By Christy Solo – Editor
Apparently we at the Upper Rogue Independent have spring fever this week as our overall theme seems to be “wildflowers.”
In that vein, let’s make some spring and summer plans as we explore local wildflower hiking and picnic spots.
Our choices are practically limitless so we’ll just look at a few which will fill up our wildflower viewing calendar from April through August.
Well, we’ll cheat just a bit and start with a spot where at least some flowers will begin blooming in late February – the little quarter-mile access road that runs from Hwy. 62 along the river just across from Crowfoot Rd. If you’re headed north, it’s on your left just after you cross the bridge at Takelma Dr.
The little access road has the rogue on one side and a stunning mossy, flower covered wall on the other side. Because there is river access for fishing and a trail at the end of the road, there are a couple of port-o-potties there too for your convenience.
Small purple deer flowers will start blooming at the base of the wall in late February, followed by grass widows and then…well everything. The wall will be awash in flowers and ferns until at least mid-May.
The entire access road has plenty of places to pull over, park and peruse the posies – or you can park near 62 and hike down, then continue on the trail at the end.
Another early spring spot is, well it’s two spots; the Table Rocks trails. Both Upper and Lower Table Rock hikes are a wildflower lovers dream. Upper Table Rock is a slightly easier trail, a tiny bit shorter round trip and a rise of 736’ vs. 809’. Upper is an “easy to moderate” hike, Lower “moderate with some steep sections.”
Whichever trail you hike, pack a picnic lunch, the views at the top are spectacular. Heck, the views on every inch of both trails are amazing.
Peak wildflower season on The Rocks is late March through the end of May, giving you lots of weekend options to hike either or both trails.
Note: There are no dogs allowed on either trail.
We could write an entire book on the amazing biodiversity and huge range of wildflowers you will see on The Tables, but Susan K. MacKinnon already did the work for us. Her stunning field guide Flowers of the Table Rocks is available for purchase online from The Northwest Nature Shop here.
We know we’ve written about 8 Dollar Mountain Botanical Boardwalk before, but we’ll give it another mention, because it’s worth the drive to see carnivorous cobra lilies up close and personal.
There is another spectacular Oregon wildflower blooming along the boardwalk beginning around mid-May – the Western azalea. It can get quite hot at 8 Dollar Mountain, so pencil it in early in the wildflower season. If you’re lucky, you’ll score one of the few parking spots close to the boardwalk near the port-o-potties. If not, there’s lots of parking down the hill and you’ll get more steps in.
For late season wildflowers head up to the Rogue River National Forest. In a normal year you can’t even access most of the wildflower areas until after Memorial Day and those highest in elevation will still have fresh flowers as late as mid-August when all we have left down in the valley is Queen Anne’s Lace and mullein. Not that those aren’t lovely, but if you crave more color – head north.
We’ll start with – pretty much all of Abbott Creek Rd. Access Abbott Cr. Rd. by taking Woodruff Bridge exit off Hwy. 62 after River Bridge and before the Natural Bridge.
After you cross Woodruff Bridge, take a right at the Y intersection, about one-quarter of a mile later, take a left at the next Y intersection. From there, just take a right at every intersection (most of these are now obvious as many of the smaller forest roads are overgrown) until you get to the top.
Pack a lunch, bring a camera and a field guide and just drive, stop, drive, stop to the top.
The top being Huckleberry Gap. There are signs (probably) but it’s impossible to miss because the road will start going down – the Gap is literally the apex of Abbott.
There is a camp site with picnic tables at Huckleberry Gap as well as a huge boggy meadow that has more wildflowers than you can imagine.
If you’re very local, you know you can take Elk Creek Rd. to the Gap as well, but it’s definitely “the road less traveled” so we officially recommend Hwy. 62 to Woodruff.
Our next, and penultimate, wildflower spot is Hershberger Rd. It will be on your left just a bit past the 62/238 split on 238. As with Abbott Rd., Hersberger is a day long trip. Pack a picnic as there is a lovely meadow with picnic tables and camp sites a bit before you get to the trailhead for Rabbit Ears.
That meadow is another wildflower wonderland through July, and in August just keep heading up the road toward the Hershberger lookout and you’ll find fresh blooms.
Note: If you have four-wheel drive, you can make it up the gnarly road all the way to the lookout – but do tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back.
We’ll close out our wildflower tour with the Castle Crest Wildflower Garden Trail at Crater Lake.
As with Abbott and Hershberger, this is a great trail to trek later in the season when you want to escape the heat. The nifty thing about Castle Crest is that it’s a short 1.3-mile loop so you can just add it to your itinerary for “A Day at Crater Lake.”
Castle Crest may be short as hikes go, but every inch of those 1.3 miles is jam-packed with stunning scenery. A pristine creek winds and bubbles by throughout and the rocky, mossy center of the hike. It is a veritable post card for PNW goodness with little streams running down the wall of wildflowers into the bird filled meadow below and eventually the creek itself.
Whether you hit some or all of our recommended wildflower hikes this season – or find some bloomin’ amazing spots of your own – you’re bound to have a colorful spring/summer 2026!
