Bird Creek Meadows, August 12, 2026

I wasn’t sure I could do this hike. Actually, I told myself a number of times during the hike that I was nuts for doing this. Given my condition these days, half an invalid, who has trouble walking without trekking poles and a lack of balance and strength, why on earth would I even think of attempting this challenging trail.

It was an uphill climb of only 800 feet, but I haven’t gone over 200 feet of elevation gain since I began hiking again in April. And to go over a mile and three quarters would be further than I have gone on relatively level ground.

This was a challenge for me, as you can tell, yet I decided to push myself to take this on.

It was a partially sunny day, with some clouds over Mt Adams as I drove up the eleven miles of gravel, dirt, dust and potholed road. When I reached the parking area, after driving through mostly burnt forest, it was the lush forest I remember from all the other times I have hiked here, starting in 1986.

The area has been hit with forest fires, tons of blowdown trees and lots and lots of people. Bird Creek Meadows is on the Yakama Nation land and they charge a fee now to use the roads and parking area and trails. But all this is well worth it for those wanting to see alpine wildflowers, the top of Mt Adams and Hellroaring Overlook.

And for me this time, challenge though it was, it was indeed worth the trek.

The first two flowers along the trail were the Leafy Aster and Lewis’s Monkeyflower. The aster has leaves that are shaped like lances at the base of the stem of the flower. These were all along the trail on the way up and on the loop on the way down. The Lewis’s Monkeyflowers were near creeks, as all monkeyflowers like damp ground.

Also growing in those moist areas were Explorer’s Gentian and Hooded Ladies Tresses. The deep rich blues of the gentians really stand out in the greens of the meadows. Hooded Ladies Tresses are in the Orchid Family; these are just a bit beyond prime blooming, but still striking in appearance.

The trail had been cleared of downed trees and limbs, but was still steep, with rock stairs and log barriers for drainage, which acted as stairs also. There are so many wildflowers in the meadows of Bird Creek; and I was about two weeks late for a couple of my favorites: Bracted Pedicularis and Partridgefoot; both gone.

When I did get to Hellroaring Overlook, it was a little cloudy still, so I couldn’t see the top of Mt Adams at all. And Hellroaring Creek was not as full as in past years; we have had a low snowpack this winter. There is usually quite a “roar” coming from the falls at the creek, but not this trip.

You can see the falls near the top right corner of this photo.

Most of the Spreading Phlox were gone but I did find one plant still in flower. And also a few Fan-leaf Cinquefoils. The vivid white of the phlox and yellow of the cinquefoil are eye-cathcing.

And as I hiked down going on the loop trail back to the trailhead, there were lots of little Prostrate Lupin growing in the sandy soil.

The way down was steeper than going up; the 800 feet of elevation gain going up was over a mile and a half, and the loop down was in one point one miles. Much more difficult for me in my current state.

But all in all, it was a beautiful hike and even though it was quite a challenge, I did it and am proud of myself for tackling this trail. And I did indeed pay the price later that night and the next day: my body ached all over!!!