Gina

After our trip to Glacier Park in 2000, Alaska in July 2001 and Peloponnese, Greece this April I'm trying to find more such spectacular locations with wildflowers. We are in a process of updating our vacation places for 2003 and 2004 and would like to include some amazing places.
Do you have suggestions for such places?
Thanks,

wildflowers

Check out the Cascade Range in the Pacific NW in July - Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood. The wildflowers are gorgious. Also the Olympics in Washington.

paul

Crested Butte Colorado

Dayle

Teton & Yellowstone Natl Parks in June! Exact peak blooms will vary depending on winter snowfall. We once counted 12 different varieties of flowers in a square yard on a Yellowstone hillside!

Bring your macro lens!

Gina

Thank you Wildflowers, Paul and Dayle for great suggestions.
Wildflowers
would you let me know where are the best places to have a base for visiting Mt. Hood, Mt. Rainier, Mt. Adams and the Olympics? With two weeks vacation where would you go first?

Paul
what is the best time to visit Crested Butte, Colorado for wildflowers?

Dayle
I got some fantastic shots of wildflowers in Peloponnese so I will definitely bring all my lenses. Meanwhile, would you tell me on which hillside in Yellowstone did you see such amazing dispaly?

Dakotah

The International Peace Gardens at North Dakota/Canada border has wildflowers, as well as domestic flower areas - best time to see is July/August. After spending time there, a trip Southwest thru the ND Badlands would give you beautiful nature scenery/wildlife/grasslands. Check it out at DiscoverND.com.

Clousie

Hi Gina,
There are so many places for wonderful wildflowers, but I'd have to agree with "wildflowers" about Mt Hood on the trail to Paradise Shelter in mid-August, and Mt Rainier. We were there once in early August and also in mid-August, and the wildflowers were incredible. Both places we stayed at the park lodges--Timberland at Mt Hood and Paradise at Mt Rainier--and found that to be very convenient.

As for combining those two with the Olympics, of which I didn't mention wildflowers in my travel journel, but I'm sure there were many, I think it'd be a quite rushed trip for two weeks. We didn't even combine Hood and Rainier, but did 3 different loops on each trip.

Were the wildflowers you referred to in Alaska around Thompson Pass? I hope so.

Would love to hear more about your trips; feel free to contact me at [email protected]

GP

I have a strong background in Botany from my college days. On about a 3/4 mile transect near the Carson Pass in the Serria's I noted over 50 species of wildflowers. This was mid to late July on a south facing slope walking up a seasonal drainage. This could be done on a day trip out of Tahoe. It was Amazing!

Ben

I don't know if you have considered the Texas Bluebonnets. They are GORGEOUS when in bloom. I have seen them near Brenham, TX & they just amaze me. Also I have heard that the hill country is nice too. Here is a site with info. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/wildflower/

Happy travels!

Paul Rabe

I've seen wildflowers in all the places discussed here, and the Texas bluebonnets beat them all by 1.6 kilometers! You haven't seen wildflowers till you've seen the Texas Hill Country in Bluebonnet season.

wildflowers

I've gone the same route as Clousie - Timberline Lodge on Hood, and the trails from there, and Paradise Lodge on Rainier. Mt. Adams is tougher to access. We went there once to look at the wildflowers, and they were beautiful, but the drive took four hours on rutted, dirt forest roads. Bad news. We got behind one car going real slow and we were covered with dust. So, unless someone knows a better way to access Mt. Adams, I'm not sure I'd really go there. On the other hand, that keeps tourism down!

Hurricane Ridge is a beautiful spot in the Olympic range. It's a ways from Rainier and Hood.

Here's a trip. Hood to Rainier, then the NW Cascades, which must also be beautiful then. You could access the NW Cascades from the east side of the Cascades, seeing some different scenery. That would be a great two week trip. (Or you could base in Seattle and just do Rainier and the NW Cascades. That would be more compact, drivewise, and be more of a single loop) Take lots of photos. I'm jealous!

wildflowers

PS. Forgot to say, that four hour drive to Adams was from Porltand. It looks the same distance as Mt. Hood from Portland on the map, but Hood is only about 1 1/2 hours away. The road to Adams is that bad.

Also, while we love Mt. Hood, since it is so close to us, Mt. Rainier is much more massive than Mt. Hood, and that much more impressive. So, really, I'd stick to Rainier (Paradise and Sunrise sides) then the NW Cascades, if I wanted to be awed and have some time to explore.

Dayle

Gina, it was a long time ago, but I think is was somewhere along the road from Tower Falls back to the junction. If it's a good year & you have the right timing, they will be EVERYWHERE!

Gina

Thank you all again for your wonderful suggestions. As you see our list is getting longer and longer.
Dakotah:
Are there hiking trails in the International Peace Garden?
It sounds really great. What town/village should we consider as a base? I have to admit I never considered including ND on our list. After checking our DiscoverND.com we are ready for a visit.

Clousie:
Thompson Pass is so amazing with blooming tundra.
Great suggestions as we like to take our time and discover each area instead of covering too much. My e-mail to [email protected] came back. Now is your turn [email protected]

GP
Carson Pass is now added to our list. The end of July is the best time, right?

Ben and Paul:
Texas? I’m surprised but it is now on our list too because of you.

Wildlowers
Thanks for details. Hood and Rainier or/and Cascade are on our list for July 2003.

Dayle
I’m really eager to get to the place you described

travellyn

Another vote for Texas, especially the Hill Country and East Texas around March. There are bluebonnets, Indian paintbrush, many others. There is a seed company called Wildseed farms (?), maybe just west of San Antonio. I've seen their calalogue and passed their headquarters driving through Texas. They have big fields of wildlowers.

Tuolumne Meadows at Yosemite NP was fantastic in late July.

Cumberland Basin / Kennebec Pass in the La Plata Mountains of SW Colorado is very lightly visited and spectacular in Mid-July. The drive up requires 4WD for the last part. Like all alpine wildflower areas, it's best after a winter with heavy snow.

John

Well, the Pacific NW is great for mountain wildflowers, but we've seen some wonderful shows of wildflowers in other places that might not come immediately to mind:

The floor of Monument Valley in April - not fields of flowers, but the contrast with the red rocks is spectacular. Ditto Zion and Bryce Canyons.

Anywhere along the Pacific coast in California - poppies, bluebells, just wonderful displays.

But the best I recall was in New Brunswick and eastern Quebec in early summer - wow.

GP

Gina
I have been up there 3 or 4 times all mid to late July, however the display is dependant on the snow melt and or snow pack for the year so it will vary. Where this area is, is east and south of Carson Pass between the "Blue Lakes" heading cross country up to the peak named "The Nipple" you cross the PCT near the top.

GP

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