In mid-November I hiked through the edge of the grasslands then over a forested ridge in an off-trail long loop route.  There were many aspen groves in the upper grasslands, particularly around drainages or small marshes.

In a 2.6 km traverse over the hills, the upper slopes featured pine grass and douglas firs.

The protected areas and the north-facing slopes had many mosses, lichens, and fungi, including these cladonia.

On top of the the upper west-facing slopes were some larger douglas firs and a few old snags.

On the way back to the trailhead a squall passed through and ominous clouds passed overhead.

Snow will soon cover the upper slopes and snowshoes will be needed, but we will continue to hike the highlands for as long as we can.