After setting up camp at Brooks Memorial SP, we hiked the Nature Trail and Lady Slipper Loop Trails for a total of 1 3/4 miles with only 200 feet gain. We were 10 days to 2 weeks too early for the Mountain Lady Slipper bloom which was disappointing as they were why we had come to the park to camp!  Their leaves are just beginning to push through the ground. There were very few wildflowers bloooming. The lupine bouquets are mostly just buds and the balsamroot leaves and flowers are just starting! Yellow desert parsley was the most prevalent bloom. A few yellow violets, ball-head water leaf, death camas , common camas, small-flowered blue-eyed Mary and larkspur were the other flowers seen.

We made reservations to camp at Big Pines CG in Yakima Canyon for 4 nights before knowing the extreme heat that would be in the area at that time! Seeing the blooming Mountain Lady Slippers at Brooks Memorial SP near Goldendale was our reason for doing this as the park is only 72 miles from the CG compared to 207 miles from our home! We decided that seeing the lady slippers would be worth the heat so decided to camp for at least 2 nights. After arriving at the park, we parked at the TH parking lot which is across HWY 97 from the Brooks Memorial SP campground.  We walked only 2 1/4 miles. There is a small sign which says TRAIL near the parking area. This takes you to a large sign which names some of the trails in the area. There were very poor maps available outside of the ranger station which you pass on your way to the TH. The lady slippers were seen on the Brooks Nature Trail after the Old Growth Grove and on the Lady Slipper Loop Trail. We saw several lady slippers, lupine, one tiger lily and balsamroot past its prime. The lupine was very pretty along the floor of the Oregon white oaks and Ponderosa pine forest. The mid to upper 90's temp was tolerable because most of the trail was in the woods and there was a light breeze! I am adding a link to our report of last year as it describes the area in more detail!

Brooks memorial state park is just south of the summit of Satus Pass on US Highway 97, and makes a good leg stretcher (with bathrooms) halfway from Seattle to Bend Oregon. We walked up to Picnic Meadow. The trailhead is across the road from the campground.  Bear left at the fork,  the right is marked for a group campsite, then drive maybe 1/4 mile to a big sign showing various trails and says Picnic Meadow 1.1 miles.  We parked there and walked up the old road/ trail through pine forest to the big beautiful meadow with a view of Shasta and a picnic table in the middle. Some balsamroot in bloom.  Our stats were 1.4 miles round trip and 230 feet of gain. Then on to Bend. 

Oh, and be sure to stop in at St. Johns Monastery Greek pastry less than 1 mile south of Brooks Memorial for amazing Greek pastries, gyros, coffee, etc. 

We have been staying at home except for grocery store pick-ups and senior shopping so we were looking forward  to taking our first road trip today to do a little trail meandering! We had read about the mountain lady slippers being seen at Brooks Memorial SP so decided to see if we could find them. It was a long first trip of 3 1/2 hours, but it can be done on a tank of fuel. Restrooms were open at the BLM Recreation Areas in Yakima Canyon and the restroom at the state park was open and well-stocked with TP, sinks and hand sanitizer! There were no other hikers so social distancing was not a problem. Having a 7 hour driving time did not allow much time for hiking, but it was good to get outside somewhere other than our own backyard!

There are more than 9 miles of hiking and equestrian trails in the park and they are located across the HWY from the campground. We found a map of the park at the unoccupied ranger station, but it was very poorly marked telling only what was road, trail and private land! A map with trail names and length would be very helpful. The sign at each of the 2 TH's named several trails with arrows pointing directions, but there was no indication of the length of the trail. In searching online before we went I could not find detailed information only info from reviews of the CG from those who had hiked. Generally the trails are on old roads and wide and some will take you to meadows with wildflowers in the spring and views of Mt Adams, Mt Hood and Mt Jefferson on a clear day. We started on the Brooks Nature Trail and did the Lady Slipper Loop Trail where we did find several nice bouquets of lady slippers and several spotted coral root. We would like to have have done the trail to Picnic Meadow where we would hopefully have had views of the peaks and more flowers in the meadow, but we needed to head for home. There was some elevation on the Nature Trail, but not much on the Lady Slipper Loop which was trail rather than an old road. The trails went through a forest of Lodgepole Pine and Oregon White Oak. Lupine, death camas, pea flowers and balsamroot were also seen. The balsamroot was mainly past its prime and the lupine was just at prime. Hopefully next year at this time the campground will be open so we can spend the night and hike more of the trails!