Forum Index > Trip Reports > Kamiak Butte
 Reply to topic
Previous :: Next Topic
Author Message
Wazzuhiker
Member
Member


Joined: 11 Apr 2003
Posts: 226 | TRs | Pics
Location: Pullman/Monroe
Wazzuhiker
Member
PostWed Mar 31, 2004 12:04 am 
I have been living in Pullman now for a while and never hiked Kamiak because I heard it is too short to be worth the hike. Today the temps hit near 70 so I headed to Kamiak to experience it for myself. The sign at the trailhead said the loop is 3.5 miles so I headed to the top. It was a very nice hike but maybe I was being generous because it was my first snowfree hike since September. Once I got to the top I had a panoramic veiw of the whole palouse area it was awsome. On top of that the wildflowers were starting to bloom and the wheat fields have started turning green. I took a few spur trails and ended up doing probably a five mile hike. Not only was it a scenic venture but with a full pack it will be a decent conditioning hike

"Vegetarians are cool. All I eat are vegetarians..," Ted Nugent
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
MooseAndSquirrel
Member
Member


Joined: 10 Nov 2002
Posts: 2036 | TRs | Pics
MooseAndSquirrel
Member
PostWed Mar 31, 2004 5:06 pm 
I spent a night or two camping at the state park there 5-6 years ago, in May during the week. Not a soul around and really nice views of the stunning Palouse checkerboard fields undulating into the distance- some were fallow rich brown soil and others I believe planted with lentils. Beautiful combination.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
-lol-
Member
Member


Joined: 17 Dec 2001
Posts: 767 | TRs | Pics
-lol-
Member
PostWed Mar 31, 2004 5:32 pm 

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Wazzuhiker
Member
Member


Joined: 11 Apr 2003
Posts: 226 | TRs | Pics
Location: Pullman/Monroe
Wazzuhiker
Member
PostWed Mar 31, 2004 9:19 pm 
I saw a really big elk or moose track on the trail. I saw a whole bunch of nice camp areas there and I was really thinking about doing it sometime untill I saw they wanted fifteen bucks a night for it.

"Vegetarians are cool. All I eat are vegetarians..," Ted Nugent
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker



Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Posts: 425 | TRs | Pics
Location: Here
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker
PostThu Apr 01, 2004 6:20 pm 
When the weather permits, I like to run that loop about once a week. The Evergreen ran a picture once of a black bear on the driveway to the park. The biggest thing I've seen out there, however is a coyote.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker



Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Posts: 425 | TRs | Pics
Location: Here
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker
PostSat Apr 10, 2004 10:54 am 
4/10/04 update: I went up there eariler this morning. The wildflowers are really starting to take off on the south side of the ridge along the trail and right at the summit. Last week someone told me that there are caves in those rocks along the ridge to the north of the trail about halfway to the summit. I haven't looked. Have any of you seen them?

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Wazzuhiker
Member
Member


Joined: 11 Apr 2003
Posts: 226 | TRs | Pics
Location: Pullman/Monroe
Wazzuhiker
Member
PostSat Apr 10, 2004 4:24 pm 
No I havent seen any caves but I did notice that there is a good 8-10 foot verticle rock wall that runs along the ridge line. Could be a likely place for a cave

"Vegetarians are cool. All I eat are vegetarians..," Ted Nugent
Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker



Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Posts: 425 | TRs | Pics
Location: Here
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker
PostWed Apr 14, 2004 7:08 pm 
My Ecology Lab (BIOL 372) drove out to Kamiak Butte today and hiked to the first viewpoint to do some vegetation sampling. The first thing my TA said was "Don't eat the death camas". Immediately the class stoner said "If you boil it right, it will make you hallucinate". rolleyes.gif My group rushed through their work (nothing new there) and I was able to snap some pictures. It had just rained a few hours before, but it was clear when we went up. The wildflower parade was in full swing. I'm not sure what these are (come to think of it I should have asked the TA doh.gif ).
Yellow
Yellow
View
View
Purple
Purple

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Alan Bauer
Member
Member


Joined: 11 Jan 2002
Posts: 942 | TRs | Pics
Location: Fall City, Washington
Alan Bauer
Member
PostWed Apr 14, 2004 9:49 pm 
Thanks for the update of one of my favorite icons of the Palouse to visit. FYI...the yellow flower is a glacier lily and the purple flower is ballhead waterleaf. I was interested in that I was last at kamiak butte last May 2nd. The flowers you are showing, especially the view shot, really are identical to what I was getting last May 2nd. While I guess that doesn't necessarily mean the things are really early this year it is interesting. But these will be blooming for at least the next couple of weeks which will get us close to May anyhow. Nice to see they are already putting on the great show! Kamiak Butte is about the most diverse flora show in Washington, all appreciated in only 3.5 miles. I'm glad it isn't a longer hike as at the rate I've hiked it for the flora displays and photography it still can take me much of a day to explore smile.gif Amazing how you can find SO many west-side flora species on the northern slopes of the butte, isn't it!!? Alan

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker



Joined: 03 Jun 2003
Posts: 425 | TRs | Pics
Location: Here
BarePaw
Barefoot Hiker
PostThu Apr 15, 2004 1:09 pm 
It is great for wildflowers. I wish I could find a good book on Inland Northwest flowers insted of the PNW ones which are more coastally focused. My Ecology TAs even had trouble identifying all of them. This: http://www.wsu.edu/~wsherb/kamiak_family.html is about the best resource I've found.

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
Alan Bauer
Member
Member


Joined: 11 Jan 2002
Posts: 942 | TRs | Pics
Location: Fall City, Washington
Alan Bauer
Member
PostThu Apr 15, 2004 2:57 pm 
BarePaw--I have two excellent guides to help with flora of stuff east of the Cascade Crest. However I'm away from home on vacation still until tomorrow but will pass on my resources to you this weekend if you'd like. One I think is called "Sagebrush Country" but it fails to go into details for more wetter forested climates. It is perfect for places like Potholes, but Kamiak Butte is a very special case where west side species are very dominate as well. The one Pojar book on the Northwest also has an Inland NW version too. But I'll get specifics when I get home!

Back to top Reply to topic Reply with quote Send private message
   All times are GMT - 8 Hours
 Reply to topic
Forum Index > Trip Reports > Kamiak Butte
  Happy Birthday speyguy, Bandanabraids!
Jump to:   
Search this topic:

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum