This trail was hiked from the Independent Mine (Mother Lode Mine) Trailhead up the direct route via the 808A trail, then onto the 804 Trail to the summit, then returning via the 808A trail to the trailhead. Total distance of this route was 3.5 miles with approximately 930' elevation gain. Additional routes add length and possibility of different habitats if one has more time to explore this mountain.
Weather: Temperatures in the low 70s in the morning climbing to the low 80s by the afternoon. The morning saw clear skies with a light wind which made the hike comfortable. The afternoon became cloudier as storm clouds built up over Lookout Mountain.
Lookout Mountain is an area for non-motorized recreation. Evidence was noted yesterday of incursions by off-road vehicles up the Mother Lode Mine Trail to the summit and then south to South Point. If you happen to witness such incidents, be sure to notify the Ochoco National Forest in Prineville.
* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.
Comprehensive plant list for Lookout Mountain.
Brown-eyed Wolf Lichen: Letharia columbiana
Juniper Haircap Moss: Polytrichum juniperinum
California White Fir: Abies concolor x Abies grandis
Subalpine Fir: Abies lasiocarpa var. lasiocarpa ?
Western Juniper: Juniperus occidentalis
Western Larch: Larix occidentalis
Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta var. latifolia
Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa
Douglas Fir: Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii
Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides
Elk Sedge: Carex geyeri
Hood's Sedge: Carex hoodii
* Raynold's Sedge: Carex raynoldsii
* Thurber's Needlegrass: Achnatherum (thurberianum ?)
* Mountain Brome: Bromus carinatus var. marginatus
* Onespike Oatgrass: Danthonia unispicata
* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides (var. elymoides or hordeoides ?)
* Bulbous Bluegrass: Poa bulbosa
* Big Bluegrass: Poa secunda (ssp. juncifolia ?)
* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda ssp. secunda
Stinging Nettles: Urtica dioica var. gracilis
* Tolmie's Onion: Allium tolmiei var. tolmiei
Yellow Bells: Fritillaria pudica - Pods ripening.
* False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum racemosum ssp. amplexicaule
* Star-flowered False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum stellatum
* Panicled Death Camas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum - In bloom at the summit.
California False Hellebore: Veratrum (californicum var. californicum ?) - In bud.
* Parsnipflower Buckwheat: Eriogonum heracleoides var. heracleoides - Beginning to bloom.
* Bicolor Sulfur Flower Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. dicrocephalum
* Common Knotweed: Polygonum aviculare (ssp. depressum ?)
* Douglas' Knotweed: Polygonum douglasii
* Kellogg's Knotweed: Polygonum polygaloides var. kelloggii
* Sheep Sorrel: Rumex acetosella
* Heart-leaved Springbeauty: Claytonia cordifolia
* Red Miner's Lettuce: Claytonia rubra ssp. rubra
* Dwarf Lewisia: Lewisia pygmaea - Fading out of bloom.
* Threeleaf Lewisia: Lewisia triphylla
* Mountain Sandwort: Eremogone capillaris var. americana
Ballhead Sandwort: Eremogone congesta var. congesta - In bud.
* Bigleaf Sandwort: Moehringia macrophylla
Douglas' Campion: Silene douglasii - In bud.
* Oregon Campion: Silene oregana - Beginning to bloom.
Columbia Monkshood: Aconitum columbianum ssp. columbianum In bud.
* Baneberry: Actaea rubra
* Western Columbine: Aquilegia formosa
* Upland Larkspur: Delphinium nuttallianum
* Little Buttercup: Ranunculus uncinatus
* Veiny Meadowrue: Thalictrum venulosum
Lance-leaved Stonecrop: Sedum lanceolatum - In bud.
Wormleaf Stonecrop: Sedum stenopetalum - In bud.
* Hairystem Rockcress: Boechera pauciflora
* Secund Rockcress: Boechera retrofracta
* Sicklepod Rockcress: Boechera sparsiflora
* Sticky Cutleaf Tansymustard: Descurainia incisa ssp. incisa
Daggerpods: Phoenicaulis cheiranthoides - Fruits ripening.
* Roundleaf Alumroot: Heuchera cylindrica var. alpina
* Bulblet Prairie Star: Lithophragma bulbifera - Fading out of bloom.
* Small-flowered Prairie Star: Lithophragma parviflorum var. parviflorum
Brook Saxifrage: Micranthes odontoloma - In bud.
* Three-toothed Mitrewort: Mitella trifida
* Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum - Fading out of bloom.
* Prickly Currant: Ribes lacustre
* Sticky Currant: Ribes viscosissimum - Fading out of bloom.
Mountain Mahogany: Cercocarpus ledifolius var. ledifolius
* Sticky Cinquefoil: Drymocallis glandulosa var. glandulosa
* Wood's Strawberry: Fragaria vesca var. bracteata
* Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana var. platypetala
* Largeleaf Avens: Geum macrophyllum var. perincisum
* Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum
Graceful Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis var. fastigiata
* Bittercherry: Prunus emarginata var. emarginata - Still in bloom at the base of the west-facing summit cliffs.
* Rocky Mountain Mountain-ash: Sorbus scopulina
* Whitney's Balloon Milkvetch: Astragalus whitneyi var. sonneanus - Pods releasing from plants.
* Kellogg's Spurred Lupine: Lupinus arbustus - Beginning to bloom.
* Broadleaf Lupine: Lupinus latifolius var. latifolius - Beginning to bloom.
Bighead Clover: Trifolium macrocephalum - Just past bloom.
* False Mermaid: Floerkea proserpinacoides
* Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana (ssp. oregana ?)
* Goosefoot Violet: Viola purpurea ssp. venosa
* Upland Yellow Violet: Viola praemorsa ssp. praemosa
Snowbrush: Ceanothus velutinus var. velutinus - In bud.
Fireweed: Chamerion angustifolium
Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum
* Dwarf Groundsmoke: Gayophytum humile
Cow Parsnip: Heracleum maximum
* Gray's Lovage: Ligusticum grayi
* Slender-fruit Desert Parsley: Lomatium leptocarpum
Biscuitroot: Lomatium macrocarpum - Past bloom.
Barestem Desert Parsley: Lomatium nudicaule - Past bloom.
* Common Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza berteroi
* Mountain Sweet Cicely: Osmorhiza occidentalis
Sierra Snakeroot: Sanicula graveolens
Desert Shooting Star: Dodecatheon conjugens - Past bloom.
* Yellow-staining Collomia: Collomia tinctoria
* Narrowleaf Collomia: Collomia linearis
* Scarlet Gilia: Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. formosissima
Harkness' Linanthus: Leptosiphon harknessii
* Midget Phlox: Microsteris gracilis
* Brewer's Navarretia: Navarretia breweri
* Smooth-leaved Gilia: Navarretia capillaris
* Mountain Navarretia: Navarretia divaricata
* Western Polemonium: Polemonium occidentale - Fading out of bloom.
Dwarf Hesperochiron: Hesperochiron pumilis - Past bloom.
* Ballheaded Waterleaf: Hydrophyllum capitatum var. capitatum
* Great Basin Nemophila: Nemophila breviflora
* Small-flowered Nemophila: Nemophila parviflora var. austiniae
* Purple Phacelia: Phacelia hastata var. alpinum
Varileaf Phacelia: Phacelia heterophylla ssp. virgata - In bud.
* Blue Stickseed: Hackelia micrantha
* Long-flowered Bluebell: Mertensia longiflora - Fading out of bloom.
* Eastside Popcornflower: Plagiobothrys hispidulus
Nettleleaf Horsemint: Agastache urticifolia - In bud.
Mountain Balm: Monardella odoratissima
* Applegate's Paintbrush: Castilleja applegatei var. applegatei
* Hairy Paintbrush: Castilleja pilosa var. pilosa
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora
* Brewer's Monkeyflower: Erythranthe breweri
Common Monkeyflower: Erythranthe guttata
* Shrubby Penstemon: Penstemon fruticosus var. fruticosus
* Gairdner's Penstemon: Penstemon gairdneri var. gairdneri
* Lowly Penstemon: Penstemon humilis var. humilis
* Clustered Broomrape: Aphyllon fasciculatum or Clustered Broomrape: Aphyllon franciscanum - Unknown host.
* Naked Broomrape: Orobanche uniflora var. occidentalis
Fragrant Bedstraw: Galium triflorum
* Mountain Heliotrope: Valeriana sitchensis
* Black Elderberry: Sambucus racemosa var. melanocarpa
Mountain Snowberry: Symphoricarpos oreophilus var. utahensis
* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium
Pale Agoseris: Agoseris glauca
Stoloniferous Everlasting: Antennaria flagellaris
* Woodrush Pussytoes: Antennaria luzuloides ssp. luzuloides
* Rosy Pussytoes: Antennaria rosea - Beginning to bloom.
* Heartleaf Arnica: Arnica cordifolia
* Nodding Arnica: Arnica parryi - Fading out of bloom.
* Twin Arnica: Arnica sororia ?
Low Sagebrush: Artemisia arbuscula ssp. arbuscula
Western Mugwort: Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. candicans
Mountain Big Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana
* Arrowleaf Balsamroot: Balsamorhiza sagittata - Peak bloom atop Lookout Mt.
* Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia
Rabbitbrush Goldenweed: Ericameria bloomeri
* Eaton's Shaggy Daisy: Erigeron eatonii var. villosus
* Foreign Fleabane: Erigeron glacialis var. glacialis - Beginning to bloom.
* Yellow Desert Fleabane: Erigeron linearis
Showy Fleabane: Erigeron speciosus - In bud.
Rough-leaved Aster: Eurybia radulina
Rocky Mountain Sunflower: Helianthella uniflora var. douglasii - In bud.
White-flowered Hawkweed: Hieracium albiflorum
Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri - In bud.
* Nodding Microseris: Microseris nutans
* False Agoseris: Nothocalais troximoides - Fading out of bloom at the summit.
Narrowhead Goldenweed: Pyrrocoma carthamoides var. cusickii - In bud.
* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus - Still in bloom at the summit.
Tall Butterweed: Senecio serra - In bud.
* Western Canada Goldenrod: Solidago salebrosa (var. lepida ?)
* Woolly goldenweed: Stenotus lanuginosus var. lanuginosus
Leafybract Aster: Symphyotrichum foliaceum (var. parryi ?)
* Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale
Oyster Plant: Tragopogon dubius
Elk - tracks
Chipmunks
Red Squirrels
Ravens
Gray Jays
Stellers Jays
Downy or Hairy Woodpecker - Heard.
Northern Flicker
Western Wood Peewees
Western Tanagers
American Robins
Hermit Thrush
Mountain Bluebirds
Western Bluebirds
Lazuli Buntings
MacGillivray's Warbler
Brewer's Sparrows
Chipping Sparrows
Dark-eyed Juncos
Dark-eyed Juncos
Mountain Chickadees
Rock Wren
Milbert's Tortoiseshells
Pale Swallowtails
Sara's Orangetips
Whites
Sulfurs