Bird Creek Meadows, Mt. Adams on the Yakama Reservation

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Bird Creek Meadows on Mt. Adams is not a one-trick pony.  Stunning wildflowers are the main attraction.  At times, they are so gorgeous that it’s easy to forget the other magnificent attractions:  creeks everywhere, waterfalls and hundred-mile vistas to Mt. Hood and beyond. Today, what I noticed were the sounds. 

When the sound of one creek faded, the sound of a waterfall kicked in.  When the sound of the waterfall grew faint, the next gurgling caught my ear.  In those few places in between water sounds, wind rustled the trees or jays squawked and junco trilled.  Duh!  Maybe that’s why they called it Bird * Creek * Meadows. 

Hell Roaring Overlook

“They” is an interesting question.  The Feds allowed the tribes to keep this area under the 1855 treaty as part of the reservation.  In 1908, Teddy Roosevelt mistakenly included it into the Mt. Rainer Forest Reserve.  Later, it became part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest.  In 1972, President Nixon corrected Roosevelt’s mistake and ceded control back to the Yakama Nation.  I’m guessing that the US Forest service named it Bird Creek Meadows. 

Today, we took the trail up and up one mile to the Hell Roaring overlook, then down to the meadows area where flowers are often crazy.  Peak bloom was about two weeks ago, but flowers still delighted in parts. 

Trail 9 took us to the big waterfall (not to be confused to numerous smaller waterfalls).  Down to Bird Lake, and over to Bluff Lake, were we found some huckleberries to snack on.

I posted more photos here.    

Bluff Lake

Huckleberries !