Washington Wildflowers coloring the Cascades
A short hike in the South Cascades today revealed an array of wildflowers in bloom.
The 2-mile trek up to the scenic and historic High Rock Lookout yielded unmatched views of the South Cascades range, from an in-your-face view of Mount Rainier, to shimmering-on-the-horizon Mount Hood. The high, rugged Goat Rocks still maintain a heavy mantle of snow, while the jagged teeth of the Tatoosh Range is nearly snow-free. Most of the trails in the central South Cascade – such as those that meander through the Dark Divide region, and rolling through Indian Heaven Wilderness, the William O. Douglas Wilderness and the routes around Mount St. Helens – are open and generally snowfree. The Forest Service trail crews, though, note that there are plenty of downed trees blocking roads and trails throughout the region and the shortage of funds means many won’t be logged out for several weeks.
That said, the High Rock Trail was logged out today but a trail worker out the Cowlitz Ranger District. So nothing will prevent you from enjoying the on-going bloom of wildflowers on this route. What’s blooming this weekend? Here’s what I can remember:
- Beargrass
- Trillium
- Glacier Lilies
- Avalanche Lilies
- Paintbrush
- Lupine
- Wild Strawberries
- Penstemon
- Phlox
- Tiger lily
- Golden Daily
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