Visit Cook Forest State Park

Over the weekend, my wife and I visited Cook Forest State Park in Pennsylvania. Cook Forests's claim to fame is its vast amount of old growth Eastern Hemlock and Eastern White Pine. It is also home to the second tallest tree east of the Sierra Nevadas: A 181' tall Eastern White Pine. At one point, the park had some white pines that were over 200', but they were destroyed by a storm in the 1950's. What is left is still impressive.

One of the most beautiful portions of the park is the Forest Cathedral pictured above. It is a hillside stream with ancient hemlocks and white pines on both sides. If you live in the northeast and want to see some primeval forest, this should be on your list of places to visit.