Hiking Owsley Hogback

Owsley Hogback with canyons of Meacham Creek in the distance.

Story and photos by Brian Kelly, HCPC Restoration Coordinator

We've been having especially cool and wet weather this year in the Blue Mountains. Although people may complain about the weather, Mother Nature seems to be enjoying herself. She showed us a brilliant display of wildflowers as we hiked out to Owsley Hogback on the first HCPC hike of the season. The grasses were lush and gave the canyons a special soft green cover as we looked out towards Meacham Creek on June 19. Botanist Susan Geer shared her knowledge and passion for the local flora as she identified wildflowers and native plants for the group. The flowers were abundant and they showed themselves brightly against a background of green foliage. It was a wonderful day!

Our hike was scheduled about a month later than usual to accommodate the season, and our timing worked out perfectly to find a diverse and beautiful selection of flowers in bloom. Camas, bitterroot, lupine, paintbrush, grass widows, arrowleaf balsamroot, prairie stars and biscuitroot were among the native flowers in bloom. Questions from the hikers were as abundant as the wildflowers and Susan shared a wealth of knowledge about the local native plants. (Thank you Susan!)

Do you want to know about upcoming hikes and events? Check out the events link on the HCPC website: http://www.hellscanyon.org/events/. Also, I recommend that you sign-up to receive our periodic email updates by contacting Danae Yurgel at danae@hellscanyon.org . (We do not bombard our members with email and we do not share email addresses either).

Scroll down below to see more photos of wildflowers and scenery from the Owsley Hogback hike.

Yellow lupines and arrowleaf balsamroot in bloom on Owsley Hogback

It was a special treat to see bitterroot (Lewisia rediviva) in bloom. Native Americans value its roots.

Happy hikers on Fox Prairie with camas flowers blooming in the grass.

Happy trails!