The Wonder Pando, an aspen colony in Utah’s Fishlake National Forest, is among the world’s largest, heaviest, and oldest living organisms. Pando (Latin for “I spread”) germinated anywhere from several thousand to hundreds of thousands of years ago. Its root system now sprawls across 106 acres and feeds tens of thousands of trees.
The Way To take in Pando’s size, park at Doctor Creek on UT 25 and climb 500 vertical feet up Mytoge Mountain on the Lakeshore National Recreation Trail. At mile three, look back to see Pando straddling the road. Continue for a 15-mile loop. fs.fed.us/r4/fishlake