4
JOURNEY
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, July 27, 2022
AT A GLANCE
WHAT: Swick Old
Growth Interpretive
Site
ATTRACTIONS:
A ¾-mile asphalt
loop, suitable for
wheelchairs, winds
through an old
growth Ponderosa
pine forest; interpre-
tive signs explain
aspects of the eco-
system
AMENITIES: Picnic
tables, benches,
vault toilet
Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle
GETTING THERE:
From downtown
John Day, drive
south on Highway
395 for 17.5 miles.
Turn left onto an
unpaved road at a
sign for Swick Old
Growth (direct-
ly across from
County Road 63,
the Izee-Paulina
Highway) and fi nd a
parking lot after
0.1 mile
Mature ponderosa pines are the main attraction at the Swick Old Growth Interpretive Site.
SHORT AND SWEET
By BENNETT HALL
Blue Mountain Eagle
SENECA — From the
Strawberry Mountains to the
Aldrich Range to the Blue
Mountains, Grant County has
no shortage of opportunities
for high country adventure.
But sometimes you just
want a pleasant place to spend
a quiet hour or two in nature,
without having to work too
hard — or drive too far — to
do so.
The Malheur National For-
est’s Swick Old Growth Inter-
pretive Site is the perfect place
for a quick and easy getaway.
Located just off Highway
395 at the top of the grade
between Canyon City and
Seneca, the site off ers an easy
walk through a parklike pine
forest.
A gently graded, ¾-mile
MOUNTAIN VIEW MINI-MART
PRAIRIE CITY
Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle
Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle
Woodpeckers are frequent visitors to the Swick grove.
One of the many wildfl owers
to be found at the Swick Old
Growth Interpretive Site.
asphalt loop, suitable for
wheelchair use, winds among
towering orange-barked pon-
derosas, some of which are
around 200 years old. On a
warm summer day, the trees
fi ll the air with their sweet and
spicy scent.
Younger pines have begun
to fi ll in the forest understory,
a legacy of Forest Service
policies that favor fi re sup-
pression; in a state of nature,
low-intensity ground fi res
would likely have burned here
at intervals of fi ve to 15 years
or so, keeping the grove more
open. Neon-green wolf lichen
and black tree lichen festoon
a fungus and draws nutrients
from other plants.
Interpretive signs along the
trail educate visitors about the
ecosystem, with panels pro-
viding nuggets of information
about native plants, bird spe-
cies and fi re ecology.
Benches spaced at intervals
invite hikers to rest and enjoy
the view, and there are plenty
of downed logs that serve the
same purpose. A pair of pic-
nic tables near the parking
lot off er a comfortable spot to
enjoy a leisurely meal.
And if you’d like to
stretch your legs a little more,
an unpaved lollipop-loop trail
Bennett Hall/Blue Mountain Eagle
the branches.
Where the forest fl oor
isn’t carpeted in pine needles,
grasses and heart-leaf arnica
provide ground cover, and a
variety of wildfl owers contrib-
ute pops of color among the
greenery in spring and sum-
mer. Red Indian paintbrush,
purple lupine, white yarrow,
violet aster, multicolored mar-
iposa lily and ghostly-pale
prairie smoke were all bloom-
ing during a recent visit. Also
on display were some large
mushrooms and vigorous
shoots of pinedrops, a non-
green plant that looks like a
cross between and fl ower and
FRONTIER
EQUIPMENT
INC.
AUTO REPAIR & 24 HOUR TOWING
541-932-4777 • 250 E Main St. • Mt. Vernon
Full Service Deli + Daily Specials
Sunday Family Dinner Specials
Mon-Sat 5am to 8pm • Sun 7am-7pm
211 SW Front Street • 541-820-4477
28 primitive sites:
tent or RV, day use
areas with restrooms
takes off from the eastern arm
of the asphalt path and runs for
just over a mile through more
tall pines and a couple of open
meadows studded with sage-
brush and arrowleaf balsamroot.
Like a handful of other
interpretive trails on the Mal-
heur National Forest, the
Swick Old Growth Interpre-
tive Site off ers a short, infor-
mative foray for people with
mobility issues, motorists
passing through the area or
locals looking for a quick
nature break close to home.
Even so, it packs a lot of
attractions into a small area.
“The main feature is the
old-growth ponderosa pine
trees. I encourage visitors to
get in close to the bark and see
if they can smell the vanilla/
butterscotch resins (terpenes)
produced by these amazing
trees,” said Jared Bowman,
the Malheur’s north zone rec-
reation manager.
“Numerous birds —
including woodpeckers —
may be present in the area.
Visitors may also encounter
mammals of all sizes, from
chipmunks to elk.”
Surprisingly big rewards
for such a small investment of
time and eff ort.
Eagle Cap Excursion Train
Elgin, Oregon
Beside the Grande Ronde & Wallowa Rivers
Bates State Park
A mariposa lily blooms beside
the trail in July.
See the full 2022 schedule and book online
or call 541.437.3652
• Groceries & Snacks • Fishing/Hunting Licenses
• Bait • Fishing Gear • Trapping Supplies
• Non-Ethanol Fuel • Beer & Wine
• Boat & Paddle Board Rentals
Mon-Sat, 8AM-6PM • Sun, 10AM-4PM
41345 Hwy. 19, Kimberly, OR • (541) 934-2060
www.eaglecaptrainrides.com
BATES, OREGON
1 mile North of
Hwy 26 & Hwy 7 Junction
as Orchards
m
o
h
T
Kimberly, Oregon
oregonstateparks.org
ICK
WE P CK
PI
YOU
Clyde Holliday State Park
541-934-2870
Automotive
• Cherries
• Peaches
• Apricots
• Nectarines
• Apples
• Pears
31 sites, toilets, water, showers, hiking,
tent/RV sites, electric
MT. VERNON, OREGON 2 miles East of Mt. Vernon
541-932-4453
S251843-1
S249861-1
S250497-1
Swick Old Growth
Interpretive Site
off ers a quick and
easy getaway amid
towering pines