Youth-on-Age Interpretive Trail

The Youth-on-Age Nature Trail, named after a plant of the same name, is a short interpretive trail on the Mountain Loop Highway near Verlot. Perfect for exploring children, curious adults, an extra add-on after a longer hike, or a leg stretch during a driving tour of the area.

The somewhat unusually named plant grows along this trail during late summer and autumn, when new growth (youth) burst forth from the base of the older, more established (age) parts of the plant. While the trails name springs from this particular plant, evidence of new growth bursting from older specimens abounds on this trail. And you can explore it all in less than half a mile.

The way is paved, but because of roots pushing through the ground and sandy soil, it is not particularly wheelchair-friendly. If you're navigating with a wheelchair or stroller, you'll need a sturdy one, and someone to give you a helping hand in sections.

However, interpretive signs dot the trail and provide a nice education about the area, as well as the plants and animals that call this forest home. Look in particular for evidence of erosion by the mighty Stillaguamish River here, and, in addition to the eponymous youth-on-age, Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and Washington's state tree, the western hemlock.