Best Hikes for Wildflowers in Washington and Oregon
There’s nothing like the beauty of colorful wildflowers. Hiking in the Pacific Northwest? Check out our top picks for wildflower hikes in Washington and Oregon.
Washington
- Grand Valley: Look for scarlet paintbrush, bluebells-of-Scotland, and more on this hike.
- Green Mountain: In the summer, lilies, columbine, daisies, bluebells, and other flowers add color to the green meadows the trail cuts through on the way to a mountaintop lookout.
- Skyline Trail Loop: Conservationist John Muir’s words are carved into the steps at the beginning of this hike and let visitors know what lies ahead: “the most luxuriant and the most extravagantly beautiful of all the alpine gardens.”
- Cowiche Canyon: Golden balsamroot and pink bitterroot add spring color to the arid terrain near Yakima.
- Dog Mountain: Colorful lupine, columbine, balsamroot, and other wildflowers attract so many visitors that you need a permit to visit in spring.
Oregon
- Tom McCall Point Trail: Among the most popular wildflower hikes in the Columbia River Gorge, this trail hosts yellow balsamroot, purple grasswidow, and red paintbrush, plus views of Cascade peaks.
- Tryon Creek State Natural Area Loop: Trillium, tiger lily, and fireweed dot this trail in spring.
- Elk Meadows: Host to everything from purple lupine to white-fringed grass of Parnassus, this is one of the best wildflower-viewing spots on Mount Hood.
- Lower Table Rock: The flat summit of Lower Table Rock hosts numerous rare wildflowers, including the dwarf woolly meadowfoam—a plant found nowhere else on Earth.
- Mount Ashland (via the Pacific Crest Trail): Find some of the Rogue Valley’s most breathtaking wildflower displays along this hike through hillside meadows.
Towering peaks, sparkling coastline, and vast old-growth forests: wherever you turn in the Pacific Northwest, adventure awaits. Pack a lunch, lace up your boots, and hit the trails with Moon Pacific Northwest Hiking.
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