Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars
Granite Falls Rd
Nordman, ID
A short walk into a small grove of ancient cedars that a great fire nearly erased, in the quiet far corner of the Idaho Panhandle.
Tucked near the top of the Idaho Panhandle, above Priest Lake, the Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars is a small pocket of old-growth forest that survived against the odds. A short, easy interpretive trail loops through western redcedars and white pines that are centuries old, several feet thick and rising well over a hundred feet, with Granite Falls tumbling in the same drainage just beyond.
What makes the grove moving is that it is a survivor. A huge fire swept through in 1926 and destroyed most of the original stand, leaving only these scattered giants behind. The trees that remain, some estimated at many centuries and a few possibly far older, are the last of what once stood here, which is exactly why it was set aside to protect.
What Guests Love
- Standing among western redcedars several feet across and well over a hundred feet tall
- The easy quarter-mile interpretive loop, gentle enough for almost anyone
- Granite Falls just up the trail, a cool cascade in the same forest
- The hush of an old-growth grove far from the crowds
Worth Knowing
- The final road in is a forest road that is rough and closed by snow much of the year; it is a warm-season destination
- It is genuinely remote near the top of the Panhandle, so come prepared and fueled up
- The grove is small, a remnant, so treat it gently and stay on the trail
- This is a wet forest; expect mosquitoes in early summer and mud after rain
Details
Nordman, ID
Learn about Roosevelt Grove of Ancient Cedars
The grove and the 1926 fire
Western redcedar is a tree of wet, sheltered ground, and this pocket in the Selkirks had exactly the moist, protected conditions it needs to grow to great age and size. The grove that once stood here was larger, a genuine ancient forest.
In 1926 a fire tore through and burned roughly three-quarters of it, leaving only a few small, disconnected pieces. The trees you walk among today are what came through that fire, which is part of why the grove was designated a protected scenic area to keep the survivors standing.
The grove carries the Roosevelt name in honor of the conservation era that valued places like this. Walking it is a lesson in both time and luck, ancient trees that happened to be standing where the flames did not reach.
Western redcedar, the tree of the Northwest
Western redcedar has been central to the peoples of the interior Northwest for a very long time, its bark and wood used for clothing, baskets, canoes, and shelter, and it remains important to the tribes of the region today. A tree this size can be many hundreds of years old, and its fibrous, rot-resistant wood is why cedars this ancient can still be standing.
In the grove the cedars share the ground with western white pine, western hemlock, and a lush understory of ferns, devils club, and moss, the signature look of the Panhandle's wet inland rainforest.
Granite Falls and the forest
Just past the cedar loop, a short walk leads to Granite Falls, where the creek drops in a cool cascade through the trees, a natural companion to the grove and a good place to feel the temperature drop.
This far-north forest is home to some of Idaho's rarest wildlife, including the occasional woodland caribou history and a genuine chance of moose, black bear, and a rich birdlife in the dense canopy. It is quiet, out-of-the-way country, and that is the point.
When to go
This is a summer and early-fall destination. The forest roads that reach the grove are not maintained in winter and hold snow well into spring, so plan for the warm months.
Early summer can be buggy in this damp forest, and fall brings cool, clear days and fewer people. Whenever you come, the grove itself is a short, shaded, easy walk, a small reward for the long drive to the top of the Panhandle.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Nordman
Priest Lake
About 15 miles south
A long, clear lake ringed by the Selkirk Mountains, famous for huckleberries and its wild upper lake reached by the Thorofare.
Upper Priest Lake
Near the grove
A roadless, protected lake connected to Priest Lake by a narrow water channel, reachable by boat or trail.
Nordman
About 12 miles south
The small community on the west side of Priest Lake, the last services before the drive up to the grove.