Leader: Jennifer Barker

Blue Ridge is a beautiful serpentine gravel ridge with scattered juniper and Ponderosa pine, mostly meadow. It gets its name from the color of the serpentine. There are massive seeps in wetter springs. The elevation is about 5500-6000'. Easy walking, as little or much as you want. 70 minute drive from John Day. High clearance vehicles necessary for the last .3 miles. Some interesting plants observed 6/21/02 include: Blepharipappus scaber, Astragalus whitneyi, Danthonia unispicata, Lupinus lepidus var. aridus, Lesquerella sp., Cordylanthus ramosus, Zigadenus venenosus and Z. paniculatus, Scutellaria angustifolia, Mimulus nanus, Erigeron bloomeri, Lewisia rediviva, Pensetmon humilus?, Clarkia pulchella, Mimulus washingtonensis, Asclepias spp., Orthocarpus hispidus, Balsamorhiza serrata, Eriogonum vimineum.

To reach Blue Ridge, you drive south from John Day 18 miles on US 395, then west on the Izee-Paulina Highway about 10 miles (passing through the Flagtail Fire area). Then north/west on Forest Road 24 (a good gravel road) about 14 miles. Then north on Forest Road 2490 (still pretty good, some big potholes and possibly mudholes the last .1 mile) about 1.5 miles. Then turn to the right (east) on Forest Road 228 for about .2 miles before getting out and rambling. The only rough part is about the last .3 miles total. For this part, it would help to be in at least a Subaru or higher vehicle (I drove over it fairly easily in my Honda Civic.). Four-wheel drive is not necessary. It should take about 1 hour and 10 minutes from John Day.

There are massive seeps in wetter springs. Because of the serpentine, many of the plants here are similar to those found on Baldy Mt. The elevation is probably in the 5500-6000 foot range, and it is south-facing, making it a better choice if Baldy Mt. is still snow-covered, and Baldy Mt. a better choice if the spring is very early.