[Wildflower Bloom Reports for Washington & Oregon] [Wildflower Destinations in the Columbia River Gorge]

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon and Washington

2016

Balsamroots and lupines in bloom on Sevenmile Hill west of The Dalles, OR..........March 30, 2015.

Balsamroots and Columbia Gorge lupines (Lupinus latifolius x sericeus) beginning to bloom in quantity on Sevenmile Hill...........March 30, 2015.

Wildflower Bloom in the Columbia River Gorge in Previous Seasons

[2023] [2022] [2021] [2020] [2019] [2018] [2017] [2015] [2014] [2013] [2012] [2011] [2010] [2009] [2008][2007] [2006] [2005] [2004] [2003] [2002] [2001] [2000 and Before]


Use the links to previous bloom year data directly above to search for bloom reports at a particular location to better fit a recent flower visit. NOTE: As of March 11, 2016, flower bloom is about 7-10 days later than 2015, or about 2-3 weeks early compared to the 1980s and 1990s.

I am currently spending time hiking and making plant lists for those trails and cross country routes that aren't well represented in the Columbia River and Klickitat River Gorges this season, so if you don't see your favorite hike here, please check the lists from previous years above to see what you'd see along those hikes. Comprehensive plant lists for a number of hikes in the Columbia River Gorge (Look under the state and county they are found in.) can be found at http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/bloomtime/lists/plantlists.html

June 3, 2016: Silver Star Mountain via the Chinook Trail #808B (Gifford Pinchot National Forest)

April 26, 2016: Grassy slopes off Grayback Mountain Road, Klickitat Wildlife Area

April 24, 2016: Lone Pine Hill, East Memaloose Loop

April 23, 2016: Sevenmile Hill (An Native Plant Society of Oregon hike.)

April 13, 2016: Catherine Creek Loop to Upper Rowland Lake, Atwood Road & return via Sunflower HIll

April 8, 2016: Hardy Ridge Trail Loop, Beacon Rock State Park

April 5, 2016: Rowena Dell (Note that access to this area is through private lands, by invitation only.)

April 2, 2016: Klickitat Wildlife Area, South Canyon Creek Loop. (A Native Plant Society of Oregon hike.)

March 31, 2016: Rowena Dell and Rowena Benches

March 30, 2016: Loop hike involving the Hamilton Mountain and Lower Hardy Creek Trails, Beacon Rock State Park

March 26, 2016: Klickitat Wildlife Area, South Canyon Creek Loop

March 25, 2016: Stacker Butte Road, Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve

March 16, 2016: Memaloose Loop Trail (Memaloose State Park and USFS lands)

March 11, 2016: Western trilliums (Trillium ovatum) are beginning to bloom under trees along Interstate 84 east of Troutdale. Bigleaf maples (Acer macrophyllum), serviceberries (Amelanchier alnifolia var. semiintegrifolia ?) and one of the tree-like willows (Salix sp.) are all blooming sporadically along I-84 in the same area, while black cottonwoods (Populus trichocarpa) are beginning to leaf out there.

March 11, 2016: East side of Catherine Creek below the powerlines.

March 11, 2016: Lyle Cherry Orchard Trail (Friends of the Gorge property)

March 10, 2016: Glacier lilies (Erythronium grandiflorum var. pallidum) are beginning to bloom under the oaks along the Memaloose Trail and along Highway 30 between Memaloose and Rowena. Also look for them in similar habitat at Catherine Creek and atop the ridge along the Lyle Cherry Orchard Trail.

March 6, 2016: Klickitat Breaks, Klickitat Wildlife Area

March 3, 2016: Columbia Hills State Park and Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve

March 2, 2016: Memaloose Trail Loop (from the Memaloose Overlook on Highway 30).

March 2, 2016: Columbia kittentails (Synthyris missurica ssp. stellata) are blooming along Highway 30 (the Gorge Scenic Highway) from a mile west of Multnomah Falls eastwards towards Oneonta Gorge. A few smooth douglasia (Douglasia laevigata) are beginning to bloom on sheer basalt cliffs at Mitchell Point. Also begin looking for them on cliffs above the trail that leads to Upper Elowah Falls.

February 23, 2016: Catherine Creek - Path from the Parking Area to Catherine Creek and the area below the Arch.

February 23, 2016: South-facing Slopes above Washington Highway SR14, Crawford Oaks Trailhead, Columbia Hills State Park.

February 21, 2016: Memaloose - There's now a fair amount of grasswidows in bloom along Old Highway 30 between the Memaloose Overlook and Rowena. And it's not a bad time to hike from the Overlook south to Marsh or Castilleja Hill.

February 20, 2016: East Bank of the John Day River at Cottonwood Canyon State Park

February 15, 2016: Sevenmile Hill (USFS) from Sevenmile Hill Road

February 7, 2016: Memaloose Trail from Eastbound Memaloose Rest Area on Interstate 84 west up to Memaloose Overlook (on US 30), south to Marsh Hill, south and then east across Marsh Cutoff Road across public lands towards Dell Road, then back north across US 30 to the east end of the rest area. Plants are slower to bloom here than on the Washington side of the river.. - Columbia desert parsley (Lomatium columbianum)is beginning to bloom on Marsh Hill while a few Douglas' grass widows (Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii) are beginning to bloom in scablands just east of the rest area. Hairy manzanita (Arctostaphylos columbiana) is in bud in plantings at the east end of the rest area (the dog walk area).

February 2, 2016: Cherry Orchard Trailhead off SR 14 - Columbia Desert Parsley (Lomatium columbianum) was observed beginning to bloom on the cut banks above SR 14 at the east end of the parking area.

February 2, 2016: Columbia Hills State Park (from the Dalles Mountain Ranch) up the road through the Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve to Stacker Butte - Recent snows linger in the Columbia Hills NAP, so nothing in bloom their this year. Gorman's salt and peppers (Lomatium gormanii) are in bud and the leaves of grasswidows are coming up (Olsynium douglasii). A single obscure buttercup (Ranunculus triternatus) was observed in bloom in Columbia Hills State Park.

January 31, 2016: Catherine Creek (Lower paved loops and trails up onto Tracy Hill east of Catherine Creek) - Plants observed beginning to bloom along the paved trails were Columbia desert parsley (Lomatium columbianum), pungent desert parsley (Lomatium grayi), salt and pepper (Lomatium gormanii) and Douglas' grass widows (Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii).

January 24, 2016: East Bank Deschutes River - White alder (Alnus incana) are now in bloom along the lower Deschutes River at the state park campground.

January 24, 2016: Catherine Creek, near the paved trails - A single Douglas' grass widow (Olsynium douglasii var. douglasii) was found in bloom!


 


Paul Slichter E-mail