Clark's Oregon Wildflower Blog: Back in the Saddle

If I had to name the best wildflower hike within an hour or so drive from home, it would have be Saddle Mountain State Natural Area. This coast mountain hike has just about everything: lush forest canopy, rocky protrusions, small springs, open meadows, many common and unique wildflowers at all elevations, and expansive views in all directions from the top. The 5.5 mile hike also has some steep, challenging portions, making it a fun workout for any avid outdoors person. The only flaw with this hike is the sight of many ugly clear-cuts that become more visible as you gain elevation. It's a tough nut to swallow if you believe, as I do, that there are better ways to harvest wood and preserve habitat.*

It really does look like a saddle!

My last visit to Saddle Mountain was about a year ago, so in this post I'll try to expand on last year's visit. Read last year's post.

The weather was near ideal for this year's hike: cool at the start, sunny, and not windy. Saddle Mountain is only about 15 miles from the ocean, so fog can be an issue in the summer. Luckily, on this day, no fog at the mountain - but we did see plenty over the ocean!

My good friend and native conifer expert, Ken Denniston, hiked with me this year. While in the parking lot we ran into a guy named Marsh, who is a bird and wildflower guide and leads hikes for Audubon. This was fortuitous for us, as he pointed out several unique plants along the way.

View of steep summit trail. A saddle and a horse would
be good on that part of the trail!

The Oregon Checker Mallows show their stuff.

All the plants shown here are native to the Northwest. There were two unique plants we noted on this trip, not seen last year: the odd looking, rayless Western Coneflower (Rudbeckia occidentalis) and a blue-flowered version of the Pacific Waterleaf (Hydrophyllum tenuipes). Most everywhere else, the flowers are white. The coneflowers were located near a small spring about 1/4 mile from the top; the waterleafs were near the shady start of the hike, under the alders.