Big Red Mountain, Dutchman Peak & Tamarack Meadows

Big Red Mountain, Dutchman Peak & Tamarack Meadows

Conifer Highlights:

· Jeffrey pine (Pinus jeffreyi),

· common juniper (Juniperus communis)

· lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta)

· western white pine (Pinus monticola)

· mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana)

· Shasta red fir (Abies magnifica var. shastensis)

· white fir (Abies concolor x Abies grandis) hybrid

Some other cool species we might encounter along the way: Henderson’s horkelia, split hair paintbrush, scarlet gilia, curlleaf mountain mahogany, greenleaf manzanita, beargrass, prairie smoke, quill leaf lewisia, Siskiyou mountains owl's clover, Douglas buckwheat, Lyall’s angelica, Bigelow’s sneezeweed, Bolander’s madia, and more!

Leaders: Luke Ruediger & Suzie Savoie, with guest botanist Barbara Mumblo

About Barbara Mumblo: In the summer of 1976 Barbara went on a wildflower fieldtrip to the Pacific Crest Trail at Mt Ashland with Dr. Frank Lang. This began her love of wildflowers and a BS in Biology (emphasis in botany) at Southern Oregon University (Southern Oregon State College at that time). Barbara worked at the Medford District BLM from 1981-1987, working primarily with Joan Seevers studying rare plants, often in the Illinois Valley. In 1987 she began her 28-year botanist career with the US Forest Service on the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest, Siskiyou Mountains Ranger District. This was a dream job working in the Klamath-Siskiyous and it was close to her home of now 46 years at the base of Dutchman Peak. In 2018 she was recognized as a Fellow of the Native Plant Society of Oregon.

Trip Description:

We will visit three separate locations on this trip including Big Red Mountain, Dutchman Peak, and Tamarack Meadows, exploring very distinctive and unique plant communities at each site.

Starting at Wrangle Gap on the Pacific Crest Trail, we will hike approximately one mile out the western face of Big Red Mountain to view ultra-mafic soils and plant communities with significant stands of Jeffrey pine and western white pine savanna. We hope to hike out to a viewpoint overlooking one of the Monogram Lakes, a series of small ponds at the headwaters of the Little Applegate River. This short hike will explore the Big Red Mountain Botanical Area and Research Natural Area.

We will then drive west to a saddle below Dutchman Peak and hike to the summit along the gated Dutchman Peak Lookout Road. Hiking through the Dutchman Peak Botanical Area we will see numerous rare, unusual, or endemic wildflowers, beautiful groves of curlleaf mountain mahogany, stands of mountain hemlock on the northern slopes, and a population of common juniper, a high elevation, low growing juniper that grows as a groundcover high on the slopes of Dutchman Peak.

Finally, we will drive further west to Tamarack Meadows to view wet meadow habitats, including extensive stands of lodgepole pine. Lodgepole pine is very common across the West, often in cold, snowy areas at relatively high elevations. On the Siskiyou Crest the species is found in only a few locations including Tamarack Meadows, Azalea Lake in the Red Buttes Wilderness and in a few locations in the Siskiyou Wilderness Area.

Big Red Mountain species list: https://siskiyou.npsoregon.org/annualmeeting2019/gpix/Big%20Red%20Mt_plantlist1_Kmerg%20Sheet1.pdf

Dutchman Peak species list: https://siskiyou.npsoregon.org/annualmeeting2019/gpix/Dutchman%20Plant%20List.pdf

Tamarack Meadows species list: https://oregonflora.org/checklists/checklist.php?cl=12769&pid=2

Meeting Place and Time:

9am

McKee Bridge parking area

(Please arrive 5 minutes early)

Expected return time: 5pm or before

Driving Directions to McKee Bridge Carpool Meetup:

From Jacksonville, go south on Hwy 238 to the town of Ruch and turn left on Upper Applegate Road. After 8.5 miles, turn left on McKee Bridge Road.

From Grants Pass, take Hwy 238 south through Murphy and Applegate. Turn right on Hamilton Road (you’ll see a sign for Cantrall-Buckley Park). Hamilton Road terminates at Upper Applegate Road – turn right and travel 7 miles to McKee Bridge Road.

Driving Directions from McKee Bridge to Wrangle Gap:

From McKee Bridge turn left on Upper Applegate Road for less than one half mile to Beaver Creek Road (Road 20) and turn left. Eventually Road 20 turns to gravel. Turn left at the Silver Fork Gap intersection, still on Road 20, towards Dutchman Peak. At Jackson Gap turn left on Road 20 and head (north) to the PCT parking area at Wrangle Gap. Note: Road 20 contains washboard sections and is a bit rough and narrow near Dutchman Peak; it is still passable in regular cars, although best in AWD or 4WD.

Drive Time from McKee Bridge meetup to Wrangle Gap: approximately 1 hour

Difficulty: Moderate

Distance we will hike:

· 2 miles at Big Red Mountain

· 2.6 miles at Dutchman Peak

· ¼ to ½ mile at Tamarack Meadows

Approximate elevation gain: 400 ft.

Group Size Limit: 25

Appropriate Footwear and Gear: Sturdy footwear is recommended, and trekking poles if they are helpful for you.

Bring with you: Lunch, snacks, water, sun protection, layers, binoculars, camera, hand lens, and any other personal items you might need.

Special Considerations: We will be on a high elevation ridge with sun and wind exposure for part of the day. There are no bathrooms after the meetup location, except a pit toilet at Dutchman Peak lookout if we make it up there. Be prepared to go to the bathroom in the woods. There will be rocky and uneven footing along the trails and off-trail to see the common juniper. There will likely be no cell reception on this field trip.

Photo below: Barbara Mumblo