The perimeter of the Estivant Pines trail is a 2.4-mile trek along a well-distinguished that, at times, can get rocky. But parts are also wide where the trail follows an old mining road built in the mid-1800s from Burma Road to almost the Beaver Marsh.  At the trailhead, you enter the woods immediately and quickly reach a junction with the Memorial Grove Loop in a third of a mile – head right –  and then a junction with the Cathedral Grove Loop at Mile 0.5. Head right again to follow the perimeter.

The trail now becomes a little more challenging as it climbs a rocky, root-laden slope and weaves around a large, fallen pine. Only a few old-growth pines are along the trail, so you need to spy into the woods for other large pines.  After a long descent and a boardwalk over a small stream, you arrive at the junction with Fallen Giant Trail that heads south (right) for the Beaver Marsh.

The Fallen Giant Trail is a half-mile or so route to a massive white pine that collapsed in the 1980s. The trail is not maintained nor marked. From the junction, the initial 200 yards is manageable before conditions begin to deteriorate. You can get within view of the marsh, but the rest of the trek to the fallen giant is a bushwhack across the west end of the swamp, followed by a ford of the Montreal River. There is no trail through Beaver Marsh, just fallen trees, water, and underbrush, making this side trip one for experienced hikers adequately equipped with, among other things, a GPS unit.

It is best to head left at the junction, and at Mile 1, you arrive at Cathedral Grove. This grove of half-dozen giant pines lines the edge of the trail and are the largest and oldest white pines in the sanctuary, with some dating back 500 years or more. In another 200 yards, you arrive at a posted junction with Memorial Grove Loop. Head right, and the trail climbs a bit before leveling off and reaching the Memorial Grove area at Mile 1.5. Here, the white pines are 200 years old and smaller; you need to look for them. One of the largest, however, is on the side of the trail with exposed gnarly roots that reach across the path.

A descent, steep at times, follows until you reach a junction passed earlier at Mile 2.1. Turn right and enjoy the easy hiking along the old mining road back to Burma Road.