Big ol' trees that can be seen with ease.

Byline: The Register-Guard

`Old growth" has been practically synonymous with the cause of environmentalism for the past couple of decades in the Northwest, but a surprising number of people have (a) never seen it (b) wouldn't recognize it if they did and (c) have no idea what it is anyway.

Some of our less outdoorsy friends have the impression that to find any of Oregon's remaining old growth forest - at least the kind worth looking at - you need a map, compass, global positioning system, climbing rope, ice ax, pitons and several days to spend on an expedition.

OK, we exaggerate, slightly. It's true, though, that finding some of the most spectacular old growth groves in Lane County requires a fair amount of walking.

Brice Creek, east of Cottage Grove, has some beautiful old growth along a fairly level streamside trail. But you'll have to walk a mile or more to get into the best of the scenery, and some of the trail can be slippery in wet weather.

Likewise, Clear Lake near McKenzie Bridge offers old growth along its northern shore.

But those places, and many more like them, require something like actual hiking. That's great if you - and everyone in your party - actually likes to hike. But if ancient Aunt Bertha hates walking or brother-in-law John gets around in a wheelchair, most of those places aren't going to cut it.

Time to digress. Let's explain what we're talking about.

Biologists, politicians and loggers differ, often vociferously, on the definition of "old growth." Some people say it's forest that's never been logged or burned to the ground. Some put a time limit: 500 years, say, or 300 years.

There are other aspects to more-nuanced definitions: a mix of old and young trees, a mix of species, an uneven forest canopy. Old growth also includes the carcasses of toppled giant trees, rotting into the forest duff, adding nutrients and making loggers green (well, not quite eco-green) with envy.

Our own definition at Team Best of ... is more subjective and, we admit, a bit circular.

Old growth is deep forest, preferably on the west side of the Cascades, that's mostly not been logged - a stump or two is OK - and that has the slightly haunted look of ancient timber.

And the best place to find that kind of old growth without a lot of driving and hiking is the beautiful little Delta Old Growth Grove.

This is true old growth by anyone's definition: rich, lush, biologically diverse and truly ancient looking. You've got big trees and small, a profusion of vine maples and Pacific yews and wild filberts and Western hemlocks, all snuggled up together inside an eerie, magical atmosphere.

Best of all, the half-mile trail has numbered stops, so there's something to make young children do - "Time to read No. 6!" - to break up the walk.

You might want to drive a few miles past Aufderheide Drive to the McKenzie Bridge Ranger Station before your walk to pick up the Delta Old Growth Grove brochure - which explains the numbers - as the trail-side box is sometimes empty.

Some of the big trees here are more than 650 years old - just slightly older than your Aunt Bertha, who will love the chance to visit with her contem- poraries.

For more ideas to get up off your own duff, see the Best of ... archive, www.registerguard.com /bestof.

BEST EASY ANCIENT FOREST WALK

Delta Old Growth Grove

What: See the ancient forest without a lot of driving or hiking

Where: Drive east about an hour on the McKenzie Highway to Aufderheide Drive (Road 19), past Blue River but before McKenzie Bridge; turn on Aufderheide, cross the green steel bridge and take an immediate right into Delta Campground; at the back of the campground, park in the small lot with a sign that says Nature Trail; parking is free and requires no permit.

Trail info: It's a granny trail: a wide, flat, well-graded loop trail about a half-mile long through a gorgeous, streamside old growth grove