Sugarpine Walk - Laurel Hill
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The Sugar Pine Walk in Bargo State Forest, just outside of
Laurel Hill has always been high on my ‘To Shoot List.’
The pines were planted in the early 1920’s and have been left to grow untouched
for almost one hundred years. I have seen a handful of photos from friends that
visited the forest, and now not even my photos can do this place justice!
We decided to take a long weekend off to explore the Snowy Mountains. We left
Sydney late on a Friday night and took the five and a half hour drive to Laurel
Hill with the intention of sleeping in the car for a few hours to catch the
sunrise through the pines.
It wasn’t hard to find, signs along the road point you on the right direction
for the turn off. 100m down the dirt road, on the right, you will see a small
carpark. This is the start of the 400m walking path.
When we arrived, it was pitch black and freezing cold. We found a secluded part
of the forest, close to the walking track and pulled in for a few hours’ sleep.
Unfortunately there was a bit of cloud cover blocking out the stars.
As the sun broke the horizon, the clouds thickened and blotted out the orange light that I was hoping for. The cloud cleared after an hour to illuminate the inner forest. Fallen pine needles carpeted the floor from which the pine giants emerge. It is a sight you have to see for yourself to understand the true size of these trees.
We had hoped to see snow but from what the locals told us, we were a few weeks too early. I am contemplating an overnight run once the snow falls!
We had an amazing few hours in the forest, well worth the drive!
