Not too late for your last balsamroot fix of the year.
If you love wildflowers, now is the time to pack up your camera, tripod and lenses and head up this trail. The flowers are definitely at their peak right now. If you are lucky the sun will shine for you and you will have the vistas of the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Hood, and the valleys to the east. Don’t just stop at Grassy Knoll where there was once a lookout. For the balsamroot go beyond to Grassy Pass, it is worth the extra distance.
Columbines
Lupines and more
On the Edge of the Forest
Lupine Leaves
More Flowers
Going Home
Following are the directions found in William Sullivan’s “100 Hikes in Northwest Oregon” 2003 edition:
After crossing the bridge at Cascade locks ($1 toll), “turn right on Highway 14 for 5.9 miles, turn left through Carson on Highway 30 for 4.2 miles, and then turn right on Bear Creek Road. Follow this road—which becomes Road 6808—for 3.6 paved miles and an additional 7.2 miles of curvy, one-lane gravel to Triangle pass. Then turn left onto Road 68 for 2.1 miles to where Road 511 joins from the right. Look for the Grassy Knoll sign 50 feet up this side road.” I’ll add that I did not see a Road 68 sign. You will see a trailhead sign at that intersection but you make a left there to follow William’s directions. Also over the years the road has become quite a bit rougher. This may be the last season I drive my ’96 Subaru legacy wagon there. It does not have a lot of ground clearance and the tow rings scraped the ground a couple times.
A note to dog owners, there are no streams for the dogs to drink from. This can be a hot hike when the sun is out.
