Another wonderful wildflower hike in the Wenas Wildlife Area, this one on Umtanum Ridge via Black Canyon (route details in the 3rd paragraph). The highlight was the 2+ miles on Umtanum ridge, for 1.75 miles I went off trail and walked along the edge of the north-facing fields which right now are Horse Ranch Reserve level thick with maturing lupine, larkspur, groundsel, balsamroot, desert parsleys, and fading, but still large, clumps of white showy phlox. The eastern portion of the ridge, where I was on the road, has very thick flowers too, including huge numbers of large-flower triteleia and a brilliant purple cress.
Other flower delights - I did the lollipop portion clockwise. After hitting the highpoint at Rattler Benchmark, the portion that drops off of the ridge and curves back north to the Black Canyon trail/road is very good. It was sagebrush that was incinerated by the 2020 fire. This very fertile ground is filling up with lupine, large-flower triteleia, and other flowers, it will be getting better and better with each year. The first 3 miles in Black Canyon, while past its prime for number of species, has beautiful royal penstemon, thick Lewis flax, Douglas' dusty maiden, thick bunches of silver-leaf and thread/linear-leaf phacelia. large-flower collomia, and more. The left/west fork coming out of the canyon had lots of maturing/beautifully colored lupine, the first of the purple cress, large-flower triteleia, and many more. Throughout the upper portions of the route there were areas of buckwheats, yellow aster family flowers, Gairdner's penstemon, some of these areas are past prime, some are still brilliant.
The route - The caltopo map I'll refer to is attached. I parked immediately after the turnoff from the main road; you could get a sedan up the 1.25 miles to that trailhead, but it is pretty rough and I am tougher than my car. The route is 12 miles and about 2700'. This describes the clockwise lollipop. At 3 miles you hit the fork, take a left. When you hit the ridge road, cross the road, going off trail (on all of this there are plenty of rocks and bare spots to step on). Walk north until you come to the edge of where the grasses are on the north-facing slopes and you can see the flowers below. Take a right (east) turn and follow the edge of the fields for 1.75 miles (and enjoy the fields of flowers). After 1.75 miles or so there is a grove of trees on the north-facing slope with few flowers (and the ridge road is getting close to the intersection with the Black Canyon road/trail), head to the right to get on the road. Once on the road, head east/left. Don't go down Black Canyon, take the left and go up the hill on the ridge road (there are very good flowers in this section, including thick fields of vibrant purple rockcress. At the top of the hill take the right turn (marked with a green dot sign) that leads up to Rattler Benchmark. The blue on the caltopo map is a trail that shows up in caltopo/gaia but does not exist in the slightest way. The orange route does not show up in caltopo/gaia, but does exist. There is a log across the trail urging you to take the orange route, listen to the log. The orange into the red will take you back to the Black Canyon road/trail through some beautiful, often thick, flowers. Take a left/down at the canyon road, a left at the fork and back to your car.
Flower timing for future reference - 2022 2.5 weeks later than average. This hike had good 2nd state flowers in the canyon, excellent 2nd wave on north face, shrub-steppe 1.5 past mostly, purple cress fantastic. Peak showy phlox-balsamroot on north face, shrub-steppe 1.5 weeks earlier. 1.5 weeks earlier might be the maximum # of species too.
Comments
Bob and Barb on Black Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest
BEAUTIFUL photos of the BEAUTIFUL flowers!
Posted by:
Bob and Barb on Jun 12, 2022 04:46 PM
AlpsDayTripper on Black Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest
Thanks! Location, location, location, and some luck. :-)
Posted by:
AlpsDayTripper on Jun 12, 2022 07:40 PM
SLewis on Black Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest
We did this hike on Saturday and I will confirm that the small stretch of blue trail on the caltopo map (which was also on my Alltrails map) does not exist at all and the orange section that was not in Alltrails is the correct path. I'll add that the flowers and views were quite spectacular - great hike!
Posted by:
SLewis on Jun 13, 2022 07:21 PM
AlpsDayTripper on Black Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest
I'm glad you got out there. Now that I know, I'll be going back every year!
Posted by:
AlpsDayTripper on Jun 15, 2022 06:01 PM
Mike & DD on Black Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest
We hiked Black canyon yesterday and there was a "super bloom" of bitterroot on the Umtanum crest - top ridge. Never seen anything like it. Your directions were great - thanks, Dorothy
Posted by:
Mike & DD on Jun 22, 2022 11:42 AM
AlpsDayTripper on Black Canyon, Umtanum Ridge Crest
Thanks and thanks for the bitterroot info! Rich
Posted by:
AlpsDayTripper on Jun 23, 2022 04:25 AM