Solstice and Shade

The enormous Devil's Club leaves help make trail shade.

This is my favorite time of year, as we approach the summer solstice. The long days are great for outings and photos; the warm climate makes so many things grow and bloom, and the end of pollen season is near! It is also the time of year when I dust off my list of places to visit in the continuing search for new and interesting flora.

Our recent run of hot weather in early June, has me thinking about places that are close by and have trails with shade and cool water! If dogs could talk, ours would be saying, "you read my mind, master!" And here in western Oregon, the shade dwelling, lowland wildflower season still has a little bit of life left. So on a recent day of 90+ heat, we packed up and took to the hills - well, to the coast range hills just west of town, to the Gales Creek camp. The area features some humble camping spots, a small day use area, and many miles of trails in the Tillamook State forest, most of which are in the shade!


The temperature was about 10 degrees lower at the creek, so we had a good cool-down time, did a bit of hiking, enjoyed a tasty picnic, and managed to find a few wildflowers in the process. One of these is quite common, but I had never seen it before: Scouler's Corydalis.

Later, we headed north on some back roads to the Four Corners county monument, 17 miles north. A mile long shady trail here leads you to the only place in Oregon where four counties converge.

The area also features the tiny North Fork of Wolf Creek, a smaller but equally accessible place to cool off and/or drink the water (if you are a dog!). We did not stay long at this creek because a very vocal Hairy Woodpecker was not happy with our presence - probably had a nest nearby.

So if you want to escape the direct sun, there are several other fairly local parks that offer a mile or more of shade, including Rood Bridge park, Noble Woods park, Champoeg State park, Stub Stewart State Park, and of course the grandaddy of shady trails, Forest Park. I'm sure there are more, so let me know where your favorite shady places are.



Here are a few of the photos of the day. To see the text for the photos below, hover your mouse or tap on the photo; click on a photo to enlarge it.