Rockport State Park

In January, the forest holds a quiet, settled weight, green and patient, asleep and awake at the same time. Rockport State Park is often overlooked when traveling the North Cascade Highway. Yet it remains untouched by axe and saw, pristine and lush—a perfect stop any time of year. Douglas-firs carry their age in their bark—small scales give way to thick, jagged plates that layer and break like worn armor, dense at the base and thinning as the trunk rises. Fossil records place these trees here 5 - 10 million years ago, surviving past ice ages, tucked into the valleys of the Cascades.

Oyster Dome

The trail climbs steadily from the Samish Bay side, winding through second- and third-growth forest, shaped in modern times by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources as part of Blanchard State Forest. Even on a clear January afternoon, the woods hold onto the cold. Light filters unevenly through the canopy, breaking across the trail in brief flashes before disappearing again. Switchbacks lift the route higher, the forest thinning as elevation increases, until the rocky outcrop of Oyster Dome opens up.

Pacific Northwest Landscapes

Pacific Northwest Landscapes

Rockport State Park

Oyster Dome

Winter in 100mm

Pacific Northwest Landscapes

Pacific Northwest Landscapes

Rockport State Park

Oyster Dome

Winter in 100mm

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