Twin Peaks Location – Steven and Gersten’s Tree

One spot I was most anxious to see at Olallie State Park was Steven and Gersten’s tree from Twin Peaks – Part 15 on Showtime. While it’s a rather disturbing scene, Alicia Witt (playing Gersten Hayward) and Caleb Landry Jones (playing Steven Burnett) give stellar performances at the base of a giant spruce tree. There’s even a brief cameo by Twin Peaks co-creator Mark Frost. But I was most excited as it’s “my tree” … Steven’s tree (they even spelled his name with a “V”!). The spot is one of the last locations to visit along Weeks Falls Trail before you arrive at the actual falls.

WHERE IS STEVEN AND GERSTEN’S TREE LOCATED?

The coordinates for the tree are 47° 26′ 2.832″ N 121° 39′ 0.228″ W. In order to visit Olallie State Park, you’ll need a Discover Pass which is easily purchasable online via the park’s website.

I first visited this location with Bookhouse Gal Jill Watson and her dog Copper on September 16, 2019. It’s hard to capture just how impressive this tree is to see in person.

NOTE – This mighty spruce tree fell shortly after midnight on January 16, 2024. To see updated images from the tree as it now appears, please see this Twin Peaks Blog article.

The two images above don’t accurately capture it’s majestic nature. It’s crazy to think just how long it has lived in Olallie State Park – hundreds of years, perhaps?

There were several scenes shot at the tree which include the tree’s front and backside, a view across the woods, trees in the area, and a surprise encounter with Cyril Pons. Let’s explore each part.

SITTING UNDER A TREE K-I-S-S-I-N-G

Following a brief transition aerial scene of Weeks Falls, we see a close up of Steven Burnett holding a gun while sitting at the base of the tree with Gersten Hayward.

The camera slowly pans up to see Gersten attempting to calm Steven.

Sadly, Steven is on something and is speaking gibberish.

At one point, Steven looks towards the woods and focuses on a singular tree.

The camera cuts to the singular tree and goes out-of-focus as Steven stares at it.

I attempted to recreate the shot of the tree, which is locate to the left of the Spruce tree if facing it.

STEVEN AND GERSTEN’S FROM ACROSS THE WOODS

After the out-of-focus tree, the scene cuts to a super wide shot of Steven and Gersten sitting at the base of the tree. I love this shot as it shows just how small they are in these old woods.

If you head away from the tree toward the Snoqualmie River, you can capture a similar shot of the tree.

RETURNING TO STEVEN AND GERSTEN

The camera returns to another close up of Steven and Gersten at the base of the tree.

I attempted to recreate the shot (I should have sat more in that notch). Thank you to Jill for taking this image.

While taking this image, Jill’s dog Copper decided to join me.

Can we talk about Copper for a moment? I’ve never seen so much energy from a dog who is 12 years old. He tried picking up numerous giant logs, drank water from refreshing streams and barked to scare away the bears (yes, there are bears). I could easily tell he loves Jill and the many walks she takes him on in the woods. Dogs are the best!

Speaking of dogs…

CYRIL PONS AND HIS DOG APPEARS

The camera cuts to the view from the base of the tree. Cyril Pons appears with his dog (not Mark Frost’s actual dog), which is a payoff from the previous scene of him walking in the woods. The trail is known as Weeks Falls Trail. If you walk to the right, you’ll end up at Weeks Falls, while the left will take you back to the parking lot.

Cyril spots Steven and Gersten at the base of the tree and notices Steven’s gun.

Gersten and Steven are startled by Cyril’s appearance, which causes Gersten to run away from Steven to the backside of the tree.

Steven tries hiding the gun between his legs as Cyril quickly leaves the scene with his dog. I returned to Olallie State Park on my birthday, September 17, to photograph additional scenes. This time, I recreated this scene by sitting in the notch of the tree base. The moss-covered ground was soft and wet as it had been raining for most of the day.

GERSTEN’S SPOT

Gersten runs to the other side of the tree, anticipating the worst. Then she hears the singular gunshot.

The backside of the tree also has a small notch where Gersten sits.

Jill took this photo of me taking pictures of Gersten’s spot. I love it so much as I’m so much in the zone and lost in the woods.

Gersten looks up at the trees above.

I took these images of trees as seen from Gersten’s spot. In retrospect, I don’t believe they are the same trees that are seen in the episode.

Now in a state of shock, Gersten looks toward the sky.

I couldn’t resist recreating this scene (while sporting my new favorite t-shirt from Volition Brewing Co. in North Bend, Washington.

THE TREES BY STEVEN AND GERSTEN’S TREE

The scene ends with another panning shot of trees.

I realized while writing this article that the final shot of trees was most likely captured to the right of Steven and Gersten’s tree. I took some images but they don’t exactly match 100% (just means I need to return soon).

VIDEO FROM OLALLIE STATE PARK

Here’s a short video from Olallie State Park taken on September 17, 2019 which includes all of these scenes.