Snow Mountain RanchRecent Trip Reports
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Day hike
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I went on a Cascadian hike up Cowiche Mtn on this mostly sunny, but cool day. The wind was...
I went on a Cascadian hike up Cowiche Mtn on this mostly sunny, but cool day. The wind was calm, which was a relief after the gales we've been having for the last couple of days. We started at the Rocky Top trailhead & climbed the east ridge of Cowiche Mtn following the route of the proposed Wm O Douglas Trail. We had lunch on the summit gazing out over the Yakima Valley & west to the Cascades, which were mostly socked in. After lunch we descended the Cowiche Mtn Loop Trail to the Snow Mtn Ranch parking lot and a van waiting to take the drivers back to their cars to complete a car-shuttle. The brisk air, golden grasses, & expansive views all made for a very nice walk.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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I went out to Snow Mtn Ranch this morning, but shortly after I arrived thick, dark clouds rolled in &...
I went out to Snow Mtn Ranch this morning, but shortly after I arrived thick, dark clouds rolled in & I knew that I wouldn’t get the photos from the mountain that I wanted so I decided to walk out the Wildlife lands just to the west of the ranch. I walked up the Riparian Overlook Trail, then went about a quarter mile south along the elk fence to the pass-through and cut over to the old jeep road that heads south for about a mile and then northwest for a couple of miles to a junction with the old jeep road coming up from the Wildlife entrance off of Cowiche Mill Road just west of Snow Mtn Ranch. I had lunch at the junction and explored the little ravine nearby. It still had water and some small fields of shooting star in bloom. It could have been someplace in the mountains. I expect that there are not many years that it looks like this in May, but this spring is even cooler than last year & everything is way behind. The wind came up about 2 so I headed back along the second jeep road. Just before I got to Cowiche Creek I took the road east across the pasture almost to the Snow Mtn Ranch boundary and picked up the end of the road I had started on & climbed up to the pass-through and back to my truck. It made for a nice 6 or 7-mile loop. It rained and hailed early on and was mostly cloudy & cool much of the day, but cleared up in the late afternoon. There was a variety of flowers, but nothing in profusion. This was the first time I had walked the more southerly jeep road and found it to be a very nice shrub-steppe walk.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
Issues:
No water source
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There were 10 vehicles in the parking lot when I arrived, which is more than I have seen in the...
There were 10 vehicles in the parking lot when I arrived, which is more than I have seen in the past. There was a nice lady from the Cowiche Conservancy greeting visitors and providing information. I only spent 3 or 4 hours, first taking the first trail to the right after passing the junction with Wildflower Trail which heads left (east). I believe the variety of more showy wildflowers is along the route that I took. I went to the top and followed the path along the elk fence almost to the top of the ridge, and then went east, connected up with the main trail that leads to the top of Cowiche Mtn, then bared right at the intersection with the Wildflower trail, which I mentioned earlier and returned to the parking lot. I enjoyed listening to the meadow larks as a hiked and photographed wildflowers. The grass widows are about gone, but most of the early blooming flowers are at their peak. There are many desert parsley's, including the showy Columbia desert parsley, the bright yellow grays desert parsley and several other parsleys, thousands of sagebrush violets, yellow bells, several large patches of sagebrush buttercup, goldstar, and even a few Carey's balsamroot plants blooming. A few stony-ground lupine are budding and I found a blooming Lyall's rockcress. This is my first trip back to Snow Mountain Ranch since the July 2010 fire. A few burned shrubs that appear dead are sprouting from the roots. I was surprised how many wildflowers are blooming in the burned area, although most are on the landscape that did not burn. Since I didn't take the main trail I only passed one person on the trail. For those who want to see the wildflower display, the next few weeks will be the best time to hike this area. I suggest following the elk fence all the way to the top, then heading east along the ridge before dropping back down to the trailhead. There are more wildflowers if you take that route. On a clear day there are good views of Mt. Adams, the Ahtanum and Cowiche Creek Valleys and more from the top of Cowiche Mtn. We are finally getting some spring weather.
Day hike
Features:
Wildflowers blooming
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I took an afternoon walk on the Wildflower Trail at Snow Mtn Ranch this afternoon to check out the flowers....
I took an afternoon walk on the Wildflower Trail at Snow Mtn Ranch this afternoon to check out the flowers. I walked up & down the trail rather than doing a loop. The usual suspects were out: grass widows, gold star, yellow bells, buttercups, desert parsleys, draba verna, etc. All but the yellow bells & buttercups were especially profuse, though many of the grass widows were a bit past. With the sunny skies, mild temperatures, & meadowlarks singing, it finally felt like spring. After I was done here I walked up & down the newly completed Riparian Overlook Trail. There is lots of Columbia desert parsley & buttercups here. I even saw a rockcress and a small clump of lupine in bloom. No balsamroot yet, but they are coming on.
Day hike
Features:
Fall foliage
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I was out at the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy's Snow Mountain Ranch property today to help prepare for our open house...
I was out at the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy's Snow Mountain Ranch property today to help prepare for our open house next Sat to introduce the new trail system at the Ranch. As the photos show, it's very colorful over here right now.
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