years later. Many people remember visiting The Monarch as kids and trying to wrap their arms around the tree. It had a circumference of 12 feet and it was estimated to be about 325 years old.
It's all cyclical though and when the monarch died, it created an opening in the forest canopy that allowed sunlight in to boost the growth in other trees perhaps creating a new monarch one day. This phenomenon is likely happening all over the park (and state) after that ice storm.
It's hard to guess just how many people have visited Hartwick Pines State Park over the years, but if you happen to be in the area and you are looking for a nice stroll in an old growth forest, this mile and a half (or so) path is pretty amazing. I'm really glad I got to share this piece of history with @mrsbozz on this trip.
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The chapel set up in midst of the tall pine tress is very attractive and beautiful. There is all chances of getting nostalgic at this after remembering all the time spent in kids. You must have thoroughly enjoyed with mrsbozz. It is a nice trail and in middle of pine ofcourse it get picturesque
Thanks! Yes, they do a really good job of making it memorable, accessible, and educational. This was just one small area of the park.
Your walk through Hartwick Pines catches the beauty, strength and fragility of these ancient trees so well. It’s sad to hear about the ice storm’s damage, but also happy to know the forest is healing and growing anew.
Yes, I think think stuff like this has probably been happening for centuries, it's just more obvious now because people post about it on social media. The one sign I shared explained the whole process really well and how it's an ever changing ecosystem.
Oh yeah! That sign did a great job showing how the ecosystem is always changing. Social media has really made places like this a must-see destination.😊
Sure looks beautiful i would love exploring there
Thanks for joining the Wednesday walk
Have a great day
What a cool forest!! Seems a lovely place for recharging the batteries 💖💖
It sure is!
It's good to see some old forests have been preserved. It takes centuries to get like that.
Apparently the UK has a lot of sequoia trees. I think the rich liked them for their country parks. We saw this one on our recent trip. I don't know why it was taken down, but it was a mighty tree.
Wow, that is a pretty impressive tree!
@bozz, walking the forest with @mrsbozz just hits different... with fresh air, birds chirping, no rush... it's peaceful and kind of perfect just being together! You end up talking about everything and nothing... just the comfort of walking side by side. It's the kind of walk that sticks with you!
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Yes to all of the above! It was a great time.
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The chapel must be really old but it still looks beautiful. It’s such a pretty environment! Hopefully one day I’ll sign my initials on that tree too.
It was built in 1953, so just over 70 years old. They do a really good job of maintaining it!
What caught my attention most and impressed me most was the intervention of fate to create a natural balance. After the snowstorm that affected the death of the King Tree, something beneficial happened for the benefit of the other trees: the entry of light. This truly reflects that everything is balanced in a just scale by nature, even if the cost involved sacrificing a part for the benefit of all.
Yeah, it's all a great big circle isn't it! Kind of like the Lion King! :)
Yes, really :)
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No se si me atrevería a pasar una noche allí, soy un poco temerosa. Sin embargo, me encantaría explorarlo durante el día y, obviamente, rodeadad de muchas personas.
I think the only thing you would have to worry about at night is probably raccoons or possums. Maybe a stray black bear here or there...
You really captured the magic of Hartwick Pines. A stroll there surrounded by that beauty of nature sounds like the perfect escape.
Thank you!
The damage caused by the ice storm seems really severe, especially because of how it has altered the normal process of pine branches falling when trees are usually quite resistant to inclement weather but I guess when so much weight from ice accumulates on the upper parts, even they can't support it, nature does has a way of bringing something good out of bad situations and the death of trees helps other plants to grow, the natural course of things 😉
Yes, those are some great points. It was just surprising to see so much destruction first hand!
it would be nice to jog in that place i think..apart from the fact that it's very quiet,, you'll also enjoy the fresh air because of it surrounded by tress...😊
Yes, I have a feeling when the visitors center is open it can probably get a bit busier. There are some big hills, so jogging would definitely be a work out!
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What a beautiful forest! Those pines really are impressive, I can see why it's a popular to visit. I grew up near mountains and so I spent a lot of time in the pines when I was younger. I always loved it! It's a shame to see what winter can do to a forest, but it's part of the natural cycle as new trees will grow to replace those that have fallen. The Monarch sounded impressive, what a big tree! It's a shame when something that old and iconic dies. If you ever get the chance the redwoods in central California are amazing, a great place to visit. They are huge!
Too bad the chapel was locked up tight, I'm sure they do it to prevent vandalism or theft since there isn't someone there all the time to keep an eye on things. You have some great pictures in there today, good job!
I think we were just a little early. I have a feeling if we had been there after 10 the chapel may have been open. To be fair, the door was unlocked, but I didn't want to take the chance that it was just a coincidence. The redwoods are definitely on our list of things to see one day!
Impressive! I just love these sorts of captures... They are actually enriched with nature and the true beauty of life which seems to be really stunning and amazing. Hope you had a great time being here..
Have a good day:)
Thanks, I hope you have a good day too!
I feel like walking there would be like stepping into another world away from all the noise of social media and school stress
This place is pretty remote and phone service was next to nothing, so it was a great opportunity to unplug!
What a wonderful blog. Beautiful pictures! What a lovely day.
When I was a child we lived in the foothills of the Shawangunk Mountains (part of the NE Appalachians). Our house was actually on a road that traced an old Indian trail. Anyway, behind our home was forest--untouched, undeveloped. As the years passed, this untouched area became smaller. When I look at a map now, I see homes up there. Roads. I don't know what's left. What I do know is that, as children, we didn't have much but we had that beautiful, untouched forest for a playground.
That sounds amazing! We still have some pretty vast expanses of forest that are untouched here in Michigan, but I think they are also slowly getting smaller. I have a friend whose husband and daughter are hiking the Appalachian trail right now, they just hit Maine earlier this week.
Beautiful walkways. The climate feels warm and fresh. I loved the photographs.
Thank you! It was a great morning for us.
It’s impressive how you wove in the effects of the storm while still highlighting the forest’s enduring magic. The Monarch’s story gave me chills! Looking forward to the logging museum post next!
Thank you! It's probably going to be next week for the logging museum. I'll get it out though!
Am pretty sure this kind of places is an old place that people visit for research purposes. It looks scary to me ...
It can be in the right circumstances, but there is something really magical and humbling about the forest. It's like a spiritual experience.
Time spent in the forest is an investment in your own inner peace. I always feel so refreshed after a walk through the woods, the older and taller the trees, the better. The airs seems much cleaner here, hopefully you and the wife were able to get a break from the allergies.
I think we have one coming in the next couple of days. The only problem is it will likely get much hotter and going outside won't be an option then!
the house is like my dream house but i am too scared to live in it because it is so far from the neighbors but it is so much fun!
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Thank you for the mention and the great pictures!
I'm now living in Missouri and we have some great natural sights out here too!
This is us at Big Springs...