Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars

Visit a majestic old-growth grove in eastern Washington! Just 14 miles north of Nordman, Idaho is the Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars, boasting some trees that are almost 3000 years old.

While the grove has been noted for its beauty since the early 1900s, in 1926 a fire destroyed three-quarters of the original grove, leaving just a couple small disparate pieces. Still, there was enough left standing that in April of 1943 the grove was designated as a scenic area. Traditional ways to estimate the age of these trees do not work, since the giants suffer from heart rot, which hollows out the center of the tree and makes accurate ring counts impossible. However, estimates using windfall and increment boring put the age of these trees at 800 years, and some of the largest are believed to be between 2000 and 3000 years old.

The area includes 2 main groves. The Lower  Grove is about 2 acres and has 4 picnic sites tucked under towering trees. The larger Upper Grove is 20 acres and is accessible via a trail system built on an old logging road bed. The Upper Grove is undeveloped, so there are no picnic areas, but it makes a nice hike.