Bear Grass Meadows

We hiked to Little Bandera, the false summit of Bandera Mountain, for the express purpose of ascending high angle alpine meadows blanketed with an incredible bounty of blooming bear grass. Overcast and cool, the low clouds of the inversion layer cloaked the valley below, the magnificent Mount Rainier visible from the ridge above them.

The hike to Bandera is a seductress. The first mile and a half a gentle grade which then ramps up the vertical a bit more. The trail fork is the moment of truth. Left takes you to Mason Lake, an easy amble, right takes you deeper into a profusion of bear grass that thrives on the high-angle meadows of Bandera Mountain. Lupine, Indian paintbrush, dogwood blossoms, thimbleberry, and heather blossoms were all present on the approach. But the bear grass above created the big show, an amazing expanse of white blossoms.

It took our breath away and it’s why we came. We choose the Bandera trail and hiked straight up, a relentless vertical quest through the spiky flowering plants. Not technical, just steep, rocky, and loose. Thankfully the only exposure was to the sun. We wondered what it would be like to descend this stuff but kept going. We pressed on. Seduced… 

The trail eventually backed off a bit and climbed through a wooded section before emerging for the final ridge climb. We reached the false summit and stopped for lunch. The views from the ridge incredible. Scattered snowfields still clung to the north side talus above Mason Lake, far below. The south side views extended to the glaciated massif of Mount Rainier and down over one of the steepest natural flower gardens we had ever seen. Yes, there was some punishment, hiking both up and down the high-angle meadows, but the experience of moving through terrain surrounded by bear grass and the magnificent views from the top made it all well worthwhile.

The ephemeral Xerophyllum tenax seems to favor the south-facing slopes of the hikes north of Mt. Rainier National Park and in the Alpine Lakes Wilderness. Nearby Granite Mountain hosts the distinctive plants on its south-side approach, but a bigger show lies even further south. The trail to Kelly Butte Lookout climbs a steep south-facing slope that switchbacks through rocky escarpments up to an open meadow that is a veritable sea of white flowers. The view south to Rainier is close and more dramatic. The blooms appear in full in spring from mid-June to mid-July depending on annual weather conditions. I search the WTA Trip Reports to target locations and peak season and then go. It’s a sensational experience.

Here is a link to a 360 panorama of the Kelly Butte Bear Grass Meadows I took in mid-July: For best viewing click on the ‘Toggle Fullscreen’ icon in the panel in the upper right of the onscreen image. Then scroll to experience the immersive image. 

Bear Grass Meadows, Kelly Butte Trail, South Cascades, WA State: https://www.360cities.net/image/bear-grass-meadows-kelly-butte-trail-south-cascades-wa-state