Natural History Wanderings

McGee Creek Trail and Rock Creek Road Wildflowers

Today we hiked the McGee Creek trail as far as the second stream crossing, which about two to two and half miles each way.  Although past peak, there were still many flowers in bloom.  The best area is the half-mile or so before the stream crossings, which had large displays of yellow buckwheat and red paintbrush.  Look up and down the streams and check the moist shaded areas for flowers that you won’t find in the dry open areas.

If you go  to McGee Creek the second stream crossing is considered challenging and the bridge at the three-mile mark is down.  The trail was easy up to the second crossing. It is hot so bring water, sunscreen and insect repellent. There is also one patch of stinging nettle next to the trail.

We drove up Rock Creek Road from 395 and found the flowers along the road very good starting around a drainage at 5.5 miles and at elevation 8750 feet.  There is an excellent wildflower spot with many species on the left both on the road and in the woods along the drainage.  At 7.2 miles and 9200 feet elevation there is a good wildflower spot on the right.  The flowers continue all the way up to the Rock Creek trailhead.  The trailhead was mobbed.  Even though it was a weekday, no parking was to be found within a mile of the trailhead.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

To see plant lists for McGee Creek and Rock Creek Road today click Read More.

McGee Creek Plant List 8/3/11: 

 Angelica

Arrowleaf Groundsel

Aster, Purple

Blue Elderberry

Buckwheat-five speciies

Coffeeberry in fruit (berries)

Cow Parsnip

Coyote Mint

Dogbane

Erigeron a white one

Evening Primrose

Fireweed

Gayophytum

Green Rein Orchid

Locoweed  2 species including Whitney’s in bloom and with its colorful  spotted inflated fruit

Lupine

Meadow Rue (in fruit)

Monkeyflower, Yellow

Monkshood

Mules Ears

Paintbrush 3 species

Phacelia

Prickly Phlox

Rangers Buttons

Red Columbine

Red Penstemon

Rubber Rabbitbrush

Sego Lilies (Calochortus bruneaunis) just a few left

Stinging Nettle

Stream Orchid

Wallflower

Wild Rose

Wire Lettuce

Also seen were Swallowtails, Red Admirals, Orange Sulphur, and Acmon or Lupine Blue butterflies.

Rock Creek Road Plant list for 8/3/11.  

Those that were most plentiful are in bold.

Angelica

 Arrowleaf Groundsel

Aster, purple

Bog Orchids White-flowered

 Buckwheat, Yellow

Chaenactis

Corn Lily

Coyote Mint

Great Polemonium

Green Rein Orchid

Lupine

Monkey Flower Primrose

 Monkeyflowers   Yellow

Monkshood

Mt. Pride Penstemon

Nude Buckwheat

 Paintbrush

Prickly Phlox

Red Columbines

 Red Penstemon

 Richardson’s Geranium

Rose

 Scarlet Gilia

Sierra Kelly’s Lily

Single Stemmed Groundsel

Slender Cinquefoil

Sticky Cinquefoil

Strawberry

Swamp Onion

Whorled Penstemon

Willow Herb small Pink

Yarrow