Trail of the Cedars

This is the trail you take when someone in your group insists they don't like hiking. A boardwalk loop winds through a cathedral of ancient western red cedars and hemlocks — some of these trees were old when Columbus was still asking for funding. The canopy is so dense it feels like perpetual twilight, even at noon in July. You'll cross Avalanche Creek on a footbridge where the water has carved the gorge walls into sculpted red and green argillite that looks almost artificial in its smoothness. The air smells like wet earth and cedar bark, and the silence is the kind that makes you whisper without knowing why. The whole loop takes about twenty minutes at a leisurely pace, and despite being practically flat, it delivers more atmosphere per step than trails ten times its length. Perfect for anyone who wants to feel swallowed by an old-growth forest without breaking a sweat.