Dominant species are beech, maple, cherry, ash, birch and hemlock. It is said that the forest has never been harvested for timber, and some of the trees are very old. The soil is thin and poor. In search of vital nutrients, the trees send their roots snaking over rocks, down cliffs and deep into crevices. Ferns, mosses and wildflowers abound.
Spring is the best time to enjoy flowers, fragrances and birds.
Stone Age peoples probably used the rock formation for shelter, to protect fires from the elements, and to hide from enemies. Wild game was abundant, and meat could be preserved into the summer in the ice and snow that lasted well into July in some of the deepest crevices. To control the very lucrative trade in beaver pelts, and armed with British guns, the Iroquois attacked west to the Mississippi River, and north to Lake Superior. Some of these tribes allied themselves with the French, who provided them with guns. These tribes then counter-attacked the Iroquois.