Wildflower Hunting in Washington and Oregon
The rains that many people complain about lead to good wildflowers in Washington and Oregon. Mt. Rainer National Park, the Cascades, the Olympics and Columbia River Gorge all are associated with great wildflower hikes and viewing. Below are resources to help you plan your wildflower excursions.
Wildflower Websites
- Oregon Wildflower Reports (includes reports, best time to visit and bloom periods): http://oregonwildflowers.org/index1024.html
- Flora and Fauna Northwest: http://science.halleyhosting.com/
- Plant lists of Pacific Northwest Wildflowers: http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/bloomtime/lists/plantlists.html
- Oregon Plant Lists (by county)
- Washington Plant Lists (by county)
- Currently Blooming Wildflowers in Oregon & Washington: http://science.halleyhosting.com/nature/bloomtime/index.htm
- Wildflowers by the season around Oregon, Washington: http://blog.oregonlive.com/terryrichard/2011/04/wildflowers_by_the_season_arou.html
- NWHikers.net 2011 Wildflower Reports: http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7990181&highlight=flower
- Washington Trails Association Trip Reports http://www.wta.org/go-hiking/freshest-trip-reports-1 (go Trip Reports Search than click on Show advanced search options than search for wildflowers blooming)
Native Plant Society Websites
- Washington Native Plant Society: http://www.wnps.org/
- Oregon Native Plant Society: http://www.npsoregon.org/
Government Sites
- Wildflower viewing areas in U.S. Forest Service Lands in the Pacific Northwest http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/regions/pacificnorthwest/index.shtml
- Mount Rainier National Park: http://www.nps.gov/mora/index.htm
- Olympic National Park: http://www.nps.gov/olym/naturescience/index.htm
- Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area
Wildflower Books
- Washington’s Best Wildflower Hikes (Charles Gurche)
- Oregon’s Best Wildflower Hikes: Northwest Region (George Wuerthner)
- Oregon’s Best Wildflower Hikes: Southwest Region (Elizabeth Horn)
- Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast (Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon)
- Wayside Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest (Dee Strickler)
- Wildflowers of the Columbia Gorge: A Comprehensive Field Guide (Russ Jolley)
- Wildflowers of the Olympics and Cascades (Charles Stewart)
- Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest (Phyllis Gustafson and Mark Turner)
Thanks for posting this. Heading up to Portland in mid-June, with a stop at Crater Lake on the way back, so these sources will come in handy.
By: William H. Brewer on April 28, 2011
at 10:43 AM