Silver Creek Marsh Campground viewed from the ridge to the east, Fremont-Winema National Forest...........june 18, 2020.
Directions: From Silver Lake, Oregon, head west on Oregon Highway 31. Turn left (south) onto Forest Road #27 about 0.3 miles west of the turnoff to the Ranger Station. Road #27 heads south across sagebrush lowlands on a bumpy road due to frost heaving. You will want to drive no faster than 30 mph until those disappear! You will see the signed entrance to the Silver Creek Marsh Campground on the left about 10.4 miles south of Highway 31. The campground doesn't appear to be heavily used (except perhaps during holiday weekends, and when local backcountry horse groups gather there - check the ranger station to see if they know of heavy use times). Nightly rates are $6 per night. There are two vault toilets and potable water from Memorial Day weekend on. Water is also available along the front fenceline of the ranger station compound. The campground provides great birding and has a nice assortment of wildflowers. Check the grasslands at the south end of the campground. A walk west across Road #27 to the rocky rim has a different assortment of plants. Hike the signed trail across from campsite #5 south to the Fremont Trail #160. Head right to head upstream along the West Fork Silver Creek. The left fork leads down an old road to the creek, then crosses on the road bridge, then heads cross country towards Silver Creek and further east. The area is well worth spending some time searching for south-central Oregon flowers that are less common elsewhere!
Weather: Temperatures in the mid 40s in the morning climbing to the mid 50s by the afternoon. The morning saw partly cloudy skies with light wind which made the hike comfortable. The afternoon became mostly cloudy, with cold winds across the summit, although the winds abated once reaching parts of the trail in the forest.
* indicates the wildflower is currently in bloom.
Click here for a moderately comprehensive plant list for Silver Creek Marsh Campground
Western Juniper: Juniperus occidentalis
Lodgepole Pine: Pinus contorta var. latifolia
Ponderosa Pine: Pinus ponderosa var. ponderosa
Mountain Alder: Alnus incana ssp. tenuifolia
Creek Dogwood: Cornus sericea
Quaking Aspen: Populus tremuloides
Willow: Salix sp.
Daggerleaf Rush: Juncus ensifolius
* Kellogg's Sedge: Carex kelloggii var. kelloggii
* Meadow Foxtail: Alopecurus pratensis
* Cheatgrass: Bromus tectorum
* Onespike Oatgrass: Danthonia unispicata
* Bottlebrush Squirreltail: Elymus elymoides
* Idaho Fescue: Festuca idahoensis
Nevada Bluegrass: Poa secunda var. juncifolia
Star-flowered False Solomon Seal: Maianthemum stellatum
* Panicled Deathcamas: Toxicoscordion paniculatum
Western Blue Flag: Iris missouriensis - Past bloom.
* Mountain Sorrel: Rumex paucifolius
* Western Columbine: Aquilegia formosa
* White Water Buttercup: Ranunculus aquatilis var. diffusus
* Little Buttercup: Ranunculus uncinatus
Wax Currant: Ribes cereum var. cereum
* Broadpetal Strawberry: Fragaria virginiana ssp. glauca
* Prairie Smoke: Geum triflorum var. ciliatum
* Small-flowered Horkelia: Horkelia fusca ssp. parviflora
Common Silverweed: Potentilla anserina ssp. anserina
Graceful Cinquefoil: Potentilla gracilis var. gracilis
Common Chokecherry: Prunus virginiana var. melanocarpa
Antelope Bitterbrush: Purshia tridentata
Pearhip Rose: Rosa (woodsii var. ultramontana ?)
Menzie's Spiraea: Spiraea douglasii var. menziesii - green under leaves
* Sickle Milkvetch: Astragalus curvicarpus var. curvicarpus
Woolly-pod Milkvetch: Astragalus purshii (var. lagopinus ?)
* Velvet Lupine: Lupinus leucophyllus var. tenuispicus
* Largeleaf Lupine: Lupinus polyphyllus var. polyphyllus
* Sticky Geranium: Geranium viscosissimum var. incisum
* Oregon Checkermallow: Sidalcea oregana (ssp. ?) - Beginning to bloom.
Goosefoot Violet: Viola purpurea ssp. venosa
Tall Annual Willowherb: Epilobium brachycarpum
* Diffuse Groundsmoke: Gayophytum diffusum
Pinedrops: Pterospora andromedea
* Nine-leaf Desert Parsley: Lomatium triternatum
Green-leaved Manzanita: Arctostaphylos patula
Explorer's Gentian: Gentiana calycosa
* Bolander's Babystars: Leptosiphon bolanderi
* Harkness' Flaxflower: Leptosiphon harknessii - Beginning to bloom.
* Common Paintbrush: Castilleja miniata var. miniata
* Small-flowered Blue-eyed Mary: Collinsia parviflora - Fading out of bloom.
* Rydberg's Penstemon: Penstemon rydbergii (var. oreocharis ?)
* American Brooklime: Veronica americana
* Mountain Heliotrope: Valeriana sitchensis
Black Twinberry: Lonicera involucrata var. involucrata
* Yarrow: Achillea millefolium
* Silvery Pussytoes: Antennaria argentea ?
* Rosy Pussytoes: Antennaria pulvinata
Leafy Arnica: Arnica chamissonis (ssp. foliosa ?) - Lowest leaves only. Riparian.
Elk Thistle: Cirsium scariosum
* Rayless Shasta Aster: Dieteria canescens var. shastensis
Gray Rabbitbrush: Ericamaeria nauseosa (var. speciosus ?)
* Yarrow-leaved Oregon Sunshine: Eriophyllum lanatum var. achilleoides
* Nodding Microseris: Microseris nutans
* Woolly Groundsel: Packera cana
* Western Groundsel: Senecio integerrimus var. exaltatus
West Coast Goldenrod: Solidago elongata - In bud.
* Salsify: Tragopogon dubius
eBird list for Silver Creek Marsh Campground
Belding Ground Squirrels
Chipmunks
Red Squirrels