Quinault Big Sitka Spruce Tree

Quinault Big Sitka Spruce Tree is a single giant Sitka spruce on Rain Forest Resort Village grounds at Lake Quinault’s south shore. It stands about 191 feet tall and measures 58 feet 11 inches around. The short, mostly level forest path brings you to a clearing at its broad roots. If you’re already exploring Lake Quinault, it’s an easy add-on; the tree is the whole reason to stop, so this is a quick side trip rather than a half-day outing.

Its 922-point American Forestry Association champion-tree score put it close enough to share champion status with a spruce in Seaside, Oregon. That co-champion fell in a 2007 winter storm. A spruce in the Queets Valley has greater wood volume but fewer points, so “world’s largest” depends on the measure.

The path starts just past Rain Forest Resort Village’s general store on South Shore Road. Watch for it: the entrance can be easy to pass. Parking appears limited, with a small gravel area across the road or roadside spaces, then a crossing to reach the trail. It leads through forest, over a small bridge, and into the tree’s clearing. The path is short and nearly level, but no formal accessibility assessment is available. The tree and trail are resort-managed, not run by Olympic National Park. The resort also has the Salmon House Restaurant; check whether day visitors can use its store and restaurant before planning around them.

The trunk is difficult to fit in a single shot. A wide view from the clearing can keep the broad roots and trunk together, while the surrounding trees help show the spruce’s scale.