Delta Old Growth Nature Trail #3317

An old-growth Douglas-fir forest is many things, and many words describe it: ancient, massive, diverse, beautiful, awe-inspiring...

Walk the 1/2-mile Delta Nature Trail, beginning at the west end of Delta Campground, and you’ll see not only majestic conifers – those giant Douglas-firs, hemlocks, and cedars so renowned in the Pacific Northwest – but the other “layers” in the ecosystem – shrubs and ground cover plants – which form the forest framework.

The Pacific Northwest is an ideal environment for the growth of such a plant community. It is a unique community of interacting parts, both seen and unseen. Wet weather, mild temperatures and the right mix of soils and nutrients combine to provide a stable and reliable host. From the forest giants to smaller plants, amphibians, reptiles, mammals, birds, and single-celled creatures, the old- growth ecosystem is a web of life.

You’ll also experience the clear waters of the side channels and streams which “braid” through this river delta. These provide unparalleled rearing habitat for juvenile trout, salmon and steelhead and are home to a mix of mammals, birds and amphibians as well.

The Delta is a diverse and richly abundant place. Historic and prehistoric American Indians respected and utilized this abundance. Their finely tuned adaptation is reflected in the many archeological sites in the area, dating from almost 7,000 years ago and continuing to the early 1900s.

At a Glance