As one heads east along the Columbia River from Portland, the prevailing climate makes a dramatic shift. The wet coniferous forests of the western slopes give way to dry sagebrush steppes. The transition zone between these climates is a unique and magical place. As the cold wet winter gives way to the warm sunny spring, the hillsides erupt in waves of flowers.
Columbia Hills State Park on the Washington side of the river is a great place to explore this environment. A number of trails loop up and around the many flowered hillsides.
This state park encompasses what was originally Dalles Mountain Ranch. The owners of the ranch knew this place was special, and had it turned into a park after their time passed.
While bright yellow Balsamroot and purple Lupines are the most abundant large flowers, domes of Phlox like these add new forms and colors.
The early morning sun lights up every edge of the flower petals. Nature provides the artwork, I only need to look at it, from just the right angle at just the right time.
In case the flowered hills aren’t enough, the iconic symmetrical pyramid of Mt. Hood provides a grander sense of scale and direction. The 11,237ft summit of Mt. Hood is 36 linear miles to the southwest
This area is home to many bird species as well. Western Meadowlarks are probably the most noticeable, not for how they look, but how they sound. Their sweet melodious song is pleasant and surprisingly loud. When you hear one, it’s likely about twice as far as you’d estimate.
Many other birds thrive here as well, from migrating White-crowned Sparrows to the occasional Golden Eagle. Then, down in the folds between the hillsides, in thin forests of twisting oaks you might find the uniquely colorful Lewis’s Woodpecker.
It’s difficult to know when to stop taking photos of this wonderful place. All the photos on this post were from a single morning. If I extended my reach to previous years, I could fill page after page after page with similar images. Here are just a few more in my gallery. And here is another from this day, just as the rising sun highlights the Balsamroot flowers.
But since this post is called the Columbia Hills and Beyond… here is some of the beyond. This view is the upper Hood River valley, looking south over orchards toward Mt. Hood. At this point, we’re only about 15 miles from the mountain, but the wide-angle lens makes it seem farther.
Back to the northern bank of the Columbia River, the Klickitat river twists and turns down a gentle canyon to the town of Lyle, Washington. A multi-use path (formerly a railroad bed) parallels the river most of the way.
This cascade is along the Little White Salmon River, another of the streams pouring south through canyons to the Columbia.
This is just a small sampling of the natural wonders of this area. If you have the opportunity to explore it, especially around the 3rd week in April, don’t let it pass you by!