Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
The Big Tree Trail begins behind the visitor center at a signboard with maps of the trails throughout Oregon Caves National Monument.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
With 1,125 feet of elevation gain over the course of the trail, the route begins with a steady climb.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
Shortly in, a sign marks where the Old Growth Trail forks off of the Big Tree Trail.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
The trail passes through mountain meadows, forests, and streams over the course of its 3.3-mile course.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
There are a few benches along the way, but the trail remains mostly a quiet path through forest where you are unlikely to run into more than a couple other people along the way.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
Wildflowers grow from the meadow areas on the mountainside.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
Fallen trees will make hikers feel completely dwarfed by their scale.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
The namesake of the trail is the widest-girthed Douglas fir known to exist in Oregon.
Shaun Hunter
Photo Date: 
06/19/2019
A small creek gives hikers a chance to sit and rest from the climb.