Travels With Stacey

I like unique destinations.  The odd spots off the beaten path. The places few people know. Everyone has heard of the big tourist spots, but how many know something like the Biggest Tree in West Virginia? Let alone, visited it?

We were in West Virginia for the better part of two weeks, and there is so much to explore and see in this incredibly beautiful state.  The slogan for West Virginia tourism is “Almost Heaven,” I can not think of anything better than that phrase to describe the sheer majesty of the mountains, trees, people, and places.  

I had to celebrate something West Virginian by finding their biggest tree. There was a contest back to celebrate the centennial of West Virginia. More than 240 trees were nominated, and this sycamore won the title. Not necessarily the tallest, but it was the biggest in the state.

I could almost say that the sycamore should have been a clear winner because, historically, they were enormous trees.  Sycamore trees tend to be hollow inside. We would learn at a different West Virginian site that there once stood a sycamore that was so wide that in the hollow space inside, there was room for a table to seat 26 men who had dinner.  It will take some time for this particular winner of Biggest Tree to get that big, but for now, we admired its grandeur.

Getting to see the Biggest Tree was something of a trip that defined West Virginia entirely.  The state has a lot of forested areas and is almost wholly mountainous.  Because of the hilly countryside, there are very few straight roads.  Being from Southern Ontario, where the builders of our roadways prided themselves on the straightness of roads, West Virginia is privileged to have the curviest and funnest roads to drive.  The most direct path was blocked when we visited the tree due to construction.  We had to make a significant detour, and because of this, we spent over two hours driving in the mountains.  As a driver, this was sheer joy.  As a passenger, I believe there were times when my wife was not having as much fun as I.  We would also see a record number of deer during our two-week stay.  Many of the deer were unbothered by our vehicle and would stay at the roadside minding their business.  Considering the number of deer we saw, I could only imagine the ones that we did not see.

The Biggest Tree in West Virginia is relatively easy to get to.  It is on a typical secondary road, and the traffic is almost nonexistent in this area.  There is more than enough space for a car or two to pull over to look at this tree.  In one direction is the Palace of Gold (a large Hindu temple) and in the other is Harshes Sugar Camp (a historic spot where people can still gather spring water to drink).

This is the second significant tree trek when have done.  In Ontario is Comfort Tree, and it is believed to be the oldest surviving maple tree in Canada in what is probably the smallest conservation area in Ontario.  

• Be sure to check out the Google map that I created called Featured.  This map shows all the locations I discussed on this webpage, including this tree and Comfort Tree.