We are back to our usual weekly hiking schedule, with four hikes in May; all repeat hikes, with wildflowers and waterfalls.
5/6 – Eagle Creek, OR
We walked most of the way to the High Bridge on this warm day (5.8 miles, 600 feet). The trail has been recently reopened after repair of landslide and fallen trees from last winter. Still beautiful, with lots of wildflowers.
Eagle Creek near the trailhead – the water has a distinctive beautiful green color.The trail rises gently above the canyon. Here the rocky slopes are covered with manroot and fringe cup blooms.In places, the trail is cut into the cliff edge, as the gorge deepens.Farther along, the cliff edge is more of a steep slope, in this case, covered with blue-eyed Mary meadows.From the trail edge, the view to Metlako Falls.Zooming in on Metlako Falls.Eventually, we could look down onto Punchbowl Falls, with the burned slopes from the 2017 fire beyond.Closer view of Punchbowl Falls.Cascades on Fern Creek, from a trail bridge across this side stream.
We had to get home for an appointment, so didn’t quite make it to High Bridge, about 3 miles in.
A few more of the many wildflowers we saw today:
HoneysuckleAnemone and foamflowerRose
5/12 – Cape Horn, WA
Return to this easy-ish forest bathing walk during tall delphinium bloom season, from Strunk Road down to the Waterfall Overlook, and then back up (3.5 miles, 620 feet).
Once into the shady woods, the tall delphinium are blooming on both sides of the trail.DelphiniumAll the way down to the Nancy Russell Overlook…We always pause here to thank Nancy Russell for her lifetime of work preserving this trail area from development, and helping to create the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Thank you Nancy!The view to the eastern gorge from here.We continue down through more mossy woods,and delphinium-lined trail,to the next trailside overlook.A few irises were blooming in the sun here.We continued down, under the highway, to the Cape Horn Waterfall Overlook.A wide view up the eastern gorge to Beacon Rock.And a leaning over the edge view of the waterfall.Then back up, once again through delphinium blooms, to the trailhead.A fern leaf parsley, one of my favorites, near the end of the trail.
5/18 – Swaths of purple at The Labyrinth, WA
We visited this trail just slightly later in May last year (May 27, 2025). We saw similar flowers, but this year there were so many more. It was very purple there today (4 miles, 820 feet).
Approach trail along Hwy 8, with Mt Hood on the horizon. Poppies blooming in the verge.Near the lower waterfall, we began to see the flowers that would fill the slopes above.Cornflowers (or bachelor buttons), ookow, and creamy buckwheat.Purple vetch was intertwined with many of the flowers, adding another layer of color.Pink tapertip onions were also scattered along the way.Purple flowers filled the meadows all along the trail, with some white yarrow here.Bicolored cluster lilies also added a pale lavender clumps here and there.More purple fields as we approached the upper waterfall.Upper waterfall still tricking along.Purple fields below the columnar basalt butte.Purple flowers in the oak groves.Trail out to the lunch ledge – meadows that were filled with grass widows in March are now full of cornflowers.We noticed three hues of purple cornflowers.After lunch, we continued upward, still accompanied by the purple flowers, though the grasses are getting drier. Mt Hood ahead.I stopped to check for bitterroot on the rocky outcrop at the turn in the trail. I found the last bitterroot of spring.As we approached the ridgeline oak tree, we passed the last of the purple flowers Down the slope, the last yellow balsamroots of spring were fading.Our destination – the viewpoint near the tall ponderosa.As we got closer, I was hoping to see signs that it would recover from the Burdoin Fire of last summer. In March it still had green needles on this side, and I had a bit of hope that it would survive.As we got closer, I could see no green on the tree, despite the green oak trees all around. I hope it remains standing as a guide snag, at least for a while.From the viewpoint, the whole eastern gorge is on view.Pink winecup clarkia are hiding in the dry grass all over this hill.We hiked back down, through the meadows of purple. Down on the river, a cruise ship was passing through.Can they see the fields of purple from there?
5/26 – Falls Creek Falls, WA
We enjoyed this relatively easy, mostly shaded hike on a warm day (3.4 miles, 620 feet). The last time I was here, in the fall of 2018, fall colors were on display. Today there were white flowers in the forest, a few colorful flowers in the sun, and the sound and glory of this enormous waterfall!!
The trail follows Falls Creek for much of the way.The creek is tree lined and shady.Reflections of green and purple in the water.We passed a few cascading rapids, and crossed a bridge over a small gorge.
White flowers in the shady parts of the forest:
DogwoodAnemoneBeargrassBead liliesStar flowers and upside-down flowersBunch berries
A few more colorful flowers in the sunny spots:
PenstemonColumbine and anemone
And Falls Creek Falls at the end of the trail:
Falls Creek Falls – 335 feet total drop.Upper tierMiddle stepPlunge poolSlightly different view from our lunch perch.
And then a mostly easy downhill walk back along the creek to conclude this pleasant day in the forest.
Margaret Quilts 