Project Description
Wildflowers Galore!
There are snakes on this trail.
This is a less common place to view wildflowers – but that makes it even more desirable. We saw about 10 other people today (I am sure there were hundreds on Dog Mountain). This is a 6 mile out and back road. A very easy walk. The top of the hill is a FAA air traffic control tower (among other things). The entire walk up was covered in wildflowers – where we parked was mostly finished and at the top they were sparse. The middle of the hike was beautiful. There are views of the Columbia Rive and The Dalles the entire hike, and on a clear day Mt Hood is showing. She was hiding in clouds today.
Once at the top you can look over to the North and see another farming valley. Today I saw fields of blooming Canola. On a clear day you can see Mt Adams, Mt St Helens, and Mt Rainier.
The Dalles Mountain trailhead is in Columbia Hills State Park (just outside of Dallesport WA) and currently it is a parking area and a road. There are plans to create hiking trails and to make the old ranch at the bottom of the hill like a museum. Right now you need a Discovery Pass to park your car and you can either follow the blocked road to the top (like we did) of wander around making your own way to the top. Keep in mind this area is ripe for rattle snakes and ticks. We saw 3 snakes and 1 lizard today.
