Zigzag Canyon

Zigzag River and Canyon - July 14, 2015

When you make the drive from Portland to Mt. Hood on US 26, you pass through the tiny hamlet of Zigzag, just east of Welches. It's an odd name for a location and therefore easy to remember. There's also a Zigzag mountain, a Zigzag glacier, a Zigzag river, and of course a Zigzag canyon! I had often wondered about the history of this name, so lucky for you, I have done extensive research to answer this important question.

The first thing I discovered is that the name has nothing to do with the French tobacco products company, Zig-Zag. Apparently they are known for roll-your-own cigarette papers. Other non-starters that share the name are two movies, a magazine, a railroad, and a math code.

Digging a bit more, it seems that the catchy name was most likely derived from a comment made by our own Oregon pioneer, Joel Palmer. In October of 1845, he hiked through the yet unnamed Zigzag canyon. His journal noted how hikers must "zigzag" about to cross the steep canyon - presumably he meant using a switchback route to safely go up and down the canyon. Apparently the canyon and river were named first and then the community adopted it as well. The first and only Zigzag post office opened in 1917 and closed in 1974. Too bad, it would be fun to mail a postcard from Zigzag!

The Zigzag river is only about 12 miles long and feeds into the Sandy river near the community. Its water is mostly glacier and snow melt. The canyon, on the other hand, is much more impressive than the river, due to its depth and dramatic views. Geology fans will have a "field day" when hiking out to the canyon.

Looking south - Mt. Jefferson and Trillium Lake in View

To reach the canyon on a day hike, most folks start at Timberline Lodge. From there, you jump onto the Pacific Crest Trail and head west for about two miles to reach the canyon. On the way, you get great views to the south and go through Little Zigzag canyon before reaching the big one. It's a must do hike if you like volcanic subalpine terrain and want to spend a few hours taking in grand vistas as well as wildflowers.

Hikers climbing out of Little Zigzag Canyon

The elevation at the rim of the canyon is about 6,000 feet, and the river is about 1,000 feet below. From the rim you can hear the roar of the river as it descends. The river drops 5,700 feet from its source to the end at the Sandy. Hikers who continue on the PCT must cross the river about a mile below the rim.

Zigzag Canyon (left) and PCT (right)

On this day, the wildflowers in this area were notable but not spectacular. Many were already past their prime due to our early hot, dry summer. Nonetheless, I spotted about a dozen familiar faces along the way.

Subalpine Lupine and the very dry Little Zigzag Canyon

     

Sulphur Flower, early vs. late bloom color

     

Partridge Foot and Mt. Hood Pussypaws

     

Cascade Aster and Green False Hellebore

     

Subalpine Mariposa Lily and Pearly Everlasting with Canada Goldenrod

     

Links:

Joel Palmer Wiki

Hike Details

Two Hundred Posts

Here at wildflower blog central, we are always looking for an excuse to celebrate! So when I noticed we were approaching post number 200, I thought, wow, let's get the party favors out, bake a cake, and give the staff the afternoon off.

Our first meager post was on April 13, 2013; and it has been almost exactly two years since we hit post number 100. We don't really worry too much about the numbers, but it is fun to look back. The blogging exercise has been fun and I have actually learned some good macro photography techniques as well as many useful and interesting botanical nuggets along the way - proving that you can teach an old dog new tricks!

So if you call our office today, we'll be out celebrating on a virtual Hawaiian cruise down at the brew pub. In the mean time, here are a few of our favorite, unpublished, unrelated photos pulled out of the "extras" shoe box.

As always, feel free to leave us a comment or note and thanks for your continued interest in our modest journal.

Creeping Woodsorrel (Oxalis corniculata) in our
driveway, April 20

Purple Sanicle (Sanicula bipinnatifida) at
Baskett Slough NWR, May 8

Western Buttercup and English Daisy at Bald Peak State
Park, May 10

Oregon Geranium at Cooper Mountain Nature Park
May 18

Field Bindweed growing on wheat.
June 22 - Rood Bridge Road

Everbearing Pea near Scholls
June 28

Mill Creek Falls near Prospect
July 6

Rose Campion on the Rogue River
July 6 

Cascade Head

You've no doubt heard a similar story at some point: a beautiful, natural place with trees, wildflowers and a great view is at risk of development, to profit a corporation or a few wealthy individuals. In the early 1960's Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast was such a place, but thanks to the efforts of local volunteers and The Nature Conservancy, the 270 acres along the coastal headlands are now protected. Whenever I come to a place like this, I relish the success of those original folks who had the foresight to invest their time and effort into such a great deed! Hats off to them!

September 2009

June 2015

The hiking trails in this preserve are on just about every coastal top 10 list. They offer dramatic views of the Pacific and the Salmon river. Some of the trails cross steep, open grasslands, while others wind through lush Sitka spruce forests. One is closed part of the year to improve habitat for the rare and local Silverspot butterfly. The preserve also is home to several rare and endangered plants.

We have hiked here several times before but it had been six years since our last visit. Naturally, on this visit, I was hoping to find some interesting plants along the way - and we did, but this visit had some unexpected twists as well!

To put some context around this post, here in western Oregon, we have just enjoyed/endured the warmest June on record. Our June was more like July or August. So as we baked daily, we looked for opportunities to get over to the coast where it is almost always cooler.

On this day, the inland valley weather was another hot one, with an expected high of 95 degrees. So we packed up and headed out for Cascade Head. Even on a weekday we arrived to a busy trailhead, but not crowded. The Nature Conservancy trail is reached by going through U.S. Forest service land and private land. The first mile or so is coastal forest with some elevation gain. It was sunny and no wind, probably about 60 degrees as we started out.

The next mile is out in open coastal headland grasses and we started to notice an off-shore breeze coming down the hill. As we made our way up the trail the off-shore breeze turned to wind and fog - an odd pattern indeed. The top was completely shrouded in blowing fog. Probably due to the confluence of the hot valley air and the cool ocean air at the Head. A short distance from the top, we decided to go back down since the wind was howling and visibility was limited to about 50 feet! As we descended, the fog broke up and by the time we got back to the lower trailhead around 4 P.M., only the very top was still foggy.

To get an idea of what the fog and wind was like, I recorded this video near the top trailhead:

On the way up the trail we saw blooming Lupines, Foxglove, and Mexican Hedge Nettle. The most notable flower sighting however was the Hairy Checkermallow (Sidalcea hirtipes), which mostly grows only at the Head (also called Bristly-stemmed Checkerbloom). I managed to get a few photos in the howling winds, so that was an accomplishment!

     

The other color splash of the day, were the Red Elderberries, lining most of the trail between the forest and the grasslands. This got me thinking about a nice berry pie...

     

The hike down was effortless and more scenic because the visibility was better. The foxgloves were blowing in the wind and the fog was backing away.

    

Back at the trailhead, the wind was gone, the air was warm, and we were ready for dinner! So we piled into the car and headed for the Pelican Pub, just up the road at Pacific City. I enjoyed their Silverspot IPA as homage to the hike!

Links:

More Hike Photos

Cascade Head Info

Cascade Head Forest

Pelican Pub and Brewery