Yachats in Lincoln County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Giant Spruce of Cape Perpetua
Before Columbus sailed to the Americas, this Sitka spruce began its life nourished by a nurse log. As it grew, it shared Cape Creek with the Indians who lived just one-half mile west at their large seasonal campsite by the ocean. When the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) established a camp at Cape Perpetua in the early 1930's, they built the first trail to the Giant Spruce, likely reopening the path of the ancient Indian trail.
Circumference 40 feet
Height 185 feet
Approximate Age 550 years
Erected 2007 by Heritage Tree Committee Oregon Travel Information Council.
Marker series. This marker is included in the Civilian Conservation Corps marker series.
Location. 44° 16.863′ N, 124° 5.458′ W. Marker is in Yachats, Oregon, in Lincoln County. Marker can be reached from Oregon Coast Highway (U.S. 101) south of NFD 55, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker and subject tree can be accessed via hiking trail from the Siuslaw National Forest Cape Perpetua Visitor Center. It's a beautiful one-mile (two-mile round trip) hike through old growth rainforest from the Visitor Center. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2400 US Highway 101, Yachats OR 97498, United States of America.
Other nearby markers. At least 6 other markers are within 11 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Road Behind And Sea Beyond (approx. 10.1 miles away); A Battle With the Elements Designed for Seafarer Safety (approx. 10.1 miles away); Hard Work at a Lonely Light (approx. 10.1 miles away); Heceta Head Lightstation (approx. 10.2 miles away); Technology Spans (approx. 10.3 miles away).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Oregon Heritage Trees
Also see . . .
1. The Giant Spruce of Cape Perpetua.
Itís a wonder the tree is still standing. It survived the magnitude 9.0 or more earthquake of January 1700 and the subsequent tsunami that roared up Cape Creek. It survived the coastal fires of the 1850s, 1880s, and 1930s. Except for the top 35 feet, it survived the Columbus Day storm of 1962, where winds were recorded in excess of 160 mph. And it survived the Christmas flood of 1964 that destroyed the trail to the tree and toppled many nearby trees. (Submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Giant Spruce Trail.
The Giant Spruce of Cape Perpetua is a truly amazing specimen of Sitka spruce. The 500 year-old tree is the return point for this 2-mile there-and-back hike along Cape Creek. It stands over 185 feet tall and has a circumference of over 40 feet. It was even taller until the Columbus Day storm of 1962, when winds in excess of 160 mph blew off the uppermost 35 feet of the tree. The trail starts at the Cape Perpetua Visitor Center and follows the south side of Cape Creek. As you climb gently up the narrow valley, a number of (Submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
3. Picea sitchensis.
The Sitka spruce is a large, coniferous, evergreen tree growing to almost 330 ft tall, with a trunk diameter at breast height that can exceed 16 ft. It is by far the largest species of spruce and the fifth-largest conifer in the world (behind giant sequoia, coast redwood, kauri, and western red cedar); and the third-tallest conifer species (after coast redwood and coast Douglas fir). Its name is derived from the community of Sitka in southeast Alaska, where it is prevalent. Its range hugs the western coast of Canada and continues into northernmost Oregon. (Submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Categories. • Charity & Public Work • Horticulture & Forestry • Native Americans •
Credits. This page was last revised on February 21, 2018. This page originally submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 61 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on February 21, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.