View north from Drake Lookout towards Twelvemile and Crook Peaks with Abert Rim on the left, Fremont-Winema National Forest......June 29, 2019.
Directions to the Viewpoint:
From Lakeview, OR, drive east on Oregon Highway 140 headed towards Adel, OR. Pass the Warner Ski Area and cross over the crest of Warner Pass. Continue downhill for several miles and at the first 4-way paved road junction, turn left onto paved FS Road 3615. Drive uphill north into the forest, past the Walker Trailhead, past Bull Prairie and Mud Creek Forest Camp (potable water). About one-half mile past Mud Creek Forest Camp, turn right onto spur road 019 (good gravel road in 2019) and drive uphill through thinned conifer forest. As the road breaks out of the forest, one can notice the historic lookout perched several feet above. After the good gravel road changes to rougher road, drive another half a mile to the ridgetop and turn west to reach the Drake Peak Lookout, perched at the western shoulder of Light Peak at about 8222'. The lookout is available for nightly rental, and there is a vault toilet available for hikers as well as lookout occupants.
For hiking, one can hike east along the ridgeline along an old jeep road to the crest of Light Peak which offers great 360 degree views of the High Desert. The Steens Mt. and Beatty Butte peer over the long summit of Hart Mt to the east, with the broad Warner Valley at its feet. To the south, one can see the broad treeless crest of Mt. Bidwell and the forested ridgeline of even higher Crane Mt. To the west, one can spot Mt. Shasta, Gearhart Mt and Winter Rim. To the north, close at hand are Twelvemile, McDowell and Crook Peaks, part of the North Warner Mts., Abert Rim, and far on the skyline, Glass Buttes which are several miles south of US 20.
Weather: Temperatures in the mid 60s with light winds in the morning gaining to very gusty winds in the afternoon and mostly clear skies.
* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.
Brown-eyed Wolf Lichen: Letharia columbiana
Puffball - hardball sized
Whitebark Pine: Pinus albicaulis
* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides
Fescue: Festuca sp.
* Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. juncifolia ?
* Sandberg's Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. secunda
* Mission Bells: Fritillaria atropurpurea
* Mat Buckwheat: Eriogonum cespitosum
Parsnipflower Buckwheat: Eriogonum heracleoides - In bud.
Goose Lake Wild Buckwheat: Eriogonum strictum var. anserinum - In bud. Leaves very much like those of E. ovalifolium.
* Modoc Sulfur Flower Buckwheat: Eriogonum umbellatum var. modocense
* Pussypaws: Cistanthe umbellatum - Beginning to bloom.
Umbellate Springbeauty: Claytonia umbellata - Past bloom on rock runnels on NW slope of Drakes Peak.
* Mountain Sandwort: Eremogone capillaris var. americana
* Brittle Sandwort: Sapulina nuttallii var. fragilis
* Lemmon's Rockcress: Boechera lemmonii - descending
Lance-leaved Stonecrop: Sedum lanceolatum var. lanceolatum
* Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum
* Mountain Gooseberry: Ribes montigenum - Fading out of bloom.
Mountain Mahogany: Cercocarpus ledifolius var. intermontanus - Past bloom.
* Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum
Bush Ocean Spray: Holodiscus microphyllus var. glabrescens
* Bear's Ivesia: Ivesia gordonii var. ursinorum
* Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata
* Woollypod Milkvetch: Astragalus purshii var. purshii
* Bladder Milkvetch: Astragalus whitneyi var. confusus
* Kellogg's Spurred Lupine: Lupinus argenteus var. heteranthus
Goosefoot Violet: Viola purpurea ssp. venosa
* Western Blue Flax: Linum lewisii var. lewisii
* Spreading Groundsmoke: Gayophytum diffusum - Beginning to bloom.
* Nineleaf Biscuitroot: Lomatium brevifolium-triternatum
Nevada Desert Parsley: Lomatium nevadense - Fruits forming.
Granite Phlox: Leptosiphon pungens
* Hood's Phlox: Phlox hoodii
* Leafy Blluebells: Mertensia foliosa (M. oblongifolia var. nevadensis)
* Wavy-leaf Paintbrush: Castilleja applegatei var. pinetorum
* Hairy Paintbrush: Castilleja pilosa var. pilosa
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora
* Dwarf Purple Monkeyflower: Diplacus nanus
* Ash Penstemon: Penstemon cinicola
Yarrow: Achillea millefolium
* Sagebrush Agoseris: Agoseris parviflora
* Low Pussytoes: Antennaria dimorpha
* Rosy Pussytoes: Antennaria rosea
Low Sagebrush: Artemisia arbuscula ssp. arbuscula
Mountain Big Sagebrush: Artemisia tridentata ssp. vaseyana
Truckee Green Rabbitbrush: Chrysothamnus humilis
* Peregrine Thistle: Cirsium cymosum var. cymosum - Beginning to bloom.
* Baker's Hawksbeard: Crepis bakeri ?
Gray Hawksbeard: Crepis intermedia or Tapertip Hawksbeard: Crepis acuminata ?
* Modoc Hawksbeard: Crepis modocensis
Discoid Goldenweed: Ericameria discoidea
* Rayless Cutleaf Daisy: Erigeron compositus
* Yellow Desert Daisy: Erigeron linearis
Scouler's Hawkweed: Hieracium scouleri
* Woolly Groundsel: Packera cana
Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus - In bud.
* Stemless Goldenweed: Stenotus acaulis
* Common Dandelion: Taraxacum officinale
Chipmunk
Greater Prairie Chicken - hen with 4 chicks
Grouse
Clark's Nutcrackers
American Robins
Mountain Bluebird
Brewer's Sparrow
Dark-eyed Juncos - Mom flapping wings in 'broken wing' display
Yellow-rumped Warblers
Rock Wrens
Blue-tailed Skink
Anise Swallowtails
Fritillarys
Milbert's Tortoiseshells
Painted Lady ?
Summit Blues
White