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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (July 1, 2015)
24 Wednesday, July 1, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Wildflowers abound in Cone Peak Meadows By Craig f. eisenbeis Correspondent This is a great time of the year for wildflower view- ing. However, due to the poor snow year, blooms are occurring earlier than ever; so, there is no time to waste if wildflowers are an inter- est of yours. Few places have more to offer in the wild- flower arena than Cone Peak Meadows. Among wildflower enthu- siasts, Cone Peak is well known; but, for the casual wildflower observer, it may be off the radar. The trail is 35 miles west of Sisters on Highway 20 and is easily accessed on paved roads. At less than 5 miles round trip and an elevation gain of 1,000 feet, this trail is an excellent family outing. In fact, sev- eral family groups were on the trail when I was there last week. This hike takes off from the parking lot at the summit of Tombstone Pass and drops down onto Tombstone Prairie before heading up the south side of Cone Peak. The trail crosses Highway 20 at mile- post 64, but don’t attempt a shorter hike by parking there, because there are numerous “no parking” signs on the highway. Use care in crossing the highway. Although narrow and winding, this is the lon- gest U.S. Highway in the country, stretching from Newport, Oregon, to Boston Massachusetts; and many cars travel through here at speeds well in excess of 55 mph. After crossing the road, the trail heads east for a little over half a mile before switchback- ing up Cone Peak. Yes, there are switchbacks; but none of this trail is as steep as the one up Black Butte, nor is there as much elevation to be climbed. Most of this trail is in a beautiful shaded forest that is worthy of admiration, even without the goal of wildflow- ers. Ferns and dense forest plants abound. Twice, little voles scurried across the path in front of me. You don’t have to wait for the meadows to start seeing wildflowers. There are many flowers on the forest floor. Among the more prominent forest flow- ers last week were the red col- umbine, wild rose, and tiger lily; although the trillium blossoms were already spent. The most obvious forest flowers right now are on the acres of thimbleberry bushes, which are in full bloom. The prolific white thimbleberry blooms promise a bumper crop of thimbleberries this year; but then it takes a lot of thimbleberries to amount photo by craiG F. eiSenbeiS Iron mountain is seen here from Cone Peak meadows, one of the Northwest’s richest wildflower areas. to much. They are certainly edible but are neither very juicy nor especially tasty, They look kind of like a flat, dry raspberry. Towering firs dominate the forest on Cone Peak’s slopes. Both Douglas fir and mul- tiple true firs are found here, along with hemlock. Midway through the switchbacks, however, there are groves of an unusual tree, which – while native to Oregon – is not very common. This is the Alaska yellow cedar. Most yellow cedars here BIKES, BEER, FOOD CARTS, FUN! CYCLING Sales & Rentals • Repair • Maps Parts & Accessories • Clothing CRAFT BEER ON TAP! BARBER SHOP Veteran’s Discounts & Hot Shaves! Walk-Ins No appt. needed the forest, it emerges into a vast openness of meadows, with expansive views in all directions. The trail wanders upward through the meadows and eventually crests at a natu- ral stopping point, where it dips down again and heads toward the saddle that joins Cone Peak to Iron Mountain. This area is a great place See hIKe on page 32 Gordon’s Last Touch Cleaning Specialists For… 541-549-3008 Carpets • Upholstery Windows Accepting VISA & MasterCard! Snow Removal! Member of the vetter vusiness vureau Serving Central Oregon Since 1980 vonded & Insured Saturday 10 a.m. Road Bike Rides 541-549-2471 www.eurosports.us Open 7 days a week Corner of Hood & Fir in Sisters Old-School-Style are not very large. Larger, old-growth specimens, how- ever, can be found at nearby Echo Mountain. The shaggy bark and flattened needle clusters make this an easy tree to spot. As the trail nears the meadows, there are some mini-meadows in the for- est that have formed around some rock outcroppings near the top of the switchbacks. When the trail finally leaves YOUTH BASKETBALL CAMP Mon.GFri., July 43 – 47 Grades 4G4 | 9:30 a.m. to Noon Grades 5G8 | 4 to 5 p.m. | Cost: $50 THINGS THAT FLY Mon.GWed., July 43G45 Grades: 2G6 | 40 a.m. to Noon Cost: $40 OUTLAWS FOOTBALL CAMP Tues.GFri., July 24G24 Grades: 4G8 | 9 a.m. to Noon Cost: $75 1750 W. Mckinney Butte Rd. | 541-549-2091 170 W. Cascade Ave., Ste. 5 (Behind BJ’s Ice Cream) 541-549-9000 Tues-Fri 8 AM-5 PM Sat 7 AM-3 PM Sun-Mon Closed COMPLIMENTARY BEER ON TAP! View activities & classes and register online! www.SistersRecreation.com SNO CAP MINI STORAGE Sisters Industrial Park 157 Sisters Park Dr. • 541-549-3575 www.SistersStorage.com • State-of-the-art Security Technology • Sizes from 5x5 to 12x40 • Individual Gate Codes • Long-term Discounts • On-site Manager
