About
Length0.4 mi
ShapeLoop
DifficultyEasy
Elevation gain60 ft up
Typical time15 min
TrailheadEast Rim Drive, near park headquarters
SurfaceDirt path with stepping stones
Best seasonJuly to September. The park averages 43 feet of snow a year and most trails are buried from October to June.
DogsNot allowed
What you'll see 🌊 River or creek🌼 Wildflowers🦌 Wildlife

The Trail At 6300 feet in elevation, the Castle Crest Wildflower Trail loops around a spring-fed meadow, through a mixed conifer forest, over streams, past a grassy slope, and below Castle Crest Ridge which towers 2,000 feet above the trail on the north and east sides. All this in just 0.41 miles. This trail is not accessible. The Wildflowers Castle Crest Wildflower Trail hosts over 200 species of wildflowers, and is surrounded by trees, shrubs, grasses, and moss. While lingering snow melts, tiny violets, buttercups, and spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa) bloom just above the soil. Shooting stars (Dodecathean alpinum) unfurl from slender stems and American bistorts (Polygonum bistortoides) flash white florets. Different species bloom as summer brings the warmth of drier, hotter days. Two of the most prolific wildflowers are Lewis' monkeyflower (Mimmulus lewsii) and paintbrush (Castillejaspp). Other favorites are the bog orchids such as (Platanthera dilatata var. leucostachys), blue stickweed (Hackelia micrantha), Columbia monkshood (Aconitum columbianum) Pacific bleeding heart (Dicentra formosa), and a variety of asters. White pollen skyrocket (Ipomopsis aggregata ssp. formosissima) is a gorgeous, tubular, orange flower which grows on the western pumice slope.

Tips
Peak bloom is mid-July to early August and it is genuinely spectacular. Built in 1929 and improved by the CCC in 1938.
Location

East Rim Drive, near park headquarters

Other Hikers
No one has logged this trail yet.
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