[Wildflower Hikes and Trips in Crook County, OR] [Field Trips for the 2018 NPSO Annual Meeting]
Wildflowers of the Chimney Rock Trail
Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River
Bureau of Land Management
Crook County, OR
Chimney Rock as seen from Chimney Rock Campground (BLM).........July 11, 2017. The best time to hike and view wildflowers along the Chimney Rock Trail is from late April to early June. During this visit, we saw plenty of sagebrush mariposa lilies (Calochortus macrocarpus) in bloom and many gray rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) in bud along the highway here.
Chimney Rock Trail is a short but scenic out and back trail on BLM lands above the Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River located several miles downstream from Bowman Dam. The out and back trail climbs about 550' in 1.35 miles for a 2.7 mile round trip hike. One can also hike along the east bank of the Crooked River adjacent to the Crooked River Campground on the opposite side of the road from the trailhead. Additional shoreline stretches to explore nearby include those at Cobble Rock Campground and Post Pile Campground.
Wildflowers along the trail would be those commonly found on the high desert scablands and grasslands, including sand lily, showy towsendia, stiff and thrreadstalk milkvetches, upland larkspur, threadleaf fleabane, gairdner's and lowly penstemons, desert yellow daisy and cushion fleabane and western thelypody. Riparian species would be found along the river.
General info from the BLM about the Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River: Chimney Rock Segment
Access:
From downtown Prineville, drive south on Main Street which becomes State Highway 27 (Crooked River Highway) south of town. Approximately 10 miles south of Prineville one enters the narrower, winding stretch of the Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River: Chimney Rock Segment. Continue south along Highway 27 until you see the signs for Chimney Rock on the left and Chimney Rock Campground on the right (west), this at about 15.7 miles south of Prineville.
Plant Lists:
Comprehensive Plant List for the Chimney Rock Trail (Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River: BLM)
April 24, 2018: Chimney Rock Trail (BLM)
May 26, 2017: Chimney Rock Trail (BLM)
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Left: A view up towards Chimney Rock from the first quarter mile of the Chimney Rock Trail. Right: A bench located near the high point on the Chimney Rock Trail, Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River.......April 24, 2018.
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Left: Natural bunchgrass slopes along the Chimney Rock Trail. Right: The destination, Chimney Rock, Chimney Rock Trail, Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River.......April 24, 2018.
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Left: A view upstream to the south of the Crooked River canyon from Chimney Rock. Center: A view downstream to the north of the Crooked River Canyon from Chimney Rock. Right: An additional view of the nice bunchgrass slopes to be found along the Chimney Rock Trail, Lower Crooked Wild and Scenic River.......April 24, 2018. These slopes will be filled with wildflowers by mid to late May into early June.
A view downstream along the Crooked River from the wheelchair accessible platform over the river at Chimney Rock Campground.........July 11, 2017.
Paul Slichter