After setting up camp at Maryhill SP, we drove to the Dalles Mountain Ranch area to check on the flower status. The lupine and balsamroot are starting to bloom, but it seems it will be 2-3 weeks before they will be at peak bloom! A few lupine had open blossoms, but most were still just buds. There were many yellow desert parsley and barestem desert parsley blooming in the fields along the Dalles Mountain Road as you are driving to the ranch. A small area along the road had large head clover blooming amidst the barestem desert parsley and these were very pretty. The wind was blowing 20-30 MPH with stronger gusts so we did not hike the ranch area today, but plan to do so on Thursday which is our last day before having to go home.  We drove to the Horsethief Butte Trail where the wind was still strong, but we wanted some walking after our long drive to camp so we walked a short section of the trail. Yellow desert parsley, Oregon grape, death camas, prairie stars, fiddleneck, and a few blooming balsamroot were seen. We saw one blooming wild cucumber with many, many more in the bud stage. 

Just finished Stacker Butte-

Next up, a jaunt around Dalles Mountain Ranch. 

Based on our last visit (4/11/21), it appears our cool Spring has delayed the wildflowers a bit. In 2021 we hiked up from Crawford Oaks to a great show of Balsamroot and Lupine.  Although the flowers are just getting started this year, it was nice to have an uncrowded visit.

There is some balsamroot in bloom but nothing like what is sure to come in May. We saw plenty of lupine (plants)but just one in partial bloom, and desert parsley, along with some of the smaller wildflowers. Peak might be a few weeks out?  #Member Appreciation

Regardless it was a great day to be on the trail(s).

After our hike at Catherine Creek, we drove the Dalles Mountain Road to see if any flowers were blooming along the Dalles Mountain Ranch Trail. We did not park at the parking lot as the wind was blowing 30 MPH or more so we knew we wouldn't be walking far so parked on the side of the road where the trail goes down after crossing the road. Plants and buds are few and just beginning so it will be awhile before the "hills are alive" with balsamroot, lupine and other flowers! A few balsamroot, yellow desert parsley and lupine were seen.

From The Dalles Mountain Ranch trailhead, we hiked downhill, crossing The Dalles Mountain Road, to hike a loop of the Crawford Ranch Trail and the Eightmile Creek Trail.

We found the trail tread to be muddy and slippery from melting snow, which significantly slowed our hiking speed to avoid taking a fall. We hoped for stronger sunshine to dry out the trail tread but high passing clouds reduced the solar intensity.

We ended up doing a truncated loop hike but we still managed to find our first blooming wildflower species of the year: Salt and Pepper Desert Parsley. The plants were very young so it was impossible to tell which species they were -- Gorman's or Pipers.

Our daughter is with us for the weekend so we parked her car at the Crawford Oaks TH and then drove to the parking lot for the Dalles Mountain Ranch Trails and did a through hike from there on the Eight Mile Creek Trail and Military Road Trail to the creek crossing of EightMile Creek. Instead of crossing the creek we walked a trail west through an oak grove and up a trail which parallels the Access Road for awhile and then goes through field of flowers and down to a crossing of Eight Mile Creek above the falls. The flowers were beautiful, but the lupine was just beginning to bloom with more buds than blooms. When the weather warms up and the lupine become peak in one to two weeks the area will be spectacular! It was cold and very windy, but it was still an enjoyable hike. A few areas had beautiful bouquets of phlox. The road as you approach the Crawford Oaks parking lot had manroot (wild cucumber), apple blossoms, cherry tree blossoms and buckwheat.