Bottom Line:
Peak lupine at the bottom, but balsamroot is fading there. Coyote Canyon is on track to be a balsamroot/lupine explosion in a week or so (balsamroot near peak and lupine just getting going) but this trail is currently CLOSED "under further notice" for trail construction (looks like to make this trail more ridable for mountain bikes). Still, the orange/purple mix on the Sage Hills Trail itself was amazing, and there is more variety of flowers, and less faded ones, as one ascends. The "lupine line" is currently at lower Coyote Canyon. This is a beautiful trail and never disappoints!
Stats:
- Distance: 6-1/4 miles
- Vertical: 1150 ft
- Duration: 2-1/2 hours
- Road/Parking: The Day Drive trailhead provides optimal access via the Sage Hills Gateway area. There is parking for 4-5 cars, and there was only one other car at ~1pm. There is no parking in the surrounding residential neighborhood (with aggressive enforcement), but one can park back on Fifth St and walk up to the trailhead if it is full. No toilet.
- Weather: Sunny with increasing high cloud, including some pretty interesting cloud formations for contrast. Very breezy, which is contributing to the ragged look of the balsamroot at the bottom. 70Fs.
- Flowers: Of course, prolific lupine and balsamroot, although the latter is fading quickly at the bottom. Among the other flowers seen: large-flower triteleia, biscuitroot (3rd most prolific), larkspur, fleabane, yarrow, phlox (4th most prolific), penstemon and woodland-star. Lots of other flowers, with the variety increasing with some elevation, but there are the ones I made a mental note of ;)
- Water: There is no water for filtering on this trail; carry water
- Trail: Route was Sage Hills Trail to Coyote Canyon, a little poking around near the entrance to the canyon, and then continuing on Sage Hills Trail, turning uphill to approach the top of the canyon from the north. This is a multi-use trail with mountain bikers, and runners, but was generally pretty quiet. Coyote Canyon holds the late season flowers due to its elevation and sun/wind sheltered location - this is my favorite part of the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust. The trail is in great condition, but is starting to get dusty, and the grass is beginning to brown at the lowest elevations. Cell reception end-to-end. CAUTION: Ticks and rattlesnakes.
- Takeaway: Coyote Canyon is one of the last (seasonally) and best places for dense balsamroot and lupine in the Wenatchee foothills, and has yet to peak, but one will need to watch the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust website for trail status to enjoy it this season; there is currently no estimated opening. In general, Sage Hills seems to have one of the best lupine shows, with a higher lupine to balsamroot ratio than other hikes up the valley near Cashmere. Beautiful afternoon!
The attached short video has higher resolution pics - they get highly compressed when included in a trip report :)
Comments
jaimeeee on Sage Hills
Bummer they picked peak wildflower season to close and work on that section of trail, it's one of my favorites in the valley.
Posted by:
jaimeeee on Apr 29, 2025 01:04 PM
Alpine Wanderer on Sage Hills
Mine too! I love that section of trail. Maybe they will finish before the canyon peaks in a week or two...
Posted by:
Alpine Wanderer on Apr 29, 2025 01:10 PM