Near the end of June, on a sunny day, I hiked over the top of Mt. Thynne to enjoy the wildflower display. The mountain is located south of Brookmere and requires driving up a forest service road for 16 km. The track climbs the ridge and continues south through subalpine meadows for 4 km, finishing at communication towers on the southern end. The ridge is open with steep treed slopes descending on both sides. There are some ponds and wet zones on the ridge and some rocky knolls too. At this time of the year, there is a continuous display of wildflowers along the route. Mt. Thynne is in Zone 6A, but at 2200m (7000 ft). This is a nature hike I have done a few times and look forward to each time.
Shared here are some photos from the exploration. Some of these species were abundant. Others were found in microzones along the route. The following are included in the Google Photos slideshow – creeping Phlox (P. subulata), showy Jacob’s ladder (Polemonium pulcherrimum), Sitka valerian (Valeriana sitchensis), small-flowered Penstemon (P. procerus), orange Agoseris (A. aurantiaca), partridgefoot (Luetkia pectinata), yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris), sulphur buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum), white-mountain heather (Cassiope mertensiana), fan-foil (Potentilla falbellifolia), bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia), silverleaf phacelia (P. hastata), mat Saxifrage (Saxifraga bronchilis), white pasqueflower (Pulsatilla vulgaris ‘alba’), edible thistle (Cirseum edule), subalpine fleabane (Erigeron glacialis), bracted lousewort (Pedicularis bracteosa), red-berried elder (Sambucus racemosa), slender orchid (Platanthera unalascensis), cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum), and a broad-necked darkling beetle (Coelocnemis dilaticollis).
More information:
- Mt. Thynne Hike on Kamloops Trails
- A Nature Hike on Mount Thynne (video)
- Small-flowered Penstemon