by MPG Leader Don Kuhns
2020 was a good wildflower year. My wife Sandy and I got out to the high country for seven wildflower hikes. So, when MPG asked me to share a favorite hike it was easy - since it was a recent hike, but perhaps not so easy – because they were all enjoyable. With Sandy’s help I narrowed it down to the top three. I chose Bugaboo Ridge because it isn’t as popular as some of the other wildflower hikes such as Iron Mountain and Coffin Butte. That said, now that Bill Sullivan is calling this hike one of his favorite wildflower hikes, it is becoming more popular.
There are two ways you can hike Bugaboo Ridge. Both trailheads are accessed off of highway 22 out of Detroit Lake near Marion Forks. Both are about a two-hour drive from Corvallis. From the west you start at the Bugaboo Ridge (FS 3423) trailhead. Hiking the ridge out and back, is about 7 miles with an elevation gain of 1400 feet. The turnaround point is where the trail meets the Bachelor Mountain trail. If you can handle an 8.5-mile hike with a 2000’elevation gain you can include the summit of Bachelor Mountain. On a clear day from the summit of Bachelor you can see Adams and Hood to the north as well as Jefferson, the Sisters and other Cascade peaks.
The other option, from the east, starts at the Bachelor Mountain (FS 3420) trailhead. If you start here you will hike 1.3 miles up this trail to meet the Bugaboo Ridge trail. If you hike the entire Bugaboo Ridge trail, the total out and back distance will be about 9.5 miles with about 1900 feet elevation gain. If your feeling really frisky you could add going to the top of Bachelor, an additional 1.5 miles and 600 feet elevation gain.
The end of June through mid-July is typically the best time for wildflowers. I would pick a cooler summer day since this trail can be a bit toasty as it goes in and out of the forest. Besides the flowers, the views of Jefferson are many and there are sections of beautiful Doug fir and Hemlock forest. So, what about the flowers? If you hit close to the peak of the season be prepared to be dazzled. There are dozens, and for the advanced wildflower hiker over 100 species to be identified. Some of the highlights are the meadows full of Oregon Sunshine and Balsamroot, Penstemon, Larkspur, Cats Ears, Columbine, Indian Paint Brush, Shooting Star, Rhododendrons, Beargrass, Gilia, and many more.
Meanwhile, keep wearing a mask and social distance, including when out on the trails. Let’s do our part to keep our community safe and help get us back to some normalcy sooner than later. Enjoy the trails and hope to be hiking with MPG hikers by next summer.
