Giant Spruce of Cape Perpetua Heritage Tree

"Half a century before Christopher Columbus sailed to the Americas, a tiny Sitka spruce began its life nourished by a nurse log on the Oregon Coast. Today, it is the largest and oldest tree in the Cape Perpetua Scenic Area of the Siuslaw National Forest. Nearly 600 years old, it stands over 185 feet tall and has a circumference of 40 feet." (Oregon Heritage Tree Program)

The tree is surrounded by history.

  • Indigenous people lived nearby at the mouth of Cape Creek for 1500 years.
    In the 1850's the Coos and Lower Umpqua people were forcibly relocated here to the Coast Reservation.
  • In the 1930's the Civilian Conservation Corps set up a camp and build the first trail to the Giant Spruce, probably along the route of an ancient Indian trail.
  • The Giant Spruce was dedicated as a Heritage Tree on September 15, 2007
  • Find out more about the Oregon Heritage Tree Program

The Giant Spruce is easily accessible from the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center by way of the Giant Spruce Trail.

 

photo looking up into canopy of Giant Spruce

 

Looking up into Giant Spruce

photo at base of Giant Spruce with moss and ferns

At the base of the tree

 

photo of hiker by large old growth tree

Giant Spruce