Elephant Hill Provincial Park has several rocky, treeless hills west and north of the Town of Ashcroft. All routes up the hill involve steep hiking on informal trails through the sagebrush and grassland. It is a dry and arid area in summer, but in late spring there are a number of wildflowers, including bitterroots (Lewisia redviva). We hiked up the hill for the views, but stopped along the way to appreciate the wildflowers too.
Bitterroot is a fleshy perennial that grows from taproots. Short stems and pinkish-white flowers appear before any leaves emerge. The flowers only emerge in the sun.
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