Zoa Peak on a Fall Day
On a fine fall day we drove down to the Coquihalla Summit area, then took the Falls Lake Road to the trailhead for Zoa Peak. We hiked the 10 km up and back route in sunny conditions. After a summer of drought, many of the herbaceous perennials had finished flowering and fruiting, but a few of the later-blooming plants were still green and vigorous. Many of the shrubs had turned to fall colors. The subalpine area was very colorful.
Some of the plants we spotted included tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), hawkweed (Hieraceum umbellatum), lupine (Lupinus sp.), spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa), stonecrop (Sedum sp.), partridgefoot (Luetkea pectinata sp.), and goldenrod (Solidago canadensis).
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The hike up Zoa Peak is always worth the effort, particularly in October.
We also enjoyed seeing sedges (Carex sp.), lots of spreading phlox (Phlox diffusa), leatherleaf saxifrage (Leptarrhina pyrolifolia), pasqueflower (Anemone occidentalis sp.), rock moss (Grimmiaceae sp.), huckleberry (Vaccineuem sp.), and partridgefoot (Luetkea pectinata sp.).
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We will be back to hike the Coquihalla Summit in the summer of 2024.