Just a quick, 1 night trip up Ingalls Creek trail.

I wanted to call out the blowdowns starting around mile 9, which really slowed me down with an overnight pack. If your gymnastic skills exceed mine (which is not unlikely) maybe they'll be no problem for you.

Thanks to many WTA trail crews, most of the burn area is cleared out, but it looks like maybe a couple years since this upper region of the trail has been logged out. Some overgrown sections of the trail but not bad at all. All creek crossings are easy.

Nice wildflowers hanging in there still. Birdlife abounds. Saw bear and elk sign, but no animals bigger than squirrels.

Ethan, Karen, & I took a hike up Ingalls Creek today.  There were quite a few cars in the parking area when we arrived at 10:30, but we didn't have trouble finding a place.  The outhouse was well stocked with TP.  We walked about 2 miles up the trail and found a nice spot by the creek for lunch.  We spent our usual hour or so before heading back.  The creek was running full, more of a river than a creek.  We were too late for most of the wildflowers this low down, though--- there was a lot of common snowberry in bloom.  Except for butterflies, we didn't see any wildlife, but we did hear reports of a bear and some rattlesnakes.  There weren't too many people on the trail when we were hiking in, but lots when we were hiking out.  The day started sunny, but clouded up some as the day progressed.

Thanks WTA work crew for your great work on the trail!!

We (a fun group of 11 Mountaineers) went 6.7 miles up the creek and found 75 flowering plants (see Paul's full list below). There were lots of flower highlights: the beautiful mountain lady's slipper (about 3.3 miles in, photo 2), lots of Lyall's mariposa lilies (picture 3), yellow, orange, and red harsh paintbrush (picture 4, miles 3 and 4), fairly slipper orchids (miles 4 and 5), stream-bank arnica, (pink) spreading dogbane, Columbian lewisia (6.5 miles), fading lupine, chelan larkspur, and many, many more!  The video has some of the flowers, most with their names.


WILDFLOWERS IN BLOOM (75 species)
white (31)
common yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
snowbrush (Ceanothus velutinus)
small-flowered prairie-star / woodland-star (Lithophragma parviflorum)
Lyall’s mariposa-lily (Calochortus lyallii)
thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus)
plumed Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum)
star-flowered Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum stellatum)
western serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia)
raceme pussytoes (Antennaria racemosa)
silver-leaf phacelia (Phacelia hastata)
bitter cherry (Prunus emarginata)
white-flowered hawkweed (Hieracium albiflorum)
big-leaf sandwort (Moehringia macrophylla)
Torrey’s cryptantha (Cryptantha torreyana)
panicled death-camas (Toxicoscordion / Zygadenus paniculatum)
round-leaf alumroot (Heuchera cylindrica)
sharp-tooth angelica (Angelica arguta)
Pacific trillium (Trillium ovatum)
Cascade mountain-ash (Sorbus scopulina)
Hooker’s fairy-bell (Prosartes hookeri)
mountain sweet-cicely (Osmorhiza berteroi)
chickweed, species uncertain (Cerastium sp.)
baneberry (Actaea rubra)
queen’s cup (Clintonia uniflora)
vanilla leaf (Achlys triphylla)
Fendler’s waterleaf (Hydrophyllum fendleri)

Siberian spring-beauty (Claytonia sibirica)
blue-leaf strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa)
western / tiny swamp saxifrage (Micranthes apetala)
common cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum)
yellow (17)
stream-bank arnica (Arnica lanceolata)
heart-leaf arnica (Arnica cordifolia)
tall silvercrown (Cacaliopsis nardosmia)
tall / sharp-toothed cinquefoil (Drymocallis arguta)
hawkweed, species uncertain (Hieracium sp.)
bare-stem desert-parsley / biscuit-root (Lomatium nudicaule)
triternate desert-parsley / biscuit-root (Lomatium triternatum)
little / false / Douglas’s sunflower (Helianthella uniflora)
arrowleaf balsamroot (Balsamorhiza sagittata)
yellow salsify (Tragopogon dubius)
stonecrop, species uncertain (Sedum sp.)
Cascade Oregon grape (Berberis / Mahonia nervosa)
holly-leaf Oregon grape (Berberis / Mahonia aquifolium)
western sweet-cicely (Osmorhiza occidentalis)
streamside / pioneer violet (Viola glabella)
glacier lily (Erythronium grandiflorum)
twinberry / bush honeysuckle (Lonicera involucrata)
reddish: pink to red to red-purple (12)
wood / baldhip rose (Rosa gymnocarpa)
harsh paintbrush (Castilleja hispida) — red, orange, and yellow
spreading / mountain dogbane (Apocynum androsaemifolium)
red clover (Trifolium pratense)
taper-tip onion (Allium acuminatum)
swamp gooseberry (Ribes lacustre)
western meadow-rue (Thalictrum occidentale) ꟷ both  &  plants
red / western columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
calypso orchid (Calypso bulbosa)
maple-leaf currant (Ribes acerifolium)
red-flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)
Columbia lewisia (Lewisia columbiana)

bluish: blue to violet to blue-purple (10)
thin-petal larkspur (Delphinium lineapetalum)
lupine, broad-leaf and/or big-leaf (Lupinus latifolius and/or polyphyllus)
American vetch (Vicia americana)
shrubby penstemon (Penstemon fruticosus)
penstemon, probably Chelan (Penstemon, probably pruinosus)
thread-leaf phacelia (Phacelia linearis)
small-flowered blue-eyed Mary (Collinsia parviflora)
tall bluebells (Mertensia paniculata)
ball-head waterleaf (Hydrophyllum capitatum)
meadow / blue stickseed (Hackelia micrantha)
orange (3)
orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa)
Columbia / tiger lily (Lilium columbianum)
large-flower collomia (Collomia grandiflora)
brown (2)
Oregon boxwood (Paxistima myrsinites)
mountain lady’s slipper (Cypripedium montanum)

BIRDS (with the help of Merlin)
Black-Headed Grosbeak
Western Wood-Pewee
Townsend’s Solitaire
Hermit Warbler
Townsend’s Warbler
Nashville Warbler
Hammond’s Flycatcher
Warbling Vireo
Western Tanager
Pacific Wren
Swainson’s Thrush

BUTTERFLIES
Boisduval’s Blue
Pale Tiger Swallowtail
Western Tiger Swallowtail
Lorquin’s Admiral
checkerspot, species uncertain
greater fritillary, species uncertain
Duskywing (Skipper), Persius or Dreamy
Mourning Cloak

6/8/2023
My wife and I set out on our 30 mile trail run to lake Ingall’s and back. Using the long Ingalls creek trail with reports of being clear up to the 10 mile mark then 2 miles of blow downs Slowing us down with log crossings and trail clearing, but not too bad. Once past that it was smooth sailing. Great weather small patches of snow and Lake still frozen. No one else on trails and no rattlesnakes on lower section of trail before Refrigerator rocks. . Fun day!!

First time on this trail & first backpack of the season. Camped with a group around 4M in at the stock camp. Wildflowers everywhere! Trillium on their way out & balsam root past their prime. Lots of warnings from past trip reports/signs at trailhead re: rattlesnakes. We did not see any BUT on our way out Sunday 6/4, a couple on their way said they scared off a rattlesnake for us. All reports seems to be in the first mile (this was about .5m from the start). Trail gets muddy after 4M but not terrible. We went about 2 miles past that just exploring and turned around. The crossing for Falls Creek is possible put the river is quick moving. Would only recommend for those w/river crossing experience. Nice moderate trail- will be back.