NPSO 2022 Annual Meeting

May 20 - 22     Spirit Mountain Lodge, Grand Ronde, Oregon

Field Trips

Saturday May 21, 2022    9 a.m. - 4 p.m.                    Field Trip # 30

Difficulty:     Easy  (1 mile round trip) - Sites accessed from vehicles, mostly on flat surfaces, but rocky, wet, uneven terrain.

Elevation:     Negligible.

Group Size Limit:     12

Trip Description:     This is one of two field trips to this spectacular site in the Oregon Coast Range. The trip description and floristic highlights apply to both trips. The trips differ in difficulty and hiking distance.

Millions of years ago, during the Miocene epoch, flood basalts originating 200 miles to the east made their way to the Oregon coast and were uplifted to form prominent peaks in the Coast Range, such as Saddle Mountain and Mt. Hebo. The latter is a 2.5-mile-long ridge, more than 3,100 feet in elevation, consisting of marine sedimentary rocks capped by hard volcanic rocks, and offering panoramic views of the ocean and eight Cascade peaks. Soils at the top are shallow, covered with mosses, a wide diversity of plants, and boggy areas with Sphagnum.

On the basalt plateaus, expect to see dwarf small camas (Camassia quamash), littleleaf minerslettuce (Montia parvifolia), Cardwell's penstemon (Penstemon cardwellii), and rusty saxifrage (Saxifraga ferruginea). In the forests, find the rare Coast Range fawnlily (Erythronium elegans), Columbia lily (Lilium columbianum), and heart-leaved twayblade (Neottia cordata). The uncommon harsh Indian paintbrush (Castilleja hispida), Oregon iris (Iris tenax), and hookspur violet (Viola adunca ssp. adunca), host plant of the Oregon Silverspot butterfly, are abundant in the meadows.

Two species of blueberry, oval-leaved blueberry (Vaccinium ovalifolium) and red huckleberry (V. parvifolium), are culturally significant food resources and are managed by Forest Service employees and tribal members.

Appropriate Clothing and Footwear:     Warm clothing and boots/shoes that can get wet; hiking poles advisable. Cold, windy, wet and rainy conditions possible.

Meeting Place and Time:     Trip # 30 leaves at 9 a.m. from Spirit Mountain Lodge entrance. Plan to arrive 30 minutes before departure time to meet your group and arrange carpools.

Alternate Meeting:     Participants may also meet the trip at 9:30 a.m at Hebo Ranger Station, 31525 Hwy 22, Hebo, Oregon 97122. If you choose this option, be sure to notify your trip leader in advance.

Driving Miles and Time from Spirit Mountain Lodge:     25 miles, 35 minutes to the Hebo Ranger Station. From Ranger Station to peak round trip is about five miles on gravel.

Driving Directions:     Trip leader will provide detailed driving instructions.

Leader:       To be supplied by the U.S. Forest Service

Forest Service botanist

Plant Lists and Other Information:     Clink on the links below for more information about this trip.

Photo: Kareen Sturgeon
Cardwell's penstemon (Penstemon cardwellii) on Mt. Hebo

Photo: Marna Porath
A view from the cliffs of Mt. Hebo

Photo: Marna Porath
This trail leads to the meadows on Mt. Hebo.