Longfellow Trail, Cook Forest State Park

“Before me rose an avenue
Of tall and sombrous pines;
Abroad their fan-like branches grew,
And, where the sunshine darted through,
Spread a vapor soft and blue,
In long and sloping lines.
        —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (from Voices of the Night)

Cook Forest State Park has a 27-mile network of interconnected trails. Many of these can be accessed at the park's Log Cabin Visitor Center. Among these are trails appropriately named – Rhododendron Trail, Red Eft Trail, and Longfellow Trail. Longfellow Trail is so named for a 181.3 ft. tall Eastern White Pine, dubbed “Longfellow,” which can be found along the trail. This famous tree is the tallest in the northeastern United States and third tallest in the eastern United States. Along Longfellow Trail is a section named “Forest Cathedral,” an area of forest representing the largest old-growth white pine and hemlock forest still standing in Pennsylvania. “Old growth” refers to forests which have received few disturbances over the years (often several hundred years), such as logging or livestock grazing, and have achieved a complexity of structure and appearance comparable to the forests prior to European settlement. Visitors can follow the entire length of Longfellow Trial and return via Tom's Run Trail, a less difficult but scenic path using bridges to crisscross a tributary to the Clarion River. Due to the varying lengths of trails in the park, this recreational opportunity is suited to hikers of all abilities and families.

As the poem suggests, walking through this old growth forest is an enchanting experience where the beauty of Pennsylvania can be experienced--as nature originally provided.

For more information on Cook's Forest State Park, go to the DCNR web site, or call 1-888-PA-PARKS.

Today's photos were take by WPC's Watershed Resource Specialist, Christy Meredith.

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