Tod Mountain Meadows
We drove up to Sun Peaks, then took the chairlift to mid-station. We hiked up through the Crystal Bowl, then out the Westridge Trail to the mountain peak area, then hiked back through the West Bowl, the Whyte Bowl, and back to the start. We were out for 3.65 hours. Along the trails, we stopped to enjoy and photograph some of the wildflowers and flowering shrubs, a few of which are shared here.
In this gallery are white marsh marigold (Calthus leptosepala), thread-leaved sandwort (Arenaria capillaris), subalpine fleabane (Erigeron peregrinus sp.), elderberry (Sambucus racemosa sp.), mountain arnica (Arnica latifolia), orange agoseris (Agoseris aurantiaca), globeflower (Trollius laxus), slender bog orchid (Planthera saccata), a pink lupine (Lupinus arcticus sp.), western meadowrue (Thalictrum occidentale), Indian hellebore (Veratrum viride), parsnip-flowered buckwheat (Eriogonum heracleoides), and small-flowered penstemon (Penstemon procerus).
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Additionally, in the second gallery are western spring beauty (Claytonia lanceolata), umber pussytoes (Antennaria umbrinella), witch’s hair (Alectaria sarmentosa), white mountain heather (Cassope mertensiana), and western saxifrage (Saxifraga occidentalis).
And, in the third gallery are mountain forget-me-nots (Myosotis alpestris sp.), western groundsel (Senecio integerriumus), rockcress (Boechera stricta), alpine paintbrush (Catilleja rhexifolia), bracted lousewort (Pedicularis bracteosa), tall larkspur (Delphinium glaucum), black twinberry (Lonicera involucrata), and pearly everlasting (Anaphalis margaritacea).
We returned two weeks later to hike another route (withe the grandkids) and we have planned one more hike on Tod Mountain in late summer.