Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Parking Lot Shoeprints
Dewey Square Pylon & Bent 38
Black Rocks of Pungo Andongo
Abandoned Observatory of the Pioneer Palace
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Two suitcases in an empty airport hall.
AO Mailbag: Is It Normal to Share a Checked Bag With Your Boyfriend?
about 5 hours ago
Kolaches
How Texas Became an Unlikely Epicenter for Czech Pastries
1 day ago
What I Found Driving Across Northern Michigan
1 day ago
What I Found Driving Down Highway 61
1 day ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Washington Cougar Trail of Two Forests
AO Edited

Trail of Two Forests

See the imprints of ancient trees, burned and preserved by lava.

Cougar, Washington

Added By
Mike Walker
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
  mikewalker / Atlas Obscura User
  mikewalker / Atlas Obscura User
  mikewalker / Atlas Obscura User
  mikewalker / Atlas Obscura User
Lava tube   mikewalker / Atlas Obscura User
Tree molds   mikewalker / Atlas Obscura User
  mikewalker / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Deep in the woods below Mount Saint Helens, a short boardwalk traverses a natural mosaic of green and black. As beautiful as it is, it might be hard at first glance to see both forests mentioned in the site’s name. The two forests of this trail are not separated by biome type or ecosystem, but instead by centuries of history. One is the forest you see today, verdant with Douglas fir and moss. The other is just a shadow of its former self—the remains of the previous environment, destroyed in a volcanic explosion.

During an eruption by Mount Saint Helens almost 2,000 years ago, lava engulfed the forests around it. In this area, the lava buried the trees far up the trunks, incinerating the wood as it solidified. This left deep holes in the new rock known as tree molds. Over time, the living forest has slowly returned. Lichens and mosses break down the volcanic rock, forming cracks and soil for grasses, shrubs, and saplings to take root.

Also on this trail is the opportunity to traverse a narrow lava tube. A ladder descends one way into the tube, and spelunkers with a love of tight spaces are invited to crawl through to the other side. If you decide to go on this minor caving adventure, a light source and waterproof clothing are necessary. Otherwise, this quarter-mile boardwalk is an excellent place for hikers of any ability to enjoy some time in two forests.

Related Tags

Trails Caves Trees Natural Disaster Forests Volcanoes

Know Before You Go

There is a $5 vehicle pass for the Mount Saint Helens National Volcanic Monument, in which this trail resides. Fees can be waived if you display an Interagency Annual Pass (otherwise known as the “America the Beautiful” pass). Cell service is hard to come by in this region, so download anything you need ahead of time.

Community Contributors

Added By

mikewalker

Published

July 5, 2024

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/trail-of-two-forests
Trail of Two Forests
Cougar, Washington, 98616
United States
46.099213, -122.213338
Visit Website

Nearby Places

The Ape Cave

Cougar, Washington

miles away

Ape Canyon

Cougar, Washington

miles away

North Fork Survivors

Toutle, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cougar

Cougar

Washington

Places 2

Nearby Places

The Ape Cave

Cougar, Washington

miles away

Ape Canyon

Cougar, Washington

miles away

North Fork Survivors

Toutle, Washington

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Cougar

Cougar

Washington

Places 2

Related Places

  • Ridgedale, Missouri

    Bat Bar in Lost Canyon Cave

    If there's another drive-through golf-cart bar in a bat-filled cave on top of a mountain, we don't know about it.

  • Visitors stand on a 130-foot-high spiral tower.

    Binz, Germany

    Treetop Tower of Rügen

    A long spiraling walkway winds through the woods, and around a copper beech tree at the center.

  • Tree molds.

    La Pine, Oregon

    Lava Cast Forest

    A rugged lava field dotted with molds of the ancient pines that were growing when the volcano erupted.

  • The Pygmy Forest.

    Little River, California

    Pygmy Forest Trail

    A raised boardwalk winds through a thicket of stunted, century-old trees no more than nine feet tall.

  • Narusawa Ice Cave

    Narusawa-mura, Japan

    Narusawa Hyoketsu (Ice Cave)

    A 70-foot-deep ice cave formed by lava from Mt. Fuji on the edge of Japan's "Suicide Forest." 

  • Approaching the tree while driving on the main road.

    Tobago, Trinidad and Tobago

    Remarkable Silk Cotton Tree

    A tree so massive it claims half the road, standing at the intersection of history and folklore.

  • The view of the Blue Ridge Mountains here is spectacular.

    Canton, North Carolina

    Black Balsam Knob

    On a clear afternoon, you can see mountain peaks more than 40 miles away from this clearing in the Pisgah National Forest.

  • Many of the trees in this old-growth forest are centuries old.

    Robbinsville, North Carolina

    Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest

    Marvel at 400-year-old trees in one of the last remaining old-growth Appalachian forests.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.