FIELD TRIPS IN THE WESTERN CORDILLERAS

Wasatch Mountains, northern Utah, based at Snowbird: Hikes will be within 60 miles or an hour and a half bus ride from the Conference headquarters at Snowbird. While these trips will be comprised of easier walks, rather than strenuous hikes, the flora will be rich and diverse. The central Wasatch Range has abundant, wonderful wildflowers, such as Mertensia ciliata, Zigadenus elegans, Penstemon humilis, Pedicularis groenlandica, Linum lewisii, and Ipomopsis aggregata. The Wasatch Crest also contains many endemic, rare species, such as Aster kingii, Erigeron garretti, and Ivesia utahensis.

Note: Registrants on the Wasatch trip will be covered only for the base room price of $105; additional room costs will be billed by Snowbird at check-out.

Teton Range, western Wyoming; Bear River Range, Utah: Two nights will be spent in Jackson and one in Logan, Utah. The Teton Range is 5 miles north of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and is 262 miles from Salt Lake City, 6 hours by bus. We will be taking the tram from Teton Village to the top of Rendezvous Mountain, 10,450 feet, if the tram is open; otherwise we will be hiking from Teton Pass road. The interpretive trail at the top of the tram crosses meadows, talus slopes, and an occasional snow patch, and enters a small cirque. Flowers you might expect to see along the trail include Linum lewisii, Phacelia sericea, Castilleja sulphurea, Aquilegia flavescens and Phlox pulvinata.

On the way from the Tetons to Snowbird, we will stop in the Bear River Range, 12 miles east of Logan, Utah. Hiking from Tony Grove Lake (8,200') to Mt. Naomi is moderately strenuous: about a 1,800' vertical rise, 6 miles roundtrip, but we may not hike the entire distance. Special plants in the Bear River Range include Draba maguieri, Boykinia jamesii, Lesquerella multiceps, Erigeron cronquistii, Musineon lineare, and Penstemon compactus (just north of Tony Grove Lake, on the rocks).

Note: Registrants who choose this field trip will purchase one dinner on their own in Jackson, where there is a wide variety of restaurants for all tastes and budgets.

Snowy Range, Medicine Bow Mountains, southern Wyoming: The Snowy Range is located 40 miles west of Laramie, Wyoming, and is 379 miles east of Salt Lake City, about 7 hours by bus, mostly along interstate highway. The first two nights will be in the historic town of Saratoga, and the last night in Rock Springs. One can leave the bus at Libby Pass at 10,800 feet and see many alpine plants, including Eritrichium nanum var. elongatum, Silene acaulis, Sedum rhodanthum, Kalmia microphylla, Pedicularis bracteosa, Claytonia megarhiza, and Trollius laxus. Besides the wonderful bus botanizing, two additonal moderate hikes are planned: to the Snowy crest at about 11,500 feet and to a large glacial basin at about 11,000 feet, both providing spectacular vistas.

Cedar Breaks National Monument/Markagunt Plateau, Utah: The Markagunt Plateau is about 20 miles east of Cedar City, Utah, 250 miles from Salt Lake City, 5 hours by bus. All three nights will be in Cedar City, with a Sunday evening visit to the Kolob Canyon region of Zion National Park. The Spectra Point hike is moderate and two miles roundtrip on an improved trail along the edge of the amphitheater to a lookout point, with a vertical change of 100 feet. You will be viewing an inverted treeline and krummholz, with small cushion plants growing on the Claron Limestone. Special plants to look for in the Markagunt Plateau: Arenaria kingii var. plateauensis, Castilleja parvula var. revealii, Cymopterus minimus, Draba subalpina, Eriogonum panguicense var. alpestre, Haplopappus zionis and Silene petersonii.

Ruby Mountains, eastern Nevada: The Ruby Mountains are 20 miles southeast of Elko, Nevada, 259 miles and 5 hours from Salt Lake City. All three nights will be spent in the cowboy town of Elko.

The Rubies contain over 550 species of vascular plants, of which 189 grow up to alpine elevations, making the Ruby Mountains the richest in alpine flora of all the Great Basin ranges. The moderate hike in Lamoille Canyon to Liberty Pass is approximately 6 miles round trip.

In the meadows and on rocky slopes might be Castilleja chromosa, C. miniata, C. linariifolia, Aquilegia formosa, Erigeron asperugineus, E. watsonii, Lonicera involucrata, Silene acaulis, Phlox pulvinata, Geum rossii, Eriogonum kingii and Potentilla fruticosa.

Post-Conference Tour: Big Horn Mountains and Cody, northern Wyoming

The Post-Conference tour will leave Snowbird on Thursday morning, July 27th, returning to Salt Lake City on Monday, August 1. Travel in the Big Horns will be based at Burgess Junction for two nights and Cody for one, with overnight stops in Riverton on the way up and on the return trip. Full details are described by Iza Goroff in the Winter issue of the Quarterly.

There are only 22 places available on this trip and it should fill quickly. Please indicate your interest by checking the box on the registration form to receive further information and the opportunity to sign up for this tour.

Note: The altitude of the base-camp at Snowbird, 8,100 feet (2469 m), and on the field trips will be higher than most are accustomed to. Please consider arriving a day early to acclimate.

Mountain hikes are inherently dangerous. We will make every effort to ensure safety, but registrants participate at their own risk.

Highly recommended reading in preparation for these field trips can be obtained from the NARGS Book Service. Pertinent books include:

Utah Flora, 2003, Welsh, et al $70

Land Above the Trees, Zwinger and Willard, $16

Vascular Plants of Wyoming, Dorn $16

Wildflowers of Montana,Schiermann $18

CD Plants of the Centrral Wasatch Front, Gray $20.